Huanchaco spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras

Huanchaco · Peru
2.6
🌫 Murky all week after the storm — the water isn't settling
visibility2m

Today — sit it outwave, wind and surge pounding. 🌫 Murky all week after the storm — the water isn't settling

Sources: IPMA · NDBC · Copernicushigh confidence · data 14:17

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

This verdict — in your pocket. Open the app for the week's window.

Android: the public release is in Google Play review — leave your email and we'll send beta access today.

Android beta — QR code
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0 m

Surface

Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.

spearo.app
calmupdated 14:17
Huanchaco — solo, off the rocks
DON'T GO
don't go · wave 1.6 m (occasionally up to ~3.2 m)
wave 1.6 mwind 18, gusts 40 km/hsurge pounding the rocksvisibility ~3 m
today, best window 15:00–18:00
fish · Visibility 3 m · Water 22.2°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
06:3118:14 · first quarter
04:00 10:00 17:00 · 0.6 m
Hours (06→20)
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide0.42 m
Wave1.60 m
Wind11 km/h
Water22 °C
fish activity: moonset 00:44 · moderate · moon underfoot 06:40 · high · moonrise 12:43 · moderate · moon overhead 19:10 · high
Conditions window12:00–15:00
don't go fish
Hs 1.54 mperiod 9.4 s head-onwind 18→40surge 6.6viz 1 m
1.54 mup to ~3.08 · 234° head-on
9.4 sswell moderate
18→40gusts 40 km/h
6.6pounding the rocks
0.42m/s
1 mrecent swell
22.2°C5 mm + hood
▼17:00tide falling
Atmosphere31 kmlandmarks visible
moderatemoonrise
  • wave 1.5 m (occasionally up to ~3.1 m)
  • steep wind-wave — choppy surface, careful on entry
  • ebb — weaker inshore
confidence lowday
Open the seafloor map with entry points

Your best window — with you. Forecast in your pocket.

Android: the public release is in Google Play review — leave your email and we'll send beta access today.

Android beta — QR code
point your camera
−10 m

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 spots
−20 m

The 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
Molos de SalaverryHuanchaco
dangerous
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
tide
shelter
hazard
access

Salaverry port jetties S of Huanchaco; artificial rock 3–8 m, fish aggregation. ⚠️Port traffic — caution. Coords approx.

Google Maps
Puntas de HuanchacoHuanchaco
dangerous
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
tide
shelter
hazard
access

Rock of the points off the town, partial swell shelter; rock-and-sand bottom. Coords approx.

Google Maps
Roquerío de HuanchaquitoHuanchaco
dangerous
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
tide
shelter
hazard
access

Low rock N of Huanchaco (Huanchaquito); 2–6 m, surf and totora coast. Coords approx.

Google Maps

SOLO 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.

One morning glance — and you know.

Android: the public release is in Google Play review — leave your email and we'll send beta access today.

Android beta — QR code
point your camera

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».

Open the seafloor map →
Reference

What's in season,
what the law says.

In season now
  • murique grouper
    Epinephelus labriformis · 3–30 m · legal
  • flag cabrilla
    Epinephelus / Paralabrax · 2–25 m · legal
  • Peruvian grunt
    Anisotremus scapularis · 1–20 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
    Reproductive closure in December — don't take it that month. Sale of the catch banned.
  • Pacific drum
    Sciaena deliciosa · 1–20 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
    Closure in April — don't take it that month.
  • Peruvian morwong
    Cheilodactylus variegatus · 2–25 m · legal
  • fine flounder
    Paralichthys adspersus · 2–30 m · legal
Law
  • 🚫 Seahorse, whale shark and manta ray — take banned. Don't shoot.
  • 🚫 RN Mar Tropical de Grau (D.S. 003-2024-MINAM), Paracas NR, San Fernando NR and RNSIIPG (guano islands/points) — no-take core zones: no hunting inside the rings.
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.
Local guide · Huanchaco

Spearfishing in Huanchaco: spots, seasons and rules

Updated 2026-07-09 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher

In Huanchaco, do not start with the fish. Start with access, zoning and wind: surf beach, reed fishing boats and low rocky points. The surf town of the reed 'caballitos' by Trujillo; open sandy beach, better to dive on the points and toward Salaverry. If the water overlaps a park, sanctuary or sensitive wildlife sector, keep the speargun out. DICAPI is the maritime authority behind the sport-diver card; keep the hunt on breath-hold.

TL;DR

  • Huanchaco: surf beach, reed fishing boats and low rocky points.
  • This shore takes the worst of a southwest sea, so a dawn start pays; the lone webcam is worth a look for color and foam.
  • DICAPI is the maritime authority behind the sport-diver card; keep the hunt on breath-hold.

Practical spearfishing areas around Huanchaco

Use the list only after the local rule check. The points and Salaverry moles only fish well on a small southwest set, cross-checked against the webcam. Parks and reserves stay out of the hunt.

SpotTypeDepthLevelAccessNotes
Puntas de Huanchacoshore rockshallow to mid-depthIntermediateshore entry, only in small seasRock of the points off the town, partial swell shelter. Back off to scouting if the sets build.
Molos de Salaverrystructure and rock3-8mIntermediateshore entry, only in small seasSalaverry port jetties S of Huanchaco; artificial rock 3-8 m. Watch port traffic and abort if it picks up.
Roquerío de Huanchaquitoshore rock2-6mIntermediateshore entry, only in small seasLow rock N of Huanchaco (Huanchaquito); 2-6 m, surf. Only worth it when the surf lies down.

What is the practical day plan for Huanchaco?

Start at dawn, read the exit first and keep it short. The worst sea is from SW; the coast is exposed, so dawn matters; upwelling can clear and cool the water at the same time; 1 webcam link helps check color and foam. The legal check comes before fish choice. Huanchaco's open sand is secondary; use the points or Salaverry, with partial shelter over rock and sand. Chita is closed in December and lorna in April. Huanchaco's points mix rock and sand with only partial shelter, which is why they beat the open beach on manageable southwest swell. South of town, the Salaverry moles hold fish on 3-8 m artificial rock, but port traffic belongs in the go/no-go call. Huanchaquito is shallow 2-6 m rock on the surf-and-totora coast. Look for settled bottom, short sets and an exit that stays visible from the water; if the first line is already foamy, keep the gun dry.

FAQ

Do you need the DICAPI card in Huanchaco?

Salaverry moles are 3-8 m artificial rock with port traffic; one webcam helps, but DICAPI and no scuba still apply.

Is scuba spearing allowed in Peru?

No. If the plan needs a tank, it is not a spearfishing plan.

Which Peru closures matter near Huanchaco?

The two named closures are chita in December, lorna in April.

How should you read visibility at Huanchaco?

Southwest swell is the problem direction on this open coast, so judge it early and use the single webcam to read color and foam.

What should be treated as off limits near Huanchaco?

Do not shoot seahorse, whale shark or manta ray.

Sources

Nearby towns

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