Fort Bragg spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras

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◈Fort Bragg · United States
2.5
🌫 Murky all week after the storm — the water isn't settling
visibility~1m

Dayisover

Today — sit it out. 🌫 Murky all week after the storm — the water isn't settling

Sources: NWS · NDBC · Open-Meteo · Copernicus — high confidence · data 14:26

Sources & confidence

Sources
NWS · NDBC · Open-Meteo · Copernicus
Method
spearo sea-state engine: consensus of up to 6 models + satellite clarity (ZSD) + buoy-bias checks
Freshness
Re-read every hour, per coast

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.

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.

01
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.
02
Wind & gusts
Speed and gusts, hour by hour — wind speed and an onshore push chop the surface and cut visibility.
03
Tide phase
Timing and range of the tide, calibrated per coast — big spring tides pull the verdict toward caution.
04
Water temperature
Sea-surface temperature — sharply cold water vetoes a green verdict.
05
Currents & outflow
Direction and drift of the current — it pushes you, and it drags turbid coastal water across where you dive.
06
Rain runoff & air clarity
Rain muddies the water inshore through land runoff, while fog and haze cut visibility at the surface.
07
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 — where night spearfishing is banned by law the window is forced red; where it is legal (Australia outside NSW, New Zealand, South Africa) it is capped at yellow, never green.

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.

Entry pointsNo-take zonesLive cams

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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Surface

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

spearo.app
NWS no dataupdated 14:26
Fort Bragg — solo, off the rocks
Day is over
That is it for today — the day's windows have closed.
Tomorrow, best window 06:00–09:00
Best window · next 3 days

Next 3 days — not divable: wave up to 1.9 m

🌫 Murky all week after the storm — the water isn't settling

↓ low tide 16:19 · slack water ~15:34–17:04 bite times: 10:40–12:40 · 16:53–17:53

Tell me when it's on

Just your email — nothing else needed.

Before entering, check the camera and the surge
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.

Saturday · today2026-10-24
07:34–18:23 · full moon
▼ 03:00▲ 10:00▼ 16:00▲ 23:00 · 1.8 m
Hours (06→20)
06
09
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide0.81 m
Wave1.66 m
Wind6 km/h
Water15 °C
fish activity: moonset 05:56 · moderate · moon underfoot 11:40 · high · moonrise 17:23 · moderate · moon overhead 00:00 · high
Open the seafloor map with entry points →

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

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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: 3016 spots across 406 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 →
Glass Beach / MacKerricher reefFort Bragg
dangerous
⚠️ This point is inside the restricted zone “MacKerricher SMCA”: fishing there is regulated (season, gear, permit), not banned outright. Read the zone's rules before you go.
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
—
Seabed depth of the selected area
≥13 m (bathymetry NOAA CUDEM/CoNED, 3 m)

A shallow nearshore reef, 3–10 m, inside the MacKerricher SMCA: a partial zone where recreational finfish take is allowed, but the rules shift — confirm the current version with CDFW before entering.

Google Maps
Jug Handle CoveFort Bragg
dangerous
exposed head-on to the swell today

One morning glance — and you know.

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≈

Surfacing

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

Live cameras, map & reference
Cameras · live

Look at the water
right now.

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».

connecting to the stream…
● LIVE↗
Noyo Harbor Cam (Noyo Center for Marine Science, Twitch)Live Noyo Harbor cam — the river mouth and the bar. Read the water before you go.camera: twitch ↗
connecting to the stream…
● LIVE↗
Crow's Nest — Noyo Headlands ocean overlook (Noyo Center, Twitch)Second Fort Bragg cam: the Noyo Headlands bluff, open ocean. Read the water before you go.camera: twitch ↗
Open the seafloor map →
Reference

What's in season,
what the law says.

