Cap d'AntiferÉtretat
borderlineswell on the quarter today
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Cap d'Antifer headland and cliffs, rock 2–12 m, shore entry; bream (sar) and bass. ⚠️ strong current, site very exposed to wind and swell.
Google MapsÉtretat spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras
5.5
wave 0.1 m
visibility6m
Today — right on the edge — wave, wind and visibility.
Sources: IPMA · NDBC · Copernicus — high confidence · data 16:24
Sources & confidence
- Sources
- IPMA · NDBC buoys · Copernicus Marine
- Method
- Model consensus, read per window
- Freshness
- Re-read every hour, per coast
Compiled by the spearo sea-state engine
The verdict comes from seven water factors and hard safety gates — not ten tabs. Go or stay.
How we score the water
Our own model
Our own forecast engine — not a third-party widget. It weighs these water factors into one go-or-stay verdict for this coast; the 0–10 dial is that verdict, read out as a number.
- Swell & wave memory
- Height, period and direction of the swell, plus the wake of recent storms — an old storm still stirs the water, and the engine remembers.
- Wind & gusts
- Speed and gusts, hour by hour — wind speed and an onshore push chop the surface and cut visibility.
- Tide phase
- Timing and range of the tide, calibrated per coast — big spring tides pull the verdict toward caution.
- Water temperature
- Sea-surface temperature — sharply cold water vetoes a green verdict.
- Currents & outflow
- Direction and drift of the current — it pushes you, and it drags turbid coastal water across where you dive.
- Rain runoff & air clarity
- Rain muddies the water inshore through land runoff, while fog and haze cut visibility at the surface.
- Coast shape & exposure
- How the coast faces the swell — a sheltered cove keeps the water clean; an exposed, head-on point takes a penalty.
Safety gates
- Thunderstorm forecast — an instant red, no exceptions.
- An official warning (MeteoAlarm / IPMA) — yellow, or red for the higher ranks.
- Missing input data — a would-be green is capped to yellow rather than overstated.
- Strong disagreement between forecast models — a green day is pulled back to yellow.
- Night hours — forced red; the window is closed after dark.
It all folds into a single 0–10 score and one verdict: go or stay.
A forecast, not a guarantee — the sea has the last word.
Where to get in, where to hunt
Entry points with coordinates
Seabed relief — promising ground
Surface
Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.
spearo.app
calmupdated 16:24
Étretat — solo, off the rocks
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site · strong wind 16 km/h, gusts 30 — caution
wave 0.1 mwind 16, gusts 30 km/hvisibility ~8 mwindow 15:00–18:00
today, best window 15:00–18:00
fish · Visibility 8 m · Water 18.4°C
confidence high · verdict for the selected day
Whole week — tap a day. is driving swell right now.
Solo risk: carry a float · tell someone your plan and exit time · doubt = don't go. A model-based planner; the call is made on site.
Selected day
Windows, hours
and the day's trends.
The day is picked above, in the hero. Here are that day's windows, the hour-by-hour map and the trends. Tap a window to break down the conditions.
Wednesday · today2026-07-22
06:16–21:54 · first quarter
▲ 05:00▼ 12:00▲ 18:00 · 4.1 m
Hours (06→20)
15
18
Day's trends
Tide-1.99 m
Wave0.10 m
Wind7 km/h
Water18 °C
fish activity: moonset 00:35 · moderate · moon underfoot 08:20 · high · moonrise 16:16 · moderate · moon overhead 20:40 · high
Conditions window15:00–18:00
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site fish
Hs 0.14 mperiod 4 swind 16→30surge 0viz 6 m
0.14 mup to ~0.28 · 30° at an angle
4 sswell moderate
16→30gusts 30 km/h
0weak surge
0.44m/s
6 mrecent swell
18.4°C5 mm + hood
▲18:00tide turn near
Atmosphere37 kmlandmarks visible
moderatemoonrise
- strong wind 16 km/h, gusts 30 — caution
- current 0.44 m/s
- flood toward high water
confidence highday
The water column
Visibility and what drives it — post-storm clearing, river plume, temperature and the thermocline.
