Freeport–Lucaya spearfishing forecast — Bahamas

Q: Can you spearfish Theo's Wreck?

No. It is inside the 1 mile Freeport south-coast ban, so it is a dive site, not a hunting site.

Q: What gear is legal around Freeport?

Only a Hawaiian sling or pole spear on breath-hold. Spearguns and scuba-assisted spearfishing are banned.

Q: Is Peterson Cay open to spearfishing?

No. Peterson Cay National Park is no-take.

Q: Where should a legal trip point?

Past the 1 mile Freeport south-coast limit and outside reserves, or toward East Grand Bahama bank-edge reefs.

Q: Do tourists need paperwork?

Yes, visitors need a sport-fishing permit unless fishing from a licensed charter.

Freeport–Lucaya · Bahamas

5.3

wave 0.6 m head-on

visibility4m

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

Sources: IPMA · NDBC · Copernicus — high confidence · data 14:37

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.

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

0 m

Surface

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

spearo.app

calmupdated 14:37

Freeport–Lucaya — solo, off the rocks

BORDERLINE

caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site · wind-wave — choppy surface

wave 0.6 m head-onwind 18 km/hvisibility ~6 mwindow 12:00–21:00

today, best window 12:00–15:00

fish · Visibility 6 m · Water 31.1°C

confidence medium · verdict for the selected day

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.

Wednesday · today2026-07-22

06:34–20:07 · first quarter

▲ 02:00▼ 08:00▲ 15:00▼ 21:00 · 0.7 m

Hours (06→20)

Day's trends

Tide0.15 m

Wave0.40 m

Wind12 km/h

Water31 °C

fish activity: moonset 00:51 · moderate · moon underfoot 07:40 · high · moonrise 14:40 · moderate · moon overhead 20:00 · high

Conditions window12:00–15:00

caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site fish

Hs 0.58 mperiod 3.7 s head-onwind 18→20surge 0.5viz 4 m

0.58 mup to ~1.16 · 125° head-on

3.7 sswell moderate

18→20gusts 20 km/h

0.5weak surge

0.25m/s

4 mrecent swell

31.1°C5 mm + hood

▲15:00tide turn near

Atmosphere17 kmlandmarks visible

moderatemoonrise

wind-wave — choppy surface
wind 18 km/h
flood toward high water

confidence mediumday

Open the seafloor map with entry points

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

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

−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

McLean's Town / E Grand Bahama leeward reefFreeport–Lucaya

borderline

exposed head-on to the swell today

window
tide
shelter
hazard
access

Reef, 3–12 m — legal (outside reserves). Hogfish, grouper, snapper. Family-Island rule: stay >200 yd from any shore.

Google Maps

Peterson Cay National ParkFreeport–Lucaya

borderline

exposed head-on to the swell today

window
tide
shelter
hazard
access

Only cay off Grand Bahama's leeward shore — National Park, no-take. Dive/snorkel only, all spearfishing banned. Info point.

Google Maps

Sweeting Cay / East End bank reefFreeport–Lucaya

borderline

exposed head-on to the swell today

window
tide
shelter
hazard
access

Bank-edge reef, 3–12 m — legal (outside reserves). Hogfish, grouper, snapper. Family-Island rule: stay >200 yd from any shore.

Google Maps

Theo's Wreck (MS Logna)Freeport–Lucaya

borderline

exposed head-on to the swell today

window
tide
shelter
hazard
access

70 m freighter sunk 1982 at the reef edge, 18–31 m — premier dive, but ~0.9 mile off Freeport's south coast: INSIDE the 1-mile ban, dive-only. Info point.

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.

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

≈

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↗

Freeport — Port Lucaya / UNEXSO (IPCamLive)Live (IPCamLive) — Freeport — Port Lucaya / UNEXSO (IPCamLive). Operator iframe embed. Read the water before you go.camera: ipcamlive ↗

Open the seafloor map →

Reference

What's in season,
what the law says.

