Do you need the DICAPI card in Ilo?

The legal line in Peru is DICAPI card, freediving only and no speargun use with tanks.

Is scuba spearing allowed in Peru?

No. Tanks and speargun do not mix under the Peru framing.

Which Peru closures matter near Ilo?

Remember December for chita and April for lorna.

How should you read visibility at Ilo?

A southwest sea is the worst case on this open coast, so read it at first light; when upwelling kicks in the water gets clearer but colder.

Ilo spearfishing forecast — Peru

Q: What should be treated as off limits near Ilo?

Avoid Punta Coles where it overlaps core, breeding-fauna or closed sectors; confirm with SERNANP in reserve water.

Ilo · Peru

2.5

visibility: 1 m

visibility1m

Today — sit it out.

Sources: Open-Meteo · Copernicus — high confidence · data 22:29

Sources & confidence

Sources: Open-Meteo · Copernicus
Method: spearo sea-state engine: consensus of up to 6 models + satellite clarity (ZSD) + buoy-bias checks
Freshness: Re-read every hour, per coast

Compiled by the spearo sea-state engine · How it works →

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 — where night spearfishing is banned by law the window is forced red; where it is legal (Australia outside NSW, New Zealand, South Africa) it is capped at yellow, never green.

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.

Google Play — QR code — point your camera

0 m

Surface

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

spearo.app

updated 22:29

Ilo — solo, off the rocks

Day is over

That is it for today — the day's windows have closed.

Tomorrow, best window 06:00–09:00

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.

Saturday · today2026-10-24

05:10–17:48 · full moon

▼ 00:00▲ 06:00▼ 12:00▲ 18:00 · 0.9 m

Hours (06→20)

Day's trends

Tide0.06 m

Wave1.72 m

Wind16 km/h

Water22 °C

fish activity: moonset 03:48 · moderate · moon underfoot 10:10 · high · moonrise 16:33 · moderate · moon overhead 22:30 · high

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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

CatarindoIlo

dangerous

exposed head-on to the swell today

window: —

Classic Ilo dive and spearfishing rock reef; cold clear water in calm. Coords approx.

Google Maps

Playa PocomaIlo

dangerous

⚠️ This point is inside the restricted zone “RNSIIPG — Punta Coles — Zona de Recuperación (zonificación oficial del ANP (Plan Maestro) · Ley 26834 (Ley de Áreas Naturales Protegidas) art. 23)”: fishing there is regulated (season, gear, permit), not banned outright. Read the zone's rules before you go.

exposed head-on to the swell today

window: —

Rock reef north of Ilo. ⚠️ RECOVERY zone of the RNSIIPG Punta Coles sector (SERNANP zoning R.P.E. 000102-2026): Ley 26834 art. 23 g) transitional class, use suspended until the ground recovers — ask the área's jefatura before hunting. Coords approx.

Google Maps

Playa WawakikiIlo

dangerous

exposed head-on to the swell today

window: —

Rocky beach («Los Gringos») N of Ilo (Pacocha); rock 3–10 m, good for diving and spearfishing. ⚠️Coords approx.

Google Maps

Punta ColesIlo

dangerous

⛔ Banned here

exposed head-on to the swell today

window: —

Rocky point ~7 km SW of Ilo; walls 5–16 m, sea lions and penguins, high biomass. 🔴 National Reserve (RNSIIPG) — advisory, respect the fauna. Coords verified.

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.

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

✓Recreational fishing needs no PRODUCE permit, BUT spearfishing requires a DICAPI diver card/registration (Coast Guard), 18+. Spearing on scuba is banned.
✓RN Mar Tropical de Grau (Máncora/Tumbes/Piura) = protected area with restrictions; check the sectors before shooting.

⛔ 🚫 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.

Rules change. Before heading out, get the DICAPI diver card/registration (Coast Guard) — spearing on scuba is banned