In season now
  • white seabass
    Atractoscion nobilis · 3–30 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
    Year-round, min 28″ TL (71 cm), 3/day — BUT only 1/day south of Pt. Conception between Mar 15 and Jun 15 (spawning aggregations). The single most-broken rule among SoCal divers. T14 CCR §28.35.
  • California halibut
    Paralichthys californicus · 3–30 m · legal
    Year-round, min 22″ TL (56 cm). The bag splits at Pt. Sur (Monterey Co.): 2/day to the north, 5/day to the south. T14 CCR §28.15.
  • California yellowtail
    Seriola dorsalis · 3–40 m · legal
    Year-round, min 24″ FL (61 cm), 10/day — of which no more than 5 may be under 24″ FL. T14 CCR §28.37.
  • California sheephead
    Bodianus pulcher · 3–25 m · legal
    Spear-critical: the Jan 1–end of Feb closure does NOT apply to divers — divers and shore anglers fish year-round (T14 CCR §28.26(a)(2)). During that closure no gear other than spearfishing gear may be aboard the vessel. Min 12″ TL (30 cm), 2/day.
  • kelp/sand bass
    Paralabrax spp. · 2–20 m · legal
    Year-round, min 14″ TL (36 cm). Bag 5/day for all three species combined, of which no more than 4 may be barred sand bass (sub-limit in force until Jun 1 2028). T14 CCR §28.30.
Monterey
  • Carmel
  • San Simeon
  • Cayucos
  • Morro Bay
  • Grover Beach
  • Goleta
  • Santa Barbara
  • Carpinteria
  • Ventura
  • Oxnard (Channel Islands Harbor)
  • Malibu
  • Santa Monica
  • Redondo Beach

    • Oregon

    • Brookings
    • Port Orford
    • Charleston (Coos Bay)
    • Newport
    • Depoe Bay
    • Astoria

    All 367 spots → · Region: California · spearo.app — All countries

    window
    —
    Seabed depth of the selected area
    ≈7.4–17 m (bathymetry NOAA CUDEM/CoNED, 3 m)

    Cove and rocky points at Jug Handle State Natural Reserve, midway between Fort Bragg and Mendocino, 3-15 m. Spearfishing for rockfish, lingcod and surfperch; the main cove is a beginner entry off a stairway while the points north and south are advanced ground, and visibility runs 3-18 m.

    Google Maps
    Noyo Harbor jetty mouthFort Bragg
    dangerous
    exposed head-on to the swell today
    window
    —
    Seabed depth of the selected area
    ≈0.5–8.3 m (bathymetry NOAA CUDEM/CoNED, 3 m)

    Rock and sand at the river mouth beside the jetty, 5–12 m: lingcod and halibut where the bottoms meet. The Noyo discharge clouds the water after rain — best after a dry week.

    Google Maps
    Todd's Point (Pomo Bluffs) reefFort Bragg
    dangerous
    exposed head-on to the swell today
    window
    —
    Seabed depth of the selected area
    ≈4.6–14 m (bathymetry NOAA CUDEM/CoNED, 3 m)

    A kelp-fringed reef south of the Noyo river mouth, 8–18 m: big lingcod, rockfish and cabezon over high rock. Water 10–13 °C with near-constant swell, so the window is short. Remember abalone is still under a statewide moratorium.

    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.

