Today — sit it out — wave, wind and surge pounding. 💧 Water should clear by Friday (~2d)
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
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.
Leave your email — and the moment a window opens at Haleiwa (North Shore), we'll send the go / no-go verdict. Email is all we need.
Every covered town has its own live forecast, cameras and entry points. Choose where you're diving.
What's missing? Tell us what you'd like to see — new spots, species, data or features. We read everything.
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: 1391 spots across 205 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 mapFlat-topped reef and scattered coral heads outside the Laniākea shoreline, 4–18 m, dropping into sand at the seaward edge. Oʻahu spear shops fish it for mu schooling around structure in the 12–18 m band; summer only — the north shore is unswimmable once the winter swells arrive.
Google MapsA long reef with channels west of Hale'iwa, 2–10 m: papio and goatfish over the shelf. Summer is the window: in winter northwest swell makes this whole coast unworkable and dangerous.
Google MapsA reef point just north of Hale'iwa harbour, 3–12 m: uku, mu and goatfish, calm in summer. WARNING: the regulated Waialua Bay area covers 90 m around the breakwater and the groin — stay out of that band.
Google MapsWARNING: the Pūpūkea conservation district (Shark's Cove and Three Tables) prohibits removal of marine life, with only a minimal hand-harvest exception for limu. For a hunter it is effectively no-take — do not enter with a gun.
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.
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».
Spearfishing Haleiwa is legal only when you separate the North Shore's open reef from its protected showcase water. Puaena Point and Mokule'ia reef flat are the practical local dives, with ulua, uku, goatfish and invasive roi or ta'ape in the broader species picture. Pupukea MLCD at Shark's Cove and Three Tables is different: do not spear there, and do not enter the water with a taking device in the district. Conditions are seasonal. Summer flat spells can be clear and manageable; winter northwest swell turns the same coast dangerous. Nonresidents need Hawaii's Nonresident Recreational Marine Fishing License.
This table leaves out Pupukea MLCD on purpose because it is a protected no-take area. The two listed entries are North Shore reef plans that still need a flat summer sea, clear exits and current DAR rule checks.
| Spot | Type | Depth | Level | Access | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puaena Point | Reef point north of Haleiwa Harbor | Shallow reef point and channels | Intermediate in summer, avoid winter surf | Shore entry near the harbor side after checking swell | Puaena Point holds uku, mu and goatfish in summer-calm water. Boat traffic, surfers and changing current make a float and conservative entry plan essential. |
| Mokule'ia reef flat | Long reef flat with channels | Shallow to moderate reef channels | Intermediate reef navigation | Shore approach west of Haleiwa | The reef can hold papio and goatfish. It is exposed to North Shore swell, so the best plan is a small summer swell, light wind and a clear exit line. |
SpainUS 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.
Haleiwa water visibility follows the North Shore season. Summer is the calmer pattern, though surge can still appear. The bad swell sector is 290 to 360 degrees, with the worst energy near 335 degrees. A small reading at NOAA 51201 matters more here than a sunny beach forecast. If Waimea or Pipeline cams show winter energy, a speargun day should become a land-based conditions check.
Pupukea MLCD covers Shark's Cove, Three Tables and nearby offshore water. Pupukea MLCD is protected, and Hawaii DAR rules prohibit taking marine life there except for narrow listed activities that are not spearfishing. Possessing a device that may take marine life in the water is also prohibited. Fail closed: enjoy Pupukea for snorkeling or viewing, not for harvesting.
The Haleiwa species mix is reef and island-current fishing: ulua, uku, kumu and other goatfish, papio, plus invasive roi and ta'ape where legal. Roi removal may be encouraged, but ciguatera remains a health caution. Uhu rules can be area-specific, including Maui restrictions on blue terminal males, so do not generalize from one island to another. Sea turtles, monk seals and cetaceans are protected and should not be disturbed.
Hawaii residents do not need a recreational marine fishing license. Nonresidents need the Nonresident Recreational Marine Fishing License. That license does not open MLCDs, harbors or special regulated areas. Freediving Haleiwa also means checking access, surf and current, because many of the North Shore's easiest-looking entries become unsafe when swell wraps through the reef flats.
Usually no. Winter northwest swell can make the North Shore dangerous and low visibility, even for experienced divers.
No. Shark's Cove sits in Pupukea MLCD, where taking marine life and carrying taking devices in the water are prohibited.
Yes. Nonresidents need the Nonresident Recreational Marine Fishing License for marine fishing.
Legal reef targets include ulua, uku and goatfish. Invasive roi and ta'ape may be removed where legal, with ciguatera caution.
NOAA NDBC station 51201 is the listed nearby buoy, and it should be paired with North Shore surf cams.
buoy Waimea Bay, HI: 26.5° · wave 1.9 m/9 s · 2 h ago
Portugal
