Shinnecock Inlet East JettyHampton Bays (Shinnecock Inlet)
dangerousexposed head-on to the swell today
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Boulder jetty on the quieter east side of the inlet — less pressured than the west jetty.
Google MapsHampton Bays (Shinnecock Inlet) spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras
2.5
💧 Water should clear by Thursday (~1d)
visibility1m
Today — sit it out — wave, wind and surge pounding. 💧 Water should clear by Thursday (~1d)
Sources: IPMA · NDBC · Copernicus — high confidence · data 17:32
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 17:32
Hampton Bays (Shinnecock Inlet) — solo, off the rocks
don't go · wave 1.8 m (occasionally up to ~3.7 m)
wave 1.8 m head-onwind 24, gusts 40 km/hsurge pounding the rocksvisibility ~1 m
today, best window 15:00–18:00
fish · Visibility 1 m · Water 21°C
confidence low · 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
05:37–20:15 · first quarter
▲ 02:00▼ 08:00▲ 14:00▼ 21:00 · 0.8 m
Hours (06→20)
15
18
Day's trends
Tide-0.74 m
Wave1.74 m
Wind14 km/h
Water21 °C
fish activity: moon underfoot 07:20 · high · moonrise 14:49 · moderate · moon overhead 19:40 · high
Conditions window15:00–18:00
don't go fish
Hs 1.84 mperiod 7 s head-onwind 24→40surge 20.2viz 1 m
1.84 mup to ~3.68 · 175° head-on
7 sswell moderate
24→40gusts 40 km/h
20.2pounding the rocks
0.17m/s
1 mrecent swell
21°C5 mm + hood
▼21:00tide falling
Atmosphere16 kmlandmarks visible
moderatemoonrise
- wave 1.8 m (occasionally up to ~3.7 m)
- steep wind-wave — choppy surface, careful on entry
- ebb — weaker inshore
confidence lowday
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
Shinnecock Inlet West JettyHampton Bays (Shinnecock Inlet)
dangerousexposed head-on to the swell today
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Boulder jetty on the west side of the inlet; fluke, sea bass, blackfish and blues off the tip.
Google MapsShinnecock Reef (NYSDEC artificial reef)Hampton Bays (Shinnecock Inlet)
dangerousexposed head-on to the swell today
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Official NY artificial reef 2.0 nmi south of Shinnecock Inlet, 35 acres of deployed structure at 79-84 ft.
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
- tautog
- black sea bass
- summer flounder (fluke)
- scup (porgy)
- bluefish
- striped bassStriped bass is spearable in RI/NY/NJ/DE/VA but BANNED in ME/MA/CT/MD (no ban in NH). Never gaff.
Law
- ✓License/registry per state: ME registry $1–2, MA permit $10 (60+ free), NY/NJ registry FREE, RI $7/$10, VA $17.50/$25.
- ✓Striped bass is spearable in RI/NY/NJ/DE/VA but BANNED in ME/MA/CT/MD (no ban in NH). Never gaff.
- ✓Often must be fully submerged (NJ/DE); muscle-power guns only (NY). Lobster never by spear.
- ⛔ 🚫 American lobster — NEVER by spear anywhere on the coast (hand-take only, under a separate dive permit).
- ⛔ 🚫 Sturgeon — total ban; sharks in many states (VA/NJ/NC) not by spear. Striped bass: see the species note.
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 Hampton Bays (Shinnecock Inlet): spots, seasons and rules
Spearfishing Hampton Bays centers on Shinnecock Inlet. The cleanest boat structure is Shinnecock Reef, an NYSDEC artificial reef about 2 nautical miles south of the inlet with deployed material in roughly 79 to 84 ft. The shore plan is boulder structure on the west or east jetty, where blackfish, black sea bass, fluke, scup and bluefish are the realistic mix. New York's legal angle is unusual for the Northeast: striped bass is spearable here under New York rules, with submerged muscle-power gear and distance from bathing areas. Lobster is never by spear.
