Costão do Quebra CocoIlhabela
borderlinein the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Ilhabela spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras
8.1
wave 0.8 m
visibility4m
Dive today — wave, wind and visibility.
Sources: IPMA · NDBC · Copernicus — high confidence · data 03:05
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 03:05
Ilhabela — solo, off the rocks
best weather window · solo, stay careful, run the checklist · calm conditions: swell, wind and visibility all normal
wave 0.8 mwind 7 km/hvisibility ~5 mwindow 06:00–18:00
today, best window 06:00–09:00
fish · Visibility 5 m · Water 21.7°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.
Thursday · today2026-07-23
06:41–17:35 · waxing gibbous
▼ 03:00▲ 11:00▼ 16:00▲ 22:00 · 0.4 m
Hours (06→20)
06
09
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide0.23 m
Wave0.72 m
Wind11 km/h
Water22 °C
fish activity: moonset 01:44 · moderate · moon underfoot 07:10 · high · moonrise 12:37 · moderate · moon overhead 19:40 · high
Conditions window06:00–09:00
best weather window · solo, stay careful, run the checklist fish
Hs 0.80 mperiod 8.8 swind 7→24surge 1.2viz 4 m
0.80 mup to ~1.60 · 181° at an angle
8.8 sswell moderate
7→24gusts 24 km/h
1.2weak surge
0.08m/s
4 mrecent swell
21.7°C5 mm + hood
▲11:00tide rising
Atmosphere17 kmovercast
highmoon underfoot
- calm conditions: swell, wind and visibility all normal
- flood — water rising
confidence mediumtwilight
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
Ilha da SerrariaIlhabela
borderlinein the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Ilhas GalhetasIlhabela
borderlinein the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Ponta das Arraias (Ilha Vitória)Ilhabela
borderlinein the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Saco da Professora – AquárioIlhabela
borderlinein the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Saco do Funil (Ilha Vitória)Ilhabela
borderlinein the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
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.
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».
more: Ilhabela (SP) ↗
Reference
What's in season,
what the law says.
In season now
- fat snookState closed seasons: BA 15 May–31 Jul; ES 1 May–30 Jun; PR 1 Nov–31 Dec; SP — none.
- common snookState closed seasons: BA 15 May–31 Jul; ES 1 May–30 Jun; PR 1 Nov–31 Dec; SP — none.
- dusky grouper⚠️ Closed season 1 Nov–28 Feb (national). Size 47–73 cm. Vulnerable — go easy.
- gag grouper
- black grouper
- comb grouper
- snowy grouper⚠️ Closed 1 Sep–31 Oct (SE/S). Deepwater grouper.
- bluefish
- whitemouth croaker
- black drum
- lebranche mulletManaged by annual quotas/seasons. Min 35 cm; estuary bars may be restricted in season.
- king mackerel
- serra Spanish mackerel
- mahi-mahi
- greater amberjack
- crevalle jack
- silver porgy
- lionfishInvasive, spreading in NE Brazil. Culling encouraged. Venomous spines — careful; flesh edible.
- Atlantic goliath grouper🚫 Full moratorium since 2002, indefinite (CR, Portaria MMA 148/2022). Do not take, release it. Fine R$700–100,000 + gear seizure.
Law
- ✓A is required (category B – boat covers apnea spearfishing), issued on gov.br by the . Exempt: under-18 accompanied, men 65+/women 60+.
- ✓Apnea only: spearing on a tank/scuba is banned (artificial breathing apparatus prohibited — IBAMA rule).
- ✓Goliath grouper (mero, Epinephelus itajara): total moratorium since 2002, renewed (in force 2026+). Never a legal target — capture/transport/sale is an environmental offence.
- ✓Closed seasons (vary by state): true grouper & badejo in the N/NE 1 Aug–30 Sep; bluefish in the S/SE ~1 Dec–31 Mar; robalo reopens after 31 Jul (state-dependent). Mind minimum sizes.
- ⛔ 🚫 Goliath grouper (Epinephelus itajara) — indefinite moratorium (CR). Not a legal target: do not take, release.
- ⛔ Hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini/zygaena) and angel sharks (Squatina spp.) — red list, take banned. Don't shoot.
- ⛔ Sea turtles, whales/dolphins, seahorses — protected, taking/disturbing prohibited.
Rules change and vary by state. Before heading out, check on gov.br (recreational licence, MPA) and the state closed seasons/sizes; apnea only, goliath grouper is banned.
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 Ilhabela: spots, seasons and rules
Spearfishing in Ilhabela is an archipelago operation, not a casual beach entry. The verified registry list has six named spots: Saco do Funil, Ponta das Arraias and Saco da Professora - Aquário around Ilha Vitória, plus Ilhas Galhetas, Costão do Quebra Coco and Ilha da Serraria. The broader local summary mentions 30+ points between Ilhabela, Búzios and Vitória, with clear water and walls from 8 to 40 m. For a visiting spearo, the practical rule is support boat, float, traffic check and national compliance. Brazil requires the MPA recreational licence, spearfishing is apnea only, and goliath grouper is under a total moratorium. Do not shoot mero, even if you see one on a clean wall.
TL;DR
- Headline caveat: goliath grouper, the Brazilian mero, is under a total moratorium. It is not a legal target in Ilhabela or anywhere else in Brazil.
