Figueira da Foz spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras

Figueira da Foz · Portugal
5.5
wave 0.6 m
visibility6m

Today — right on the edge — wave, wind and visibility.

Sources: IPMA · NDBC · Copernicus — high confidence · data 01:31

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

This verdict — in your pocket. Open the app for the week's window.

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0 m

Surface

Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.

spearo.app
calmupdated 01:31
Figueira da Foz — solo, off the rocks
BORDERLINE
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site · cross sea from several directions
wave 0.6 mwind 5 km/hvisibility ~9 mwindow 06:00–21:00
today, best window 06:00–09:00
fish · Visibility 9 m · Water 21.6°C
confidence medium · 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.

Thursday · today2026-07-23
06:25–20:58 · first quarter
▼ 04:00▲ 10:00▼ 17:00▲ 23:00 · 1.2 m
Hours (06→20)
06
09
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide0.12 m
Wave0.64 m
Wind5 km/h
Water22 °C
fish activity: moonset 01:07 · moderate · moon underfoot 08:40 · high · moonrise 16:25 · moderate · moon overhead 21:00 · high
Conditions window06:00–09:00
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site fish ·
Hs 0.62 mperiod 5.5 swind 5→12surge 1viz 6 m
0.62 mup to ~1.24 · 325° at an angle
5.5 sswell moderate
5→12gusts 12 km/h
1weak surge
0.06m/s
6 mrecent swell
21.6°C5 mm + hood
▲10:00tide rising
Atmosphere6 kmovercast
highmoon underfoot
  • cross sea from several directions
  • flood — water rising
confidence mediumtwilight
Open the seafloor map with entry points

Your best window — with you. Forecast in your pocket.

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Android: the public release is in Google Play review — leave your email and we'll send beta access today.

Android beta — QR code
point your camera
−10 m

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 spots
−20 m

The 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
South Jetty / Cabedelo (Mondego mouth)Mondego mouth / Cabedelo jetty · Molhe Sul / Cabedelo (Mondego river mouth)
dangerous
swell on the quarter today
window
Not a target spot; at most scout it on a very calm summer day.
tide
Slack water only; on the ebb a strong current pours out of the mouth to sea.
shelter
The jetty blocks some southerly swell, but it's a navigation channel — no real shelter for a safe entry.
hazard
Strong tidal current from the mouth + heavy boat/angler traffic from the marina channel; rip along the jetty. Solo, serious risk of being swept into the fairway. Scout from land first is mandatory.
access
From Cabedelo beach / by the south jetty; easy to reach, but the water by the jetty is a shipping channel, not an entry zone.

Included honestly as a scout/fallback: the sandy mouth flats 'offer little appeal for diving' (source). Don't hunt by the jetty — go to the Cabo Mondego reef or Buarcos instead.

Google Maps
Carreiros do Forte de BuarcosBuarcos (north end of the bay)
closed
swell on the quarter today
window
Summer to early autumn, morning before the nortada; in the weed season schools of bass move in.
tide
Low tide — the holed slabs and sand tongues are exposed, fish hold in the holes ('caça ao buraco', hole-hunting).
shelter
Buarcos bay is partly shielded by the walls and headland from N wind — the most sheltered entry in the area, though still open to W swell.
hazard
Low sharp holed rocks at the exit: as swell builds a short hard shorebreak slaps the slabs — exit only in the lull between sets; bathing beach, with boats/SUP and swimmers close in.
access
On foot straight from the Buarcos seafront / by the fort; good land access all along the shore, entry off the rocks at the north end of the bay.

Where the rocky bottom starts at Buarcos ('Forte Velho Carreiros') and runs to Cabo Mondego: bass, sargo, sole, gilthead; stay clear of the marked bathing zone.

Google Maps
Praia do Cabo Mondego (Serradinho)Cabo Mondego / Serradinho headland
closed
best candidate for today
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
July–October, early morning before the sea-breeze; September is the traditional best month.
tide
Low-to-incoming tide: reefs and channels between slabs open up and entry is cleaner.
shelter
The rocky cape under Serra da Boa Viagem gives some shelter from N/NW wind on the north end; fully open to W swell.
hazard
Dominant danger is the sharp limestone reef and uneven slabs at the waterline: as swell builds the shorebreak slams the exit rocks, with snag and laceration risk; it's a bathing beach (swimmers, marina boats).
access
Coast road from Buarcos past the lighthouse; parking along the shore and several access stairs. Access is private via Cimpor land; it's a lifeguarded bathing beach, hunting is restricted near the swim zone — work well off the buoys.

The best-documented reef in the area — vast rocky ground running out to sea; nearby Fábrica Velha and Carreiro das Pombas are known for big bass. It's also a Natural Monument (Jurassic strata).

Google Maps

SOLO 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.

One morning glance — and you know.

Download on theApp StoreGET IT ONGoogle Play

Android: the public release is in Google Play review — leave your email and we'll send beta access today.

Android beta — QR code
point your camera
≈

Surfacing

Cameras, map and reference — to hand as you come up.

Live cameras, map & reference
Open the seafloor map →
Reference

What's in season,
what the law says.