TL;DR
- Hampton Bays spearfishing is a Shinnecock Inlet and artificial-reef plan: structure is close, but current and surf decide the day.
- Shinnecock Reef sits about 2 nautical miles south of the inlet, with the west and east jetties as the shore-structure alternatives.
- New York allows striped bass by spear, but lobster is never a spear target. Enroll in the free marine registry if required.
- South swell from 135 to 225 degrees is the bad sector. Use the Shinnecock view and NOAA station NWHC3 before committing.
Best spearfishing spots around Hampton Bays
This is a structure page, not a beach page. The reef gives planned boat diving, while the jetties give hard bottom close to shore but add current, surge, anglers and boat traffic.
| Spot | Type | Depth | Level | Access | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shinnecock Reef (NYSDEC artificial reef) | Official artificial reef | About 79 to 84 ft | Advanced freedive or boat crew | Boat, about 2 nautical miles south of Shinnecock Inlet | The site is 35 acres of deployed structure. It is the best planned dive when visibility and current allow, especially for black sea bass and tautog-style habitat. |
| Shinnecock Inlet West Jetty | Boulder inlet jetty | Shallow rocks dropping toward inlet current | Intermediate to advanced | Shore structure with heavy angler and boat awareness | The local note names fluke, sea bass, blackfish and blues off the tip. Time the dive around manageable current, not just clear water. |
| Shinnecock Inlet East Jetty | Boulder jetty on the quieter side | Shallow to moderate inlet rocks | Intermediate | Shore access with the same inlet-current caution | Less pressured than the west jetty in the local note, but not automatically safer. Watch sweep, anglers, boat wake and exit before bringing a gun. |
When does Hampton Bays water visibility improve?
Hampton Bays water visibility improves after south swell drops and the inlet stops carrying stirred sand. The bad swell sector runs 135 to 225 degrees, with the worst direction due south. A clear ocean bar can still hide ripping inlet current. For the reef, check offshore sea state and boat drift. For the jetties, check water color, tide stage, boat traffic and whether you can exit without crossing anglers.
Why is Shinnecock Reef different from the jetties?
Shinnecock Reef is purpose-built habitat on a defined artificial-reef site, so the plan is coordinates, depth, boat handling and drift control. The jetties are easier to reach but less controlled. They put fish, current, anglers and prop wash in one narrow place. A good Hampton Bays day may put the reef first, then use a jetty only if current and visibility are friendly.
Which New York species are realistic?
Tautog, black sea bass, summer flounder, scup and bluefish are the core local species. Striped bass is marked as spearable in New York, unlike several nearby states, but slot, season and method rules still apply. American lobster is never taken by spear anywhere on this coast and needs a separate dive permit for hand harvest. Sturgeon and many sharks are no-take or prohibited targets.
What New York rules should divers remember?
New York's marine registry is free but required for many saltwater anglers 16 and older. The local legal note says striped bass can be taken by submerged speargun in New York, with muscle-power guns and distance from bathing areas. Do not carry that rule into Massachusetts, Connecticut or Maryland, where striped bass spearing is banned. Hampton Bays rewards exact state rules because the Northeast changes fast across borders.
FAQ
Is striped bass legal by spear in Hampton Bays?
The local New York note marks striped bass as spearable, with submerged muscle-power gear and current size, season and distance rules.
Do you need a New York saltwater license?
New York uses a free marine registry for many marine anglers age 16 and older rather than a paid saltwater license.
Can you spear lobster at Shinnecock?
No. American lobster is never a spear target. Hand harvest has separate permit rules.
Where is Shinnecock Reef?
It is about 2 nautical miles south of Shinnecock Inlet, with deployed artificial-reef structure in about 79 to 84 ft.
What hurts Hampton Bays water visibility?
South swell, inlet current and stirred sand are the main problems. Watch the 135 to 225 degree swell sector.
Sources
Nearby towns
Coming soon
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