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 Grand Isle, 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.
Open the seafloor mapReefed oil-platform jackets about 10 km to the south-east in 12 m. Snapper on every brace; these structures belong to the state, unlike a working platform.
Google MapsYou can walk into the water at Grand Isle Beach; the town of Grand Isle is 1.0 km away. OpenStreetMap lists the site as a beach. Coordinates of the entry: 29.230 N, 89.994 W. Depths reach about 3 m. Open water shows only over a narrow sector, to the south-east.
Cameras, 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 ~2 m · satellite, 2 days agosatellite estimate · may differ right at the shore
buoy Southwest Pass Entrance W, LA (256): 24.4° · wave 0.9 m/3 s · 38 min ago
Grand Isle State Park is a shore entry about 4.2 km from Grand Isle. OpenStreetMap lists the site as a waterfront park. Coordinates of the entry: 29.262 N, 89.957 W. We have no measured depth for this entry so far. Pinned at the shore access, not in the water: the entry point is still unchecked.
Google MapsSheltered limestone reef in Barataria Bay in 3 m. Red drum, which Louisiana expressly allows by spear — unlike Texas next door, where redfish is a pole-and-line gamefish.
Google MapsNinety West Park is a shore entry about 1.2 km from Grand Isle. Coordinates of the entry: 29.236 N, 90.000 W. We have no measured depth for this entry so far. Open water shows only over a narrow sector, to the north-west. Pin: shore access; water entry unverified.
Google MapsNearshore delta reef about 22 km to the south-east in 11 m. Snapper and cobia; clean water depends entirely on what the Mississippi is discharging.
Google MapsLDWF rigs-to-reef pad in West Delta 69, about 19 nm south-east of Grand Isle in 30-35 m - deep enough that the Mississippi plume usually rides over the top and leaves clean water on the bottom half. Red snapper, amberjack and big mangroves on the steel; a summer flat-calm target.
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.
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 Grand Isle works best when you think like a boat diver leaving a turbid barrier island. The island is sheltered by Barataria Bay, but that shelter comes with silt and Mississippi-influenced water. The better structure is outside: Grand Isle 9 has reefed jackets about 10 km southeast, and West Delta 35 is farther delta reef. Watch the 120 to 215 degree swell sector, especially southeast. Louisiana rules mean a saltwater license and current LDWF season checks, with red snapper treated as state-set rather than always open.
These are structure-first Gulf dives. Visibility changes more with river color, wind and sea state than with marina distance, so use the Hurricane Hole cam and NOAA 42040 before running.
| Spot | Type | Depth | Level | Access | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Isle 9 (reefed platforms) | Reefed oil and gas jackets | Nearshore offshore structure | Boat dive, intermediate and above | Roughly 10 km southeast of Grand Isle | The cleanest local idea when the beach and bay are muddy. Snapper may be present, but red snapper must match the active Louisiana season and landing rules. |
| Independence Island Reef | Barataria Bay limestone reef | Sheltered bay structure | Intermediate, visibility dependent | Boat access inside the bay side of the island | Shelter is the draw, not guaranteed clarity. Redfish appear in the site note, but species method rules and current LDWF limits should be checked first. |
| West Delta 35 | Delta reef structure | Offshore nearshore reef, farther run | Boat crew with Gulf weather discipline | About 22 km southeast of Grand Isle | The longer-run option when close water is brown. It needs a stable forecast because the island faces the same south-sector swell that ruins visibility. |
Grand Isle water visibility is a patience game. Calm wind is not enough if Mississippi color has pushed across the shelf or south wind has stirred the shallows. The bad sector runs east-southeast through southwest, with the worst direction near 165 degrees. A dirty harbor is a warning. Give the Gulf several settled days before planning deeper structure.
Grand Isle has launch access but little hard natural bottom at the sand line. Reefed jackets, limestone and delta reef create the habitat that holds sheepshead, cobia and snapper. The beach helps you read color and wind, yet the hunting plan usually starts after the boat leaves the island.
The Gulf protected list matters here. Goliath grouper, Nassau grouper, Gulf sturgeon, sawfish, sea turtles, marine mammals and many sharks are no-take. Red snapper is not a casual reef fish either; the state-set season, landing rules and daily limits can change. Sheepshead and flounder are simpler legal targets in many Gulf contexts, but Louisiana-specific LDWF rules still control the final call.
Start with a Louisiana saltwater license and any required endorsement. Then check LDWF for current red snapper status, species limits and open seasons before the boat leaves. Federal reef waters can add equipment and release-tool rules, including descending-device requirements. No local no-take zone is listed here, but state seasons still rule.
Usually no. It is a better boat-diving base because the barrier island beach and Barataria Bay side are often silty.
Grand Isle 9 is the close reefed-platform option. West Delta 35 is a farther delta-reef run when conditions are settled.
Yes. Louisiana requires a resident saltwater license around $32, with state endorsements and seasons checked before fishing.
Only if the current state or federal season and landing rules allow it. Treat red snapper as a controlled season fish.
NOAA NDBC station 42040 is the listed offshore reference, although it is far enough away that local color still needs a visual check.
Sargassum: in seasonshore washups possibleAFAI satellite, 2026-10-24 · NOAA/USF
