Today — sit it out — wave, wind and surge pounding. 🌫 Murky all week after the storm — the water isn't settling
Sources & confidence
Compiled by the spearo sea-state engine
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
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: 1152 spots across 189 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.
Open the seafloor mapExposed reef off the lighthouse; kob and yellowtail, strong surge. Shark Alley nearby — great-white advisory, hunt only with a buddy and float.
Google MapsLimestone reef, caves and kelp on the west shore of Walker Bay; roman, yellowtail. Great-white territory — dive with a spotter, tow-float, and buddy.
Google MapsRocky reef and sand off Franskraal beach; galjoen and hottentot. Great-white coast — keep catch on a tow-float away from your body.
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.
Cameras, map and reference — to hand as you come up.
Rules change. Before heading out, check with the DFFE (Marine Recreational Fishing brochure / permit) and the MPA managing authority (SANParks / CapeNature / Ezemvelo KZN / ECPTA / iSimangaliso).
Gansbaai is not a casual shore-spearfishing town. Shark Alley between Dyer Island and Geyser Rock is the world's densest great white ground, even after the recent orca-driven lull, and a statutory gear-possession ban changes the map before conditions are even considered. Cold, productive reef can hold yellowtail, roman, kob, galjoen, hottentot, and musselcracker, but the first decision is legal: no speargun may be carried inside the Gansbaai Harbour to Quoin Point 1 nautical mile ban or around Dyer Island. Outside it, use local knowledge, a boat, a buddy, and a tow-float.
These are not beginner recommendations. They are named coastal marks where legality, shark risk, surge, and exit options must all clear before a spear enters the water. If a point lies inside or even uncertainly close to the gear-possession ban, treat it as no-speargun water.
| Spot | Type | Depth | Level | Access | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| De Kelders | Limestone reef, caves, and kelp | Cold reef along west Walker Bay | Expert with spotter and buddy | West-shore approach, only after legal and sea checks | Roman and yellowtail are listed. This is great white territory, so use a tow-float, keep fish off the body, and do not dive alone. |
| Danger Point | Exposed lighthouse reef | Surgy reef edge | Expert only | Point access with strong surge and local knowledge | Kob and yellowtail are listed, but Shark Alley is nearby and surge is strong. Confirm the gear-possession ban line before carrying a speargun. |
| Franskraal | Rocky reef and sand off the beach | Shallow reef and sand edge | Expert advisory water | Beach and reef approach east of town | Galjoen and hottentot are listed. Because the great white context and gear-ban corridor dominate this coast, confirm legality first and keep catch on a float. |
Gansbaai starts with sharks and possession law. The area is described as extreme great white ground, with Dyer Island and Geyser Rock forming Shark Alley. Even after reduced sightings linked to orca pressure, the safe posture remains expert-only and locally advised.
The stated ban runs from Gansbaai Harbour to Quoin Point for 1 nautical mile and also around Dyer Island for 1 nautical mile. It is a possession ban, meaning no speargun even carried. Any restricted MPA or uncertain boundary should be handled the same way: no spearing until the managing authority confirms you are outside it.
The coast is cold, productive, and upwelling-influenced. The bad swell sector runs from southeast through west-southwest, with southwest energy especially awkward. The listed fish include yellowtail, roman, kob, galjoen, hottentot, and musselcracker. Galjoen is 35 cm minimum, bag two, and closed 15 October to end February; kob is 40 cm and white musselcracker is 60 cm.
A recreational permit endorsed for spearfishing is required under the MLRA framework, issued through DFFE online or an authorised SAPO branch with the fee checked there. Spearfishing is breath-hold and snorkel only; scuba and hookah are banned. Estuaries are fully closed, catch is personal-use only, and the national daily fish cap is 10.
Inside the stated 1 nautical mile corridor, no. The rule is a gear-possession ban, so no speargun should be carried there.
No speargun should be carried within 1 nautical mile of Dyer Island under the stated possession ban.
No. It is expert, advisory-only water because of great white risk, cold reef, surge, and legal screening.
Yellowtail, roman, kob, galjoen, hottentot, and musselcracker are named across the local reef notes.
Yes. Legal water still requires the MLRA recreational permit endorsed for spearfishing, and the dive must be breath-hold only.
Leave your email — and the moment a window opens at Gansbaai, we'll send the go / no-go verdict. Email is all we need.
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