  • rockfish
    Sebastes spp. · 5–50 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
    The headline fact for divers: GMA seasons and depth limits do NOT bind spearfishers — divers may take the RCG complex year-round at any depth (§27.20(b)(1)(D)). BUT zero limit on bronzespotted, cowcod, QUILLBACK and YELLOWEYE rockfish. Overall 10 RCG fish/day.
  • lingcod
    Ophiodon elongatus · 5–50 m · legal
    Open to divers year-round at any depth (§27.20(b)(1)(D)); the GMA seasons bind boat and shore. Min 22″ TL (56 cm), 2/day. Closed year-round inside the Groundfish Exclusion Areas. T14 CCR §28.27.
  • cabezon
    Scorpaenichthys marmoratus · 3–25 m · legal
    A primary California reef/kelp target from Point Loma to Crescent City. Divers year-round at any depth. No minimum size — the old 15″ floor is gone from the 2026 text. 10/day within the RCG complex. T14 CCR §28.28.
  • kelp and rock greenling
    Hexagrammos spp. · 2–20 m · legal
    A standard central/northern California shallow-reef target. Divers year-round at any depth, no minimum size, 10/day within the RCG complex. T14 CCR §28.29.
  • California scorpionfish (sculpin)
    Scorpaena guttata · 5–40 m · legal
    One of the few groundfish explicitly EXEMPT from season and depth restrictions (§27.20(b)(1)(B)): year-round, all GMAs, any depth. No minimum size, 5/day. The dorsal spines are venomous — handle by the lower jaw. T14 CCR §28.54.
  • California barracuda
    Sphyraena argentea · 1–25 m · legal
    A classic SoCal blue-water target. Year-round, min 28″ TL (71 cm), 10/day as part of the 20-fish general bag limit. T14 CCR §28.25.
  • Pacific bonito
    Sarda chiliensis · 0–30 m · legal
    The main SoCal pelagic within breath-hold range. Year-round, min 24″ FL (61 cm) or 5 lb, except five fish under that size may be taken. 10/day. T14 CCR §28.32.
  • ocean whitefish
    Caulolatilus princeps · 5–45 m · legal
    An everyday Channel Islands / SoCal reef fish. Year-round, no minimum size (fillets must be at least 6.5″ with skin intact). 10/day as part of the 20-fish general bag. T14 CCR §28.58.
  • striped bass (California)
    Morone saxatilis · 0–15 m · legal
    A cross-façade contrast: striped bass MAY be taken by spear in California — §27.85(d) names spearfishing under §1.76 as a legal method. Year-round, 2/day; min 18″ TL (46 cm) north of Pt. Conception, no minimum south of it. Snagging and gaffing are illegal.
  • opaleye
    Girella nigricans · 0–15 m · legal
    A primary shore-dive target in the SoCal kelp and surf zone. Year-round, no minimum size. There is NO species-specific bag — the statewide default applies: 20 finfish in combination, no more than 10 of any one species (§27.60(a)). Read it as the default, not a species entry.
  • halfmoon (Catalina blue perch)
    Medialuna californiensis · 2–20 m · legal
    The same standing as opaleye: an abundant kelp-edge target with no species entry in Title 14. Year-round, no size limit; the general default applies — 20 finfish combined, max 10 of any one species (§27.60(a)).
  • surfperch
    Embiotocidae · 0–12 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
    Year-round EXCEPT in San Francisco and San Pablo bays, where take and possession are banned Apr 1–Jul 31. Minimum only for redtail surfperch, 10.5″ TL (27 cm); none for the others. 10/day inside the 20-fish general limit; 5 all species combined in those bays. T14 CCR §28.59.
  • leopard shark
    Triakis semifasciata · 1–25 m · legal
    Year-round, exempt from groundfish seasons and depth restrictions (§27.20(b)(1)(B)). Min 36″ TL (91 cm), 3/day. Spears, harpoons and bow-and-arrow are legal for all skates, rays and sharks except white shark (§28.95). T14 CCR §28.56.
    • Not a target — don't shoot
    • giant (black) sea bass🚫 no-take
      NEVER shoot: take or possession is prohibited at all times (§28.10). Spearfishers are named explicitly in the §28.90 exclusion list. The single most consequential misidentification risk for a diver in SoCal kelp — juveniles are easily confused with calico bass.
    • garibaldi🚫 no-take
      NEVER shoot: California's state marine fish, take or possession prohibited at all times (§28.05, §28.90, §28.95). Bright orange, curious and easy to approach — which is exactly why it gets shot by mistake.
    Law
    • ✓California sport fishing licence (+Ocean Enhancement Validation south of Point Arguello). No separate spearfishing permit.
    • ✓No take: giant sea bass, garibaldi, salmon; abalone closed to 2036. network: no-take, by zone. Lobster hand-take only.
    • •The key spearfishing exemption (§27.20(b)(1)(D)): divers may take the whole RCG complex (rockfish–cabezon–greenling) YEAR-ROUND at ANY DEPTH — Groundfish Management Area seasons and depth limits do not bind them. The zero-limit species are the exception.
    • •The complete list of what a spearfisher may NOT take (§28.90): giant (black) sea bass, garibaldi, gulf grouper, broomtail grouper, trout, salmon and broadbill swordfish. Every other finfish is fair game, subject to its own season and .
    • •Lobster: divers take crustaceans BY HAND ONLY, may not possess a hooked device while diving, and may carry spearfishing gear only if it is not used to aid the take (§29.90, §29.80(g)). The season runs from 6 p.m. on the Friday before the first Wednesday in October.
    • ⛔ 🚫 Giant (black) sea bass and garibaldi — fully protected, no take. Red abalone — fishery CLOSED until Apr 1 2036. Salmon — no spear.
    • ⛔ 🚫 network: State Marine Reserve () — no-take; — varies (check the specific zone). Lobster — hand-take only. No spear within 100 yd of a stream mouth north of Ventura.

    US spearfishing law is state-by-state. License, spearable species, powerhead rules and distances vary; federal sanctuaries (Gray's Reef, the Keys, Flower Garden Banks) ban spearfishing. Always confirm with the state agency and local ordinances.

