Spearfishing in Colombia
Colombia is a special case, and you should grasp it before your first dive. The national regulation (Resolución AUNAP 0549/2022) authorises the speargun as a method aimed at removing EXOTIC/invasive species — that is, lionfish (pez león). Hunting lionfish in Colombia isn't just legal, it's encouraged by the navy and CORALINA. The legality of spearing native reef species isn't confirmed in express text — it's a grey zone, and a large share of the best reefs is closed inside marine parks. So our honest framing: lionfish first and explicit, natives check with AUNAP.
Spear hunting is breath-hold only, one speargun per person, banned at night, and needs a permiso de pesca deportiva from AUNAP. The hub of real activity is Taganga near Santa Marta. This guide explains the law, shows the lionfish niche, the can/can't map, and links to a daily sea forecast for every city — mindful of the brisa loca, the Caribbean's dry-season wind.
Open the flagship — Santa Marta →Lionfish — first and legal
Lionfish (Pterois volitans) is an invasive Caribbean predator that ravages reefs. It is precisely lionfish that Art. 5 of Res 0549/2022 expressly authorises the speargun for — as a tool to remove exotic/transplanted species outside their natural range. The navy (Armada Nacional) and CORALINA train divers and run culling expeditions; lionfish is edible and its spines are made into jewellery. It's the only form of spear hunting promoted openly in Colombia. CAUTION: it has venomous spines — a sting is very painful (first aid: hot water 43–46 °C).
Native species — a grey zone
Spearing native reef species (pargo, sierra, jurel) in Colombia is not permitted in express text: Art. 5 aims the speargun at invasives and is silent on natives. We do NOT present native species as hunting targets until legality is confirmed by the literal text of Res 0549/2022 from the Diario Oficial. If you want to hunt native fish, check with AUNAP first. Many «trophies» are also threatened: mero guasa (Epinephelus itajara) is CR in Colombia's Red Book, nassau (E. striatus) is EN; release them. Sharks and rays — directed take banned (Res AUNAP 0744/2012 and others).
Where — Taganga and the big no-take
The diving and freediving hub is Taganga, a fishing cove near Santa Marta, with cheap courses and outings. But remember how much is closed: PNN Tayrona (a marine strip along ~30 km of coast), PNN Corales del Rosario y San Bernardo, PNN Gorgona, Utría and Uramba (Pacific), SFF Malpelo (4.8 million ha), PNN Old Providence — in ALL national parks and SFF any take is banned by law. In the San Andrés/Providencia archipelago the whole Seaflower biosphere is closed to the speargun for tourists (CORALINA): it's allowed only to traditional artisanal fishers.
Rules and permit
Res AUNAP 0549/2022 in brief:
- Breath-hold only (buceo libre en apnea); scuba/compressed air are outside the sporting regime. One speargun (rubber or spring) per person.
- Night spearfishing is BANNED. Hooks, gigs/tridents and light-attracting devices are banned. You need a permiso de pesca deportiva (citizens and foreigners), a personal card via the GOV.CO portal; in San Andrés the permit comes from the local Secretaría de Agricultura y Pesca.
- Selling the catch is banned (self-consumption only). Billfish (marlin, sailfish, swordfish) — mandatory release. The regulation applies nationwide EXCEPT in protected areas — there the environmental authority (PNNC/CORALINA) sets the rules.
Safety
Beware ciguatera: large Caribbean predators (especially barracuda) can accumulate ciguatoxin — don't eat big ones. Lionfish has venomous spines — handle carefully even after the shot. In the dry season (December–April) the brisa loca blows — a strong, steady trade wind that builds swell and murk; catch the morning calms. Never dive alone. The per-city forecast helps you pick the day.
Where to dive, by region
Caribbean · Guajira
Colombia's Guajira desert coast (Cabo de la Vela, Riohacha) — warm Caribbean water on one of the windiest coasts around.
- Cabo de la Vela — Cabo de la Vela is Wayúu desert and the «completely blue» water of the La Guajira upwelling (Dec–Mar): colder, clearer, but almost constant trade winds raise chop and surface swell — apnea windows are short and only the kite-sheltered bays work.
- Riohacha — Riohacha is the capital of La Guajira: a long beach, a malecón and near-constant wind (a beginner kite paradise).
- Palomino — Palomino is a beach village at the foot of the Sierra Nevada, at the mouth of its namesake river and just east of PNN Tayrona.
Central Caribbean
Colombia's central Caribbean (Santa Marta, Tayrona, Cartagena) — warm, clear water broken by the Magdalena plume; national-park zones apply.
- Taganga — Taganga is Colombia's spearfishing hub: a fishing cove 15 min from Santa Marta, with apnea operators and high viz in the sheltered bay.
- Santa Marta — Santa Marta is the coast's big port city: the logistics base for Taganga, Tayrona and Rodadero.
- Puerto Colombia — Puerto Colombia sits west of Barranquilla and in the shadow of the Magdalena river plume, which dumps ~200 million t of sediment a year and drags a turbid plume west — the town beaches are poor for diving.