- Ilhabela is a serious São Paulo archipelago base, with verified spots at Ilha Vitória, Ilhas Galhetas, Costão do Quebra Coco and Ilha da Serraria.
- The source data gives summer visibility around 20 m and winter around 10 m. The west channel is sheltered but trafficked.
- The bigger dives are offshore and need a support boat, visible float and conservative return plan. The registry does not give per-spot fish, shelter or hazard prose.
Best spearfishing spots in Ilhabela
This table uses only verified spots from the registry. Only these fields are verified name, coordinate, type and depth, but no desc_* prose by spot; the notes therefore avoid invented shelter, species and hazard claims. Treat the list as a starting point for checking sea state, boat plan, local permission and GPS on the day.
| Spot | Type | Depth | Level | Access | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saco do Funil (Ilha Vitória) | Wall | 8-40 m | No local rating; depth demands experience | Boat to Ilha Vitória | Verified registry spot. Treat it as a deep wall entry without assuming shelter or fish detail from the data. |
| Ponta das Arraias (Ilha Vitória) | Reef slab | 10-30 m | No local rating; better with buddy and boat | Boat to Ilha Vitória | Verified registry spot. The depth range makes current, boat pickup and float discipline part of the plan. |
| Saco da Professora – Aquário | Cove | 5-10 m | No local rating; shallower in the registry | Boat to the Ilha Vitória sector | Verified registry spot. The name points to a cove, but the source has no shelter or fauna detail, so confirm locally. |
| Ilhas Galhetas | Island/reef slab | 3-15 m | No local rating | Boat | Verified registry spot. Use only the stated type and depth; there is no face-by-face description in the data. |
| Costão do Quebra Coco | Rocky headland | 3-16 m | No local rating | By sea; no dry entry detail in the registry | Verified registry spot. Without exposure notes, the day call is swell, wind and a clear exit. |
| Ilha da Serraria | Island | 6-15 m | No local rating | Boat | Verified registry spot. Carry a visible float and confirm traffic because island dives sit in boat routes. |
Spearfishing Ilhabela conditions today
Ilhabela is sheltered compared with open coast, but it is not fixed calm water. The registry marks it as sheltered and flags a bad sector from 20 to 120 degrees, with the worst direction near 70 degrees. East to northeast wind and sea therefore need respect, especially when the plan reaches Ilha Vitória, Búzios or another offshore point. The west side in the channel can be calmer, but it is also trafficked. Check swell, wind, boat route and pickup before loading the gun. The float is not decoration here; it is part of staying visible among launches, fishing boats and tour traffic.
Underwater visibility in Ilhabela today
The local base gives roughly 20 m visibility in summer and around 10 m in winter. Treat that as a reference, not a promise. Rain, a bad wind angle and channel traffic can all reduce bottom reading. Clearer water is often the reason to run toward islands and slabs, but those are also the dives that need a boat and return plan. If visibility drops, scale the dive down. A 30 or 40 m wall is not a target just because the coordinate is saved.
Spearfishing Ilhabela Saco do Funil and Ilha Vitória
Ilha Vitória holds three of the supported names: Saco do Funil, Ponta das Arraias and Saco da Professora - Aquário. Their registry depths run from 5-10 m at the shallower cove to 8-40 m on Saco do Funil's wall. That changes the whole dive plan. A shallow check dive and a deep wall drop are not the same risk. Because the source gives no per-spot fish, current or shelter prose, treat Ilha Vitória as a boat, buddy, float and local-confirmation operation rather than a catch promise.
Fish and rules in Ilhabela
The local summary names grouper, badejo, amberjack, snook and leerfish. The national table also includes fat snook, common snook, bluefish, croaker, mullet, king mackerel, serra Spanish mackerel, mahi-mahi, crevalle jack and porgy, each subject to any minimum size or closed season that applies. True grouper is sensitive, with a closed season and size window. Goliath grouper is different: total moratorium since 2002, no recreational exception. If identification is not clean, do not shoot.
Spearfishing licence Ilhabela Brazil
Use the MPA recreational fishing licence for the relevant category and keep proof available. Spearfishing is apnea only; using scuba or an artificial breathing device to spear fish is prohibited under the IBAMA rule. Also check protected areas, regional closed seasons and species limits before boarding. The Ilhabela record has no local zoneNote, but that does not override nearby restrictions, enforcement or maritime instructions.
FAQ
Where can you spearfish in Ilhabela?
The supported list is Saco do Funil, Ponta das Arraias, Saco da Professora - Aquário, Ilhas Galhetas, Costão do Quebra Coco and Ilha da Serraria.
What is the underwater visibility in Ilhabela today?
It depends on wind, rain, traffic and swell. The base reference is around 20 m in summer and 10 m in winter.
What fish can you spear in Ilhabela?
The local summary names grouper, badejo, amberjack, snook and leerfish. Goliath grouper is excluded by Brazil's total moratorium.
When is the best season to spearfish in Ilhabela?
Summer has the better visibility reference in the source data. The final call is still wind, sea state and boat logistics on the day.
Do you need a licence to spearfish in Brazil?
Yes. The MPA recreational fishing licence is required for the relevant spearfishing category.
Can you spearfish on scuba?
No. In Brazil, spearing with scuba or any artificial breathing device is prohibited.
Can you spear goliath grouper in Ilhabela?
No. Goliath grouper, mero in Brazil, has a total moratorium and is never a legal recreational target.
Sources
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