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

Île de Sein · France
2.7
wave 0.8 m
visibility3m

Today — sit it out — wave, wind and visibility.

Sources: IPMA · NDBC · Copernicus — high confidence · data 16:37

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.

Download on theApp StoreGET IT ONGoogle Play

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 16:37
Île de Sein — solo, off the rocks
DON'T GO
don't go · wave 0.8 m + swell period 7 s
wave 0.8 mwind 42, gusts 52 km/hvisibility ~5 m
today, best window 18:00–21:00
fish · Visibility 5 m · Water 20.7°C
confidence medium · 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
06:43–22:08 · first quarter
▼ 05:00▲ 11:00▼ 17:00▲ 23:00 · 2.4 m
Hours (06→20)
15
18
Day's trends
Tide0.56 m
Wave0.82 m
Wind29 km/h
Water21 °C
fish activity: moonset 01:01 · moderate · moon underfoot 08:40 · high · moonrise 16:31 · moderate · moon overhead 21:00 · high
Conditions window15:00–18:00
don't go fish
Hs 0.74 mperiod 7.4 swind 40→49surge 0.4viz 3 m
0.74 mup to ~1.48 · 310° at an angle
7.4 sswell moderate
40→49gusts 49 km/h
0.4weak surge
0.67m/s
3 mrecent swell
20.7°C5 mm + hood
▼17:00tide turn near
Atmosphere25 kmlandmarks visible
moderatemoonrise
  • steep wind-wave — choppy surface, careful on entry
  • strong wind 40 km/h, gusts 49 — caution
  • low water — slack
confidence lowday
Open the seafloor map with entry points

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

Download on theApp StoreGET IT ONGoogle Play

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
Bord de la Chaussée de SeinÎle de Sein
dangerous
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind
window
tide
shelter
hazard
access

Edge of the reef plateau to the west, 5–20 m, boat (advanced); pollack, bass, structure. Extreme current — experts, strict slack. Coords approx.

Google Maps
Roches sous le vent (port)Île de Sein
dangerous
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind
window
tide
shelter
hazard
access

Sheltered rocks near the port, 2–12 m, shore; bass, pollack, conger, lobster. Slack only — Raz + Chaussée around. 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.

Download on theApp StoreGET IT ONGoogle Play

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
Open the seafloor map →
Reference

What's in season,
what the law says.

In season now
  • bar / loup (European seabass)
    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)
    Argyrosomus regius · 5–30 m · arrêté 2012
  • gilthead seabream
    Sparus aurata · 2–20 m · arrêté 2012
  • white seabream
    Diplodus sargus · 0–15 m · arrêté 2012
  • black seabream
    Spondyliosoma cantharus · 3–25 m · arrêté 2012
  • grey mullet
    Mugil / Chelon spp. · 0–8 m · arrêté 2012
  • European conger
    Conger conger · 5–40 m · arrêté 2012
  • striped red mullet
    Mullus surmuletus · 3–30 m · arrêté 2012
  • common sole
    Solea solea · 2–20 m · arrêté 2012
  • European hake
    Merluccius merluccius · 10–40 m · arrêté 2012
  • Atlantic mackerel
    Scomber scombrus · 0–20 m · arrêté 2012
    Atlantic 20 cm (North Sea — 30 cm), Mediterranean 18 cm.
  • pollack
    Pollachius pollachius · 5–30 m · arrêté 2012
    Atlantic/Channel: max 2/day. Practically absent in the Mediterranean.
  • Atlantic cod
    Gadus morhua · 5–40 m · arrêté 2012
  • brown meagre / corb
    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.
Law
  • ✓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.

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.

FAQ — spearfishing in Île de Sein

Where can I spearfish in Île de Sein?

Île de Sein has rock entry points such as Roches sous le vent (port) and Bord de la Chaussée de Sein. A low, wild island west of the Raz de Sein, expert territory, full stop. Below you'll find each spot (access, shelter and hazards) and today's forecast.

When is the best season in Île de Sein?

Summer (June–September) — the most reliable. West Brittany faces the open Atlantic: meso-tidal, big swell and wind shut the exposed side fast — stay on the lee capes and islands (Ouessant, Molène) in the calms.

How cold is the water in Île de Sein?

Open Atlantic: ~11 °C in winter, ~16–17 °C in summer (capes cooler from upwelling). 7 mm hooded. Clear water in the calms, but swell stirs up murk fast at the entries.

Is Île de Sein good for a beginner?

Hard: open Atlantic, big swell, upwelling chills the water. For experienced divers who read the swell forecast; the windows are short and demand discipline.

Do I need a licence in Île de Sein?

No paid licence in Île de Sein — but third-party (RC) insurance is MANDATORY, and since 10/01/2026 a free EU registration + catch declaration (RECFishing app) applies from age 16. Breath-hold only (no scuba), buoy mandatory, no night; sizes by coast (bar 42 Atl. / 30 Med.), grouper and corb banned in the Med. See the guide.

Full guide: spearfishing in France →
Coming soon

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