- Cartagena — Cartagena is a big hub with a charter fleet and access to the islands.
Caribbean · Gulf
Colombia's Gulf coast (Tolú, Coveñas, San Bernardo islands) — warm, sheltered water clearest out at the offshore reefs.
- Santiago de Tolú — Tolú (Santiago de Tolú) is a tourist zone on the Gulf of Morrosquillo and a departure point for the San Bernardo Islands.
- Coveñas — Coveñas is the tourist zone next to Tolú on the Gulf of Morrosquillo, with dive centres and access to San Bernardo.
- Capurganá — Capurganá, on the Gulf of Urabá by Cabo Tiburón, has one of Colombia's best-preserved reefs: viz averaging ~18 m, moderate currents and some 20 dive sites (rays, nurse sharks, hawksbill turtles).
- Sapzurro — Sapzurro is Colombia's westernmost village, on the Panama border and right beside Capurganá, with a sheltered bay and some of the country's best reefs.
Islands (Colombia)
Colombia's islands (San Andrés, Providencia, Rosario) — warm, gin-clear coral water inside strongly protected marine parks.
- Rosario Islands — The Rosario archipelago, 20 km from Cartagena, has excellent clarity and reef, but sits entirely inside PNN Corales del Rosario y San Bernardo, with Intangible Zones where extraction is banned.
- San Bernardo Islands — The San Bernardo Islands (Múcura, Tintipán) are a group of ten islands in the Gulf of Morrosquillo with patch reef (staghorn, elkhorn) and reef fish.
- San Andrés — San Andrés is a limestone reef island with «optimal clarity» — the country's best Caribbean visibility — and local spearfishing operators.
- Providencia — Providencia and Santa Catalina is a volcanic island with the world's third-largest barrier reef and very high transparency, but much of it falls in PNN Old Providence McBean Lagoon, managed by the Raizal community against overfishing.
Pacific (Colombia)
Colombia's Pacific Chocó (Bahía Solano, Nuquí) — warm, murky, remote water with big pelagics and humpback whales in season.
- Bahía Solano — Bahía Solano (Ciudad Mutis) is the reference tourist destination of the Chocó Pacific, with deep canyons near the shore and huge fish (cubera, roosterfish, tuna, groupers).
- El Valle — El Valle sits beside Bahía Solano (reachable by jeep) and is the land gateway to PNN Utría, with snorkelling at Punta Diego and diving at Punta Esperanza (authorised points only).
- Nuquí — Nuquí is the centre of the Gulf of Tribugá, with Baudó riscales, soft corals, gorgonians and black coral, and very large groupers/jacks/snappers in the sardine season (Apr–May); manta rays in Jan–Mar and cold water ~20 °C in Dec–Jan.
- Juanchaco — Juanchaco and Ladrilleros are in Bahía Málaga, 30 min by boat from Buenaventura, with the «Los Negritos» reef off Juanchaco as a dive and sport-fishing point.
Frequently asked questions
Rules current as of 2026 — always confirm with AUNAP and the park authority before you go. Extraction is banned inside the national natural parks (Tayrona, Corales del Rosario, Seaflower) and protected species may not be taken; spearfishing is breath-hold only.
Is spearfishing legal in Colombia?
Partly. The AUNAP 0549/2022 regulation expressly authorises the speargun to remove the invasive lionfish (pez león) — that's legal and encouraged. Hunting native species isn't permitted in express text (a grey zone), and in all national parks and the Seaflower biosphere the speargun is banned for tourists. To hunt natives, check with AUNAP first.
Can I shoot lionfish, and how?
Yes — it's encouraged. Lionfish is invasive, and Art. 5 of Res 0549/2022 expressly authorises the speargun against exotic species. The navy and CORALINA even run training expeditions. Apnea only, one speargun, by day, with a permiso. Mind the venomous spines: hold the lionfish by safe parts, and if stung, hot water 43–46 °C.
Can I hunt in San Andrés / Seaflower?
No — the speargun is banned for tourists in the Seaflower biosphere (CORALINA); it's allowed only to authorised traditional artisanal fishers. Also banned there are parrotfish (pez loro) and other herbivores (Res 369/2019), with closed seasons on queen conch and lobster. Lionfish is culled in San Andrés, but through organised CORALINA/navy programmes, not freely.
Are there minimum sizes?
There are no national minimum sizes for reef species (pargo, mero, sierra) in Colombia — AUNAP's official list covers freshwater + lobster + conch. There are local ones: snook 35 cm; lobster 14 cm tail (San Andrés) / 21 cm (Guajira) + closed 1 Mar–30 Jun; queen conch closed 1 Jun–31 Oct. The self-consumption and common-sense principle applies.
What about ciguatera?
A real risk in the Caribbean. Large predators — above all big barracuda, and also large snapper/grouper from certain reefs — can accumulate ciguatoxin, which cooking doesn't destroy. Don't eat big barracuda or very large reef predators; ask locals which spots are «ciguatera» spots.