What it is
A marine instrument,
go / no-go for solo hunting.
spearo.app folds wind, wave, swell period, visibility, tides, water temperature and risk into a single verdict — go to the spot or not. It computes 7 days ahead from open marine models (Open-Meteo, IPMA), with no sign-up and no accounts. Built for solo spearfishing off the rocks, where any mistake costs dearly.
Now live: 1152 spots across 189 stretches of coast — mainland Portugal, Madeira and the Azores.
See all spotsThe seabed
Relief and bottom type, tides, and the depths of each spot.
On the rock
The forecast is the plan.
The call is on the rock.
The models set the window. Whether you go in is read only at the water: count the sets, watch the surge on the entry. If in doubt, you don't get in.
Entry points
Where to get in
off the rocks.
Scouted entries, coloured by today. The colour is the sea state at the spot, not a guarantee: the wash and a slippery entry you judge on site.
Open the seafloor map
Plage de BrunevalÉtretat
borderlineswell on the quarter today
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Bruneval beach (Saint-Jouin), rock-sand interface 3–5 m, shore entry; lobster, brown crab, spider crab. Sheltered in calm conditions.
Google MapsPorte d'Amont / Roc VaudieuÉtretat
borderlineswell on the quarter today
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Documented zone to the north, rock and arch 5–17 m, shore (pebbles)/boat; bass, pollack, mullet, NE drift on the flood. Coords approx.
Google MapsPorte d'Aval / AiguilleÉtretat
borderlineswell on the quarter today
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Arch and needle to the south, rock 5–17 m, shore/boat; vertical structure, pollack and bass. Rockfalls at the foot. Coords verified (internal).
Google MapsSOLO is the biggest risk: underwater you can black out from lack of oxygen silently and fatally, with no one around. Solo is never truly «safe». Below are the best weather windows; carry a buoy, tell someone your plan and exit time, and any doubt — don't go.
Surfacing
Cameras, map and reference — to hand as you come up.
Live cameras, map & reference
Open the seafloor map →What's in season,
Reference
What's in season,
what the law says.
In season now
- bar / loup (European seabass)Bag: north of 48°N — 3/day (except 1 Feb–31 Mar: catch-and-release only); south of 48°N — 2/day year-round.
- maigre (meagre)
- gilthead seabream
- white seabream
- black seabream
- grey mullet
- European conger
- striped red mullet
- common sole
- European hake
- Atlantic mackerelAtlantic 20 cm (North Sea — 30 cm), Mediterranean 18 cm.
- pollackAtlantic/Channel: max 2/day. Practically absent in the Mediterranean.
- Atlantic cod
- brown meagre / corb🚫 Mérou (5 spp.) and corb: TOTAL spearfishing ban in the French Mediterranean (mainland + Corsica), moratorium to end 2033. Size is irrelevant — not a legal target at all.
Law
- ✓No licence and no declaration since 2009 — free practice (décret 2009-727). BUT civil-liability (RC) insurance for spearfishing is MANDATORY (not a myth) — a standalone policy or an FFESSM/FFPSA federation licence. Speargun (arbalète) — 16+.
- ✓Breath-hold only — any breathing apparatus (scuba/hookah) is banned. Night prohibited (sunset to sunrise). Never keep the speargun loaded out of the water. Stay ≥150 m from vessels actively fishing; spearfishing banned in ports, bathing zones and marine reserves.
- ✓Min. sizes are façade-specific (arrêté 26 Oct 2012 + EU 2019/1241): sea bass (bar) 42 cm Atlantic/Channel and 30 cm Mediterranean. In the Med, moratoria protect the grouper (×5) and the brown meagre (corb) — don't shoot them. From 10 Jan 2026 a new registration + catch-declaration regime applies (arrêté 7 Nov 2025). See the species card and the guide.
- ✓EU Regulation 2023/2842: angler registration and catch declaration for certain species (sea bass, pollack, bluefin tuna) due from 10 Jan 2026 — obligation postponed by France while the EU app is not ready; check current status.
- ⛔ 🚫 Mérou (5 spp.) and corb — total spearfishing ban in the Mediterranean (mainland + Corsica), moratorium to end 2033.
- ⛔ Grande nacre (Pinna nobilis) — full take ban (Habitats Dir. 92/43 Annex IV). Marine mammals, turtles, seahorses (Hippocampus), corals — do not touch.
