Île de Ré spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras

• bar / loup (European seabass)min 42 cm
  Dicentrarchus labrax · 0–15 m · arrêté 2012
  Bag: north of 48°N — 3/day (except 1 Feb–31 Mar: catch-and-release only); south of 48°N — 2/day year-round.
• maigre (meagre)min 50 cm
  Argyrosomus regius · 5–30 m · arrêté 2012
• gilthead seabreammin 23 cm
  Sparus aurata · 2–20 m · arrêté 2012
• white seabreammin 25 cm
  Diplodus sargus · 0–15 m · arrêté 2012
• black seabreammin 23 cm
  Spondyliosoma cantharus · 3–25 m · arrêté 2012
• grey mulletmin 30 cm
  Mugil / Chelon spp. · 0–8 m · arrêté 2012
• European congermin 60 cm
  Conger conger · 5–40 m · arrêté 2012
• striped red mulletmin 15 cm
  Mullus surmuletus · 3–30 m · arrêté 2012
• common solemin 25 cm
  Solea solea · 2–20 m · arrêté 2012
• European hakemin 27 cm
  Merluccius merluccius · 10–40 m · arrêté 2012
• Atlantic mackerelmin 20 cm
  Scomber scombrus · 0–20 m · arrêté 2012
  Atlantic 20 cm (North Sea — 30 cm), Mediterranean 18 cm.
• pollackmin 42 cm
  Pollachius pollachius · 5–30 m · arrêté 2012
  Atlantic/Channel: max 2/day. Practically absent in the Mediterranean.
• Atlantic codmin 42 cm
  Gadus morhua · 5–40 m · arrêté 2012
• brown meagre / corbmin 35 cm
  Sciaena umbra · 5–30 m · arrêté 2012
  🚫 Mérou (5 spp.) and corb: TOTAL spearfishing ban in the French Mediterranean (mainland + Corsica), moratorium to end 2033. Size is irrelevant — not a legal target at all.

• ✓No licence and no declaration since 2009 — free practice (décret 2009-727). BUT civil-liability (RC) insurance for spearfishing is MANDATORY (not a myth) — a standalone policy or an FFESSM/FFPSA federation licence. Speargun (arbalète) — 16+.
• ✓Breath-hold only — any breathing apparatus (scuba/hookah) is banned. Night prohibited (sunset to sunrise). Never keep the speargun loaded out of the water. Stay ≥150 m from vessels actively fishing; spearfishing banned in ports, bathing zones and marine reserves.
• ✓Min. sizes are façade-specific (arrêté 26 Oct 2012 + EU 2019/1241): sea bass (bar) 42 cm Atlantic/Channel and 30 cm Mediterranean. In the Med, moratoria protect the grouper (×5) and the brown meagre (corb) — don't shoot them. From 10 Jan 2026 a new registration + catch-declaration regime applies (arrêté 7 Nov 2025). See the species card and the guide.
• ✓EU Regulation 2023/2842: angler registration and catch declaration for certain species (sea bass, pollack, bluefin tuna) due from 10 Jan 2026 — obligation postponed by France while the EU app is not ready; check current status.

• ⛔ 🚫 Mérou (5 spp.) and corb — total spearfishing ban in the Mediterranean (mainland + Corsica), moratorium to end 2033.
• ⛔ Grande nacre (Pinna nobilis) — full take ban (Habitats Dir. 92/43 Annex IV). Marine mammals, turtles, seahorses (Hippocampus), corals — do not touch.
• ⛔ Crustaceans (lobster, spiny lobster, spider crab, ormer/abalone) — harpoon/foëne PROHIBITED. By hand while freediving only, where species/size/season is open. Ormeau (Haliotis) — hand-take heavily restricted/seasonal, effectively closed in many zones.

Rules change. Exact distances from beaches/ports and seasonal closures are set by the local préfecture maritime — check its arrêté and the DIRM/OFB zone map before heading out.

• 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.