Today — sit it out — wave, wind and visibility.
Sources & confidence
Compiled by the spearo sea-state engine · How it works →
The verdict comes from seven water factors and hard safety gates — not ten tabs. Go or stay.
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.
Safety gates
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
Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.
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.
Leave your email — and the moment a window opens at Étretat, we'll send the go / no-go verdict. Email is all we need.
Every covered town has its own live forecast, cameras and entry points. Choose where you're diving.
What's missing? Tell us what you'd like to see — new spots, species, data or features. We read everything.
Visibility and what drives it — post-storm clearing, river plume, temperature and the thermocline.
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: 1391 spots across 205 stretches of coast — mainland Portugal, Madeira and the Azores.
See all spotsRelief and bottom type, tides, and the depths of each spot.
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.
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 mapDetached stack, chalk platform 2–15 m, shore/boat; bass, pollack, wrasse. Slack water only. Depths are given from chart datum (LAT): Étretat's range is 7.29 m, so add up to +7–8 m at high water and take the same off at low. Bass: spearfishing CLOSED 01.02–31.03 (ICES 4c/7d); outside the window, 3 fish per day per hunter, minimum landing size ≥ 42 cm.
Google MapsCap d'Antifer headland and cliffs, rock 2–12 m, shore entry; black seabream and bass. ⚠️ strong current, site very exposed to wind and swell. Depths are given from chart datum (LAT): Étretat's range is 7.29 m, so add up to +7–8 m at high water and take the same off at low. Bass: spearfishing CLOSED 01.02–31.03 (ICES 4c/7d); outside the window, 3 fish per day per hunter, minimum landing size ≥ 42 cm.
Google MapsA detached stack and its drop-off, −12.5 m LAT 450 m out (+7–8 m at high water), pebble entry. On the fish: bass, pollack and conger. ⚠️ rockfall: stay more than 100 m off the cliff foot. the deepest water in the sector close to shore. Bass: spearfishing CLOSED 01.02–31.03 (ICES 4c/7d); outside the window, 3 fish per day per hunter, minimum landing size ≥ 42 cm.
Google MapsThe full spot briefing is part of the subscription: entry, bottom, hazards, tide window.
Open in the appA chalk platier mapped as bare rock — a real reef, not shingle, −7.7 m LAT 450 m out (+7–8 m at high water), pebble entry. On the fish: bass, pollack and ballan wrasse. ⚠️ rockfall: stay more than 100 m off the cliff foot. Bass: spearfishing CLOSED 01.02–31.03 (ICES 4c/7d); outside the window, 3 fish per day per hunter, minimum landing size ≥ 42 cm.
Google MapsBruneval beach (Saint-Jouin), rock-sand interface 3–5 m, shore entry; lobster, brown crab, spider crab. Sheltered in calm conditions. ⚠️ The administrative limit of the port of Le Havre-Antifer runs ~550 m south, along the digue: beyond it fishing is forbidden (R5333-24) and diving reserved to a listed set. This spot is outside — read the legal ground off the zone map. Depths are given from chart datum (LAT): Étretat's range is 7.29 m, so add up to +7–8 m at high water and take the same off at low. Crustaceans by HAND only — no speargun, no pole-spear (R921-92 II.5).
Google MapsThe full spot briefing is part of the subscription: entry, bottom, hazards, tide window.
Open in the appA headland that breaks the current, rock at its foot, −11.5 m LAT 450 m out (+7–8 m at high water), down the valleuse path, steep. On the fish: bass, pollack and ballan wrasse. ⚠️ the current strengthens on the headland: slack water only. Bass: spearfishing CLOSED 01.02–31.03 (ICES 4c/7d); outside the window, 3 fish per day per hunter, minimum landing size ≥ 42 cm.
Google MapsA headland that breaks the current, rock at its foot, −14.1 m LAT 450 m out (+7–8 m at high water), pebble entry. On the fish: bass, pollack, conger and European lobster. Crustaceans by HAND only — no speargun, no pole-spear (R921-92 II.5). ⚠️ the current strengthens on the headland: slack water only. ⚠️ the port's administrative limits are close: read the legal ground off the zone map. Bass: spearfishing CLOSED 01.02–31.03 (ICES 4c/7d); outside the window, 3 fish per day per hunter, minimum landing size ≥ 42 cm.
Google MapsDocumented zone to the north, rock and arch 5–17 m, shore (pebbles)/boat; bass, pollack, mullet, NE drift on the flood. Depths are given from chart datum (LAT): Étretat's range is 7.29 m, so add up to +7–8 m at high water and take the same off at low. Bass: spearfishing CLOSED 01.02–31.03 (ICES 4c/7d); outside the window, 3 fish per day per hunter, minimum landing size ≥ 42 cm.
Google MapsArch and needle to the south, rock 5–17 m, shore/boat; vertical structure, pollack and bass. Rockfalls at the foot. Coords verified (internal). Depths are given from chart datum (LAT): Étretat's range is 7.29 m, so add up to +7–8 m at high water and take the same off at low. Bass: spearfishing CLOSED 01.02–31.03 (ICES 4c/7d); outside the window, 3 fish per day per hunter, minimum landing size ≥ 42 cm.
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.
Cameras, map and reference — to hand as you come up.
Check the cam BEFORE you leave. Foam, brown/green murk, or waves washing the entry rocks = No-go. At night/in fog the cam is useless — treat it as «unknown», NOT «green».
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.
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. |
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.
SpainRules 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.
Not really. Tide, current, pebble entry and cliff exposure make it an intermediate site.
The current runs north-east on the flood and south-west on the ebb.
Bass, pollack, mullet and bream are listed across the spots.
No. Crustaceans cannot be taken with a spear or foëne; hand take only where open.
No licence or declaration since 2009, but civil-liability insurance is mandatory.
transparency ~4 m · satellite, 3 days agosatellite estimate · may differ right at the shore
Portugal