In season now

Nassau grouper
5–30 m · on the current by structure · daytime
⚠️ Closed 1 Dec–28 Feb (spawning, S.I. 71/2015). Off-season min 3 lb; head/tail/skin intact on landing.
yellowtail snapper
3–25 m · on the current by structure · dusk/night
Small midwater snapper over the reef; comes up on a drift, shoot at dusk. Warm months.
lionfish
3–40 m · on the current by structure · daytime
Invasive — culling ENCOURAGED year-round. Tucks under ledges / in reef shade and lets you get close. Venomous spines — handle with care; excellent eating.

off season: black grouper (Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr) · mutton snapper (Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May) · hogfish (Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun) · mahi-mahi / dolphinfish (Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun) · cero mackerel (Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr)

Law

✓🚫 Spearguns are BANNED nationwide — only a or , breath-hold only (scuba/compressor banned). No spearfishing within 1 mile of New Providence, 1 mile of Freeport's south coast, or 200 yards of any Out-Island shore ().
✓Foreign visitors need a sport-fishing permit (or must fish from a licensed charter); catch is for personal use only — selling it is banned (bahamas.com/fishing-faq).

⛔ 🚫 Speargun banned everywhere — / only, breath-hold only (no air). Spear needs a written endorsement on the permit. Spearfishing competitions are banned.
⛔ 🚫 Crawfish (season 1 Aug–31 Mar) and queen conch — hand/hook only, NO spear. Turtles and sharks — full ban (Shark Sanctuary). Corals — no-take.

Rules change. Before heading out, check with the Bahamas Department of Marine Resources and the Fisheries Resources Act; spearguns are banned — sling/pole spear only.

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 · Freeport–Lucaya

Spearfishing in Freeport–Lucaya: spots, seasons and rules

Updated 2026-07-09 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher

Freeport-Lucaya is a legal-planning page before it is a spots page. The south coast of Freeport has a 1 mile spearfishing ban, so popular dive names such as Theo's Wreck and the Lucaya reefs are not hunting spots even when fish are visible. The safer plan is to run past the mile or use East Grand Bahama bank-edge reef outside reserves. Bahamian national rules still apply there: spearguns are banned, only Hawaiian slings or pole spears are lawful, and spearfishing must be breath-hold with no scuba or compressor help. Peterson Cay National Park is no-take, so keep a hard margin around it.

TL;DR

Freeport-Lucaya has the strictest Bahamas distance issue here: no spearfishing within 1 mile of Freeport's south coast.
Theo's Wreck and the Lucaya reefs are dive-only for hunting purposes because they sit inside the 1 mile ban.
Legal hunting means reefs past the mile or farther east bank-edge spots, with Hawaiian sling or pole spear only.
Peterson Cay National Park is no-take. Treat national-park and marine-park water as closed before you enter.

Best spearfishing spots near Freeport-Lucaya

The first two names below are included as red-line markers, not targets. Theo's Wreck is inside the 1 mile south-coast ban, and Peterson Cay National Park is no-take. The legal choices are reefs beyond the Freeport mile and outside park water, especially the East End bank edge when weather allows a longer ride.

Spot	Type	Depth	Level	Access	Notes
McLean's Town / E Grand Bahama leeward reef	Leeward reef	3-12 m	Beginner to intermediate	Boat, outside reserves	A practical East End option for hogfish, grouper and snapper. Stay more than 200 yd from any Family-Island shore and clear of protected water.
Sweeting Cay / East End bank reef	Bank-edge reef	3-12 m	Intermediate	Boat, longer run	Shallow bank reef with clean-water potential in summer. It is useful when the Freeport south-coast ban removes closer dive sites from the hunt plan.
Theo's Wreck (MS Logna)	Wreck marker	18-31 m	Dive-only for spearfishing	Charter dive site	Premier dive site but about 0.9 mile off Freeport's south coast, inside the 1 mile ban. Do not hunt it.

How do Freeport conditions affect the legal options?

The area is sheltered by the bank, but a south swell is the worst direction for the named coast. Summer can give 15-25 m clarity; winter blows can roll the bank and make shallow reefs milky. Because the closest famous sites are closed to spearfishing by distance or park status, do not let a poor forecast push the hunt into illegal water. Either run farther, change island sector or cancel the session.

What makes Freeport different from the Out Islands?

Most Out-Island pages center on the 200 yd shore buffer. Freeport adds a stronger local rule: no spearfishing within 1 mile of the south coast. That captures well-known Lucaya dive sites. Outside that distance, the national gear rules remain unchanged: no spearguns, no scuba-assisted spearfishing, no compressors, and only Hawaiian slings or pole spears on breath-hold.

What can and cannot be taken?

Hogfish, snapper and black grouper are the normal legal reef targets outside closed water. Nassau grouper closes from 1 Dec to 28 Feb and needs extra restraint outside that period. Crawfish and queen conch are not spear targets; crawfish are seasonal and hand or hook rules matter. Sharks, turtles and coral are protected, and marine parks or national parks such as Peterson Cay are no-take zones.