Today — right on the edge.
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
Leave your email — and the moment a window opens at Friday Harbor (San Juan Island), we'll send the go / no-go verdict. Email is all we need.
What's missing? Tell us what you'd like to see — new spots, species, data or features. We read everything.
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.
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: 3016 spots across 406 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.
⛔ Banned here
Open the seafloor mapThe full spot briefing is part of the subscription: entry, bottom, hazards, tide window.
Open in the appCameras, 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».
transparency nearby ~3 m · satellite, 2 days agosatellite estimate · may differ right at the shore
buoy NEW DUNGENESS - 17 NM NE of Port Angeles, WA: 10.6° · wave 0.1 m · 18 min ago
A boulder-and-kelp cove just south of the lighthouse, 3–18 m, a little more sheltered from the main current. Short, steep trail down. The same Marine Area 7 limits apply — rockfish for photos only.
Rocks and kelp below the lighthouse, 3–15 m: lingcod and cabezon, one of the few shore spots in the San Juans. Marine Area 7 has rockfish retention closed. It is an orca route — keeping the legal distance is mandatory.
Google MapsThe full spot briefing is part of the subscription: entry, bottom, hazards, tide window.
Open in the appThe full spot briefing is part of the subscription: entry, bottom, hazards, tide window.
Open in the appSOLO 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.
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.
Spearfishing Friday Harbor means cold San Juan Island rock, kelp and current. The two grounded marks are Lime Kiln Point, off the lighthouse, and Deadman Bay just south of it. The water is more sheltered than an outer-coast beach, but the dive is not casual: the local pattern is mixed Pacific tides, upwelling influence, and west to northwest exposure on the island edge. Lingcod, cabezon and greenling are the realistic targets. Rockfish need extra care because Marine Area 7 is flagged with no rockfish retention, and yelloweye rockfish cannot be retained anywhere in Washington. Salmon and sturgeon are not spear targets. Carry the correct Washington license, check whether a Catch Record Card applies, and do not use bang sticks.
Only two spots are listed, both yellow-safety rock and kelp dives with no local no-take polygon hit. The legal caution is species retention, especially rockfish in Marine Area 7.
| Spot | Type | Depth | Level | Access | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lime Kiln Point | Rock and kelp off the lighthouse | Kelp and rocky edge, qualitative only | Intermediate cold-water shore dive | Shore access around Lime Kiln Point | A lingcod and cabezon style mark, but Marine Area 7 rockfish retention is flagged no. Know the species before loading a shaft. |
| Deadman Bay | Boulder and kelp cove | Shallow to mid-depth cove, qualitative only | Intermediate cold-water shore dive | Just south of Lime Kiln Point | The more cove-like option in this set. It still needs slack planning, cold-water discipline and a conservative call on visibility. |
The San Juan setting is sheltered in the broad sense, but it is not still water. Mixed tides can move hard through island structure, and the local bad sector runs from southwest through northwest, with northwest worst. Buoy 46087 is far away, so use it as regional context, then rely on local cameras, tide timing and on-site current checks.
Lime Kiln is specifically noted with Marine Area 7 no rockfish retention. That does not erase lingcod, cabezon or greenling as targets, but it changes the dive mindset. Do not shoot first and identify later. Rockfish rules in Washington are area-specific, and yelloweye retention is closed everywhere. If there is any doubt, leave the fish.
The local Washington list includes lingcod, rockfish, cabezon, greenling and salmon. For this article, the practical spear plan is lingcod, cabezon and greenling, with rockfish treated cautiously because of Marine Area 7. Salmon and sturgeon are not by spear; they are hook-and-line fish in this legal frame. Halibut rules may require a Catch Record Card.
Cold water, current and visibility matter more than surf size alone. Plan around slack water, dive with a visible float, and keep the session short if shivering starts. The listed cameras at Friday Harbor, Shipyard Cove and Lime Kiln are useful for surface mood and fog, not a guarantee of underwater clarity. Any uncertainty on current or species identification is a no-go.
The Lime Kiln note flags Marine Area 7 as no rockfish retention, and yelloweye rockfish cannot be retained anywhere in Washington.
Lingcod, cabezon and greenling are the practical targets from local notes.
No. The Washington legal block says salmon and sturgeon are not by spear.
It is sheltered compared with open coast, but west to northwest energy and tidal current still control the safe window.
A license is required, and a Catch Record Card applies for certain species such as halibut. Check the current WDFW rule before fishing.