- ⛔ Crustaceans (lobster, spiny lobster, spider crab, ormer/abalone) — harpoon/foëne PROHIBITED. By hand while freediving only, where species/size/season is open. Ormeau (Haliotis) — hand-take heavily restricted/seasonal, effectively closed in many zones.
Rules change. Exact distances from beaches/ports and seasonal closures are set by the local préfecture maritime — check its arrêté and the DIRM/OFB zone map before heading out.
Safety protocol
- Sets: watch the wave trains ≥15 min before entering; Hmax ≈ 2×Hs, the wash can run 50 m past the foam line. A lull >10 min with period >12 s = a big set «overdue», do NOT enter; enter right after a full set passes and re-check at minute 30.
- Exit FIRST: find your exit AND a backup before entering. On a rocky/boulder shore a 0.5 m rise in swell can make the exit impossible — getting pinned/unable to climb out is the main killer.
- Headland rip: prominent points often have a permanent topographic rip regardless of the model — locate it, enter/exit on the windward side, never swim against it.
- Cold: wetsuit per the SST chip; the first shiver = a metabolic surge and a drop in breath-hold → get out at the first steady shiver. Cap the session at 45–60 min below 15 °C.
- Solo discipline: buoy up; tell someone the spot and exit time; conservative breath-hold (never push it in cold/murky/surfy water); visibility <3 m — don't enter.
- Afternoon wind: on many coasts the wind builds from midday — plan to be out of the water by midday; the chop builds — get out.
- UV 11:00–15:00 (UVI ≥6): sunscreen and cover up on the surface interval.
- Solo is a fundamental risk (hypoxic blackout with no buddy). Any doubt = No-go.
Spearfishing in Étretat: spots, seasons and rules
Spearfishing in Étretat is about timing, not scenery. The chalk arches give strong structure, but the Channel tide, pebble entry and rockfall risk make it a short-window dive. Current runs north-east on the flood and south-west on the ebb, so hunt with the drift and exit around slack. Listed ground ranges from 3 to 17 m: bass, pollack, mullet and some hand-take crustacean ground at Bruneval. French rules require insurance, breath-hold only practice and local prefecture checks.
TL;DR
- Étretat is a slack-water dive: big Channel tides, pebble entry, current and cliffs control the plan.
- Porte d'Amont and Porte d'Aval are the core rock-and-arch areas, with bass, pollack and mullet in 5 to 17 m.
- After swell or rain, chalky water can turn quickly; do not read calm scenery as good visibility.
Best spearfishing spots in Étretat
These entries sit under exposed cliffs or on nearby rock-sand ground. Check tide, swell and exit before choosing one.
| Spot | Type | Depth | Level | Access | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Porte d'Amont / Roc Vaudieu | Northern rock and arch | 5 to 17 m | Intermediate, drift-aware | Pebble shore entry or boat | Bass, pollack and mullet. The local note gives a north-east drift on the flood. |
| Porte d'Aval / Aiguille | Arch and vertical needle | 5 to 17 m | Experienced intermediate | Pebble shore entry or boat | Pollack and bass on vertical relief. Rockfall risk exists at the cliff foot. |
| Cap d'Antifer | Exposed rocky headland | 2 to 12 m | Experienced, calm sea only | Shore | Bream and bass, but strong current and high exposure to wind and swell. |
What conditions matter most in Étretat?
The key is the macrotidal Channel regime. Plan around slack, then check swell and water colour. North-west swell or rain can suspend chalk and reduce visibility fast. With no local webcam listed, the final call is made at the beach: pebble surf, water colour, current line and a clear exit route.
FAQ
Is Étretat beginner-friendly?
Not really. Tide, current, pebble entry and cliff exposure make it an intermediate site.
Which way does the current run?
The current runs north-east on the flood and south-west on the ebb.
What fish are listed for Étretat?
Bass, pollack, mullet and bream are listed across the spots.
Can you spear lobster in France?
No. Crustaceans cannot be taken with a spear or foëne; hand take only where open.
Do you need a licence in France?
No licence or declaration since 2009, but civil-liability insurance is mandatory.
Sources
Nearby towns
Coming soon
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Leave your email — and the moment a window opens at Étretat, we'll send the go / no-go verdict. Email is all we need.
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