    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.
    Local guide · Fort Bragg

    Spearfishing in Fort Bragg: spots, seasons and rules

    Updated 2026-07-09 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher

    Spearfishing Fort Bragg is a Mendocino cold-water game: rock, bull kelp, surge and short windows. The local marks are Todd's Point at Pomo Bluffs, Glass Beach / MacKerricher reef, and the Noyo Harbor jetty mouth. Lingcod, rockfish and cabezon are the core species, with halibut possible over rock-and-sand edges. The coast faces west, and west-northwest swell is the worst direction; even a bright day can be hard if long-period energy is on the buoy. Treat MacKerricher carefully. It is a State Marine Conservation Area advisory hit, not a simple green light. Verify current CDFW zone rules before entering.

    TL;DR

    • Fort Bragg is cold-water kelp and rock spearfishing around Noyo, with lingcod, rockfish and cabezon as practical targets.
    • West and northwest swell are the main shutdown directions; clear water can still be cold because this is upwelling coast.
    • Glass Beach / MacKerricher is an SMCA advisory hit: verify the exact zone before diving.
    • California requires a sport fishing license; giant sea bass, garibaldi and salmon are no-take, and red abalone is closed until April 1, 2036.

    Best spearfishing spots around Fort Bragg

    These are yellow-safety rocky or kelp-edge sites. The MacKerricher entry keeps a conservation-area warning because the legal boundary is the main risk.

    SpotTypeDepthLevelAccessNotes
    Todd's Point (Pomo Bluffs) reefKelp-fringed rocky reefShallow to mid-depth reef, qualitative onlyIntermediate cold-water diveSouth of the Noyo River mouthA direct Fort Bragg reef option for lingcod, rockfish and cabezon. Enter only when west swell is truly down.
    Glass Beach / MacKerricher reefShallow nearshore reef inside MacKerricher SMCAShallow reef, qualitative onlyIntermediate, legality check requiredMacKerricher / Glass Beach areaDo not treat the SMCA as automatically open. Check zone rules and any seasonal closure before diving.
    Noyo Harbor jetty mouthRiver-mouth jetty, rock and sandJetty edge and sand breaks, qualitative onlyIntermediate, current-awareAt the Noyo Harbor mouthA lingcod and halibut style mark, but also a river-mouth environment. Verify the exact legal approach locally.

    When is Fort Bragg worth a dive?

    Fort Bragg needs a smaller swell window than many divers expect. The bad sector runs from southwest through northwest, with west-northwest worst. Buoy 46014 is close enough to matter. Long-period west energy means working rock exits and kelp beds even if the wind is light.

    How should you handle the MacKerricher SMCA?

    MacKerricher is not a hard no-take hit in local notes, but it is a protected marine zone advisory. Check the CDFW MPA map and species rules for the exact reef. State Marine Reserves are no-take, while State Marine Conservation Areas vary by site.

    What fish define Fort Bragg spearfishing?

    Lingcod, rockfish and cabezon are the practical north-coast targets, with California halibut over mixed sand and rock. Rockfish rules need special attention because depth, sub-limits and species closures change. The broader California list exists, but Fort Bragg is primarily cold Mendocino reef structure.

    Which California legal limits matter here?

    A California sport fishing license is required. Giant sea bass, garibaldi and salmon are no-take by spear. Red abalone is closed until April 1, 2036. Lobster is hand-take only. SMR means no-take; SMCA rules vary by zone, so check before loading a gun.

    FAQ

    Can you spearfish at Glass Beach or MacKerricher?

    Only after checking the exact MacKerricher SMCA rules. It is an advisory protected-zone hit, and recreational finfish permissions vary by zone.

    What are the main Fort Bragg spearfishing species?

    Lingcod, rockfish, cabezon and California halibut are the practical local targets here.

    What swell direction is worst for Fort Bragg?

    West-northwest is the worst direction, with southwest through northwest swell all in the bad sector.

    Is red abalone open for freedivers near Fort Bragg?

    No. The California red abalone fishery is closed until April 1, 2036.

    Do I need a special spearfishing permit in California?

    California lists a sport fishing license, not a separate spearfishing permit, but MPA and species rules still control the dive.

    Sources

    • California Department of Fish and Wildlife, ocean sport fishing
    • California Department of Fish and Wildlife, marine protected areas

    Nearby towns

    • Bodega Bay spearfishing guide
    • Dive spots near Half Moon Bay
    • Crescent City: forecast and spots
    • Dive spots near Pacific Grove
    • Cayucos spearfishing guide
    Data partners
    dive centres that send us real visibility readings
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    buoy Point Arena, CA: 16.9° · wave 1.7 m/8 s · 48 min ago