Deadman BayFriday Harbor (San Juan Island)
borderlineexposed head-on to the swell today
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Boulder and kelp cove just south of Lime Kiln.
Google MapsFriday Harbor (San Juan Island) spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras
5.4
wave 0 m head-on
visibility5m
Today — right on the edge — wave, wind and visibility.
Sources: IPMA · NDBC · Copernicus — high confidence · data 04:09
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
Surface
Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.
spearo.app
calmupdated 04:09
Friday Harbor (San Juan Island) — solo, off the rocks
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site · current 0.44 m/s
wave 0 m head-onwind 2 km/hvisibility ~8 mwindow 06:00–21:00
today, best window 06:00–09:00
fish · Visibility 8 m · Water 17.9°C
confidence high · 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.
Wednesday · today2026-07-22
05:34–21:02 · first quarter
▼ 01:00▲ 07:00▼ 13:00▲ 19:00mid-range tides · 2.6 m
Hours (06→20)
06
09
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide0.12 m
Wave0.16 m
Wind6 km/h
Water18 °C
fish activity: moon underfoot 07:50 · high · moonrise 15:48 · moderate · moon overhead 20:10 · high
Conditions window06:00–09:00
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site fish
Hs 0.04 mperiod 2.2 s head-onwind 2→4surge 0viz 5 m
0.04 mup to ~0.08 · 228° head-on
2.2 sswell moderate
2→4gusts 4 km/h
0weak surge
0.44m/s
5 mrecent swell
17.9°C5 mm + hood
▼13:00tide turn near
Atmosphere21 kmlandmarks visible
highmoon underfoot
- current 0.44 m/s
- just after high water
confidence hightwilight
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 spotsThe 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
Lime Kiln PointFriday Harbor (San Juan Island)
borderlineexposed head-on to the swell today
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Rocks and kelp off the lighthouse; lingcod and cabezon shore spot (MA7 no rockfish retention).
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.
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».
Reference
What's in season,
what the law says.
In season now
- lingcod
- rockfishRockfish: no yelloweye retention; bag and sub-limits vary by marine area.
- cabezon
- greenling
- salmonSalmon and sturgeon NOT by spear (WA) — hook-and-line only.
Law
- ✓OR: fishing licence + the new Ocean Endorsement (2026, $9/yr). WA: licence + Catch Record Card for certain species (halibut).
- ✓Salmon and sturgeon NOT by spear (WA) — hook-and-line only.
- ✓Lingcod/rockfish/cabezon/halibut allowed; the diver must swim/float, bang sticks banned. No yelloweye retention.
- ⛔ 🚫 Salmon and sturgeon — NOT by spear (hook-and-line only). Yelloweye rockfish: no retention in any WA marine area.
- ⛔ 🚫 Oregon Marine Reserves and Puget Sound conservation areas — take restricted/prohibited; check the specific site.
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.
Spearfishing in Friday Harbor (San Juan Island): spots, seasons and rules
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.
TL;DR
- Friday Harbor is San Juan Island kelp and rock, centered on Lime Kiln Point and Deadman Bay rather than open-ocean reef runs.
- The area is sheltered but tidal; west to northwest energy and mixed Pacific tides still decide the safe window.
- Lingcod, cabezon and greenling are the practical targets; Marine Area 7 rockfish retention is a hard caution.
- Washington requires the proper license, salmon and sturgeon are not by spear, yelloweye rockfish cannot be retained, and bang sticks are banned.
Best spearfishing spots near Friday Harbor
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. |
What makes Friday Harbor different from ocean-coast dives?
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.
Why is Marine Area 7 a legal focus?
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.
Which species belong in the plan?
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.
What safety habits fit San Juan Island?
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.
FAQ
Can you keep rockfish while spearfishing near Friday Harbor?
The Lime Kiln note flags Marine Area 7 as no rockfish retention, and yelloweye rockfish cannot be retained anywhere in Washington.
What are the main Friday Harbor spear targets?
Lingcod, cabezon and greenling are the practical targets from local notes.
Can salmon be speared in Washington?
No. The Washington legal block says salmon and sturgeon are not by spear.
Is Friday Harbor protected from swell?
It is sheltered compared with open coast, but west to northwest energy and tidal current still control the safe window.
Do I need a Washington Catch Record Card?
A license is required, and a Catch Record Card applies for certain species such as halibut. Check the current WDFW rule before fishing.
Sources
Nearby towns
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