In season now: Sea bass, White seabream, Gilthead bream, Salema, Meagre, Mullet · coming soon: Octopus (Sep)

In season now
  • Robalo (sea bass)
    <4 m · end of ebb → start of flood · dawn/dusk
    Prime target. Shy of light — pick early/twilight windows.
  • Sargo (white seabream)
    1–5 m · flood (rides the surf onto the reef) · dawn
    Dominant reef target. Visibility matters more than time of day.
  • Dourada (gilthead bream)
    1–4 m · flood over sand/weed · dawn
    Very skittish — static ambush.
  • Salema
    0–2 m · — · daytime
    Easiest target at 0–6 m. ⚠️ Do NOT eat the head/guts (ichthyosarcotoxism).
  • Tainha (mullet)
    0–2 m · — · —
    Extremely wary; murky water HINDERS it. Opportunistic, in calm coves.
  • Corvina (meagre)
    1–6 m (marginal) · — · twilight
    Near the Tagus mouth, NOT on the Guincho rocks. Adults mostly at 5–75 m. ⚠️ CLOSED 1–30 June (defeso).
  • Santola (spider crab)
    1–10 m · low water (reef shelf exposed) · calm morning (≤force 2)
    Carapace ≥12 cm. Peaks Jul–Aug. CLOSED 15.02–15.06. Limit 2 kg/day.
Law
🦀 spider crab open (season 16.06–14.02)
  • ✓Spearfishing licence required (16+), daily/monthly/annual (~€25/yr). Speargun = licence required.
  • ✓Hand-gathering shellfish with NO gear — no licence; but if a speargun is on the dive, a spearfishing licence is required.
  • ✓Night prohibited: spearfishing only in daylight (sunset→sunrise not allowed). Artificial light as a means of finding/attracting fish is banned — a torch for safety only.
  • ✓Signalling buoy MANDATORY for spearfishing: buoy/float with an «Alfa» flag (red/orange/yellow, ≥8 L), no more than 30 m from the diver.
  • ✓Spearfishing daily limit: fish + cephalopods — 15 kg (excluding the largest specimen). General rod-and-line recreational fishing — 10 kg.
  • ✓Invertebrates (including spider crab) — 2 kg/day total.
  • ✓Spider crab: min. carapace 12 cm; (closed season) 15.02–15.06 — applies to recreational gathering too.
  • ✓Min. sizes: robalo 36 cm, sargo 17 cm, dourada 19 cm, choupa 23 cm, corvina 42 cm; octopus 750 g.
  • ✓Grouper — fully protected, may not be taken.
  • ⛔ Grouper (Epinephelus) — fully protected, capture PROHIBITED.
  • ⛔ Seahorses (Hippocampus) — protected.

Rules change. Before heading out, check with DGRM / ICNF / Capitania and the defeso table.

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. At Cabo Raso/Arriba a 0.5 m rise in swell makes a boulder exit impossible — getting pinned/unable to climb out is the main killer here.
  • Headland rip: at Cabo Raso there is 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.
  • Nortada (Jun–Sep): wind builds from midday — be out of the water by ~11:00; 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.
Local guide · Figueira da Foz

Spearfishing in Figueira da Foz: spots, seasons and rules

Updated 2026-07-09 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher

Spearfishing in Figueira da Foz works best north of town, where Cabo Mondego adds real reef to an otherwise sandy, west-facing coast. Cabo Mondego is the stronger structure; Buarcos is the more sheltered bay entry. The Mondego mouth is only 0.4 km from the urban zone, so rain, ebb flow and stirred sand can ruin visibility fast. Avoid the south jetty as a target spot.

TL;DR

  • Figueira da Foz spearfishing is about Cabo Mondego and Buarcos, not the Mondego river mouth.
  • Pick small west swell, light or SE wind, and an early-morning summer to autumn window.
  • The south jetty and Cabedelo are red/scout because of bar current, boats and river turbidity.

Best spearfishing spots in Figueira da Foz

Only the non-red, non-scout entries are listed. Both need small swell and distance from bathing zones.

SpotTypeDepthLevelAccessNotes
Praia do Cabo Mondego (Serradinho)Limestone reef and slabsShallow to mid channelsIntermediate to advancedCoast road from Buarcos by the lighthouse, with stairs and roadside parkingThe main reef option under Serra da Boa Viagem. Best July to October, early morning, with swell under about 1 m.
Carreiros do Forte de BuarcosHoled slabs at the north end of the bayShallow holes and sand tonguesIntermediateWalk from the Buarcos seafront and enter off the rocks by the fortMore sheltered than the cape and useful at low tide, but still open to west swell and close to swimmers and small craft.

When are Figueira da Foz conditions good?

The best window is summer to early autumn, especially early before the nortada. Cabo Mondego wants small, clean west swell below about 1 m and light or SE wind. Buarcos can tolerate a little more, but sand clouds the water fast. Low-to-incoming tide exposes the slabs and then gives a safer exit. Do not treat the Mondego south jetty as a backup: ebb current, boat traffic and river turbidity make it scout-only.

FAQ

Where is the best reef in Figueira da Foz?

Cabo Mondego has the strongest reef structure; Buarcos is the more sheltered secondary entry.

Can I spearfish by Cabedelo or the south jetty?

It is not recommended. The area has river current, boat traffic, sand and low visibility.

What ruins visibility here?

West swell, stirred sand and the nearby Mondego plume, especially after rain or on a strong ebb.

What tide is best at Buarcos?

Low to early incoming tide, when the holed slabs show and fish hold in the structure.

Do Portugal license rules apply?

Yes. License from 16, breath-hold only, daylight only, flagged buoy within 30 m and national minimum sizes.

Sources

Region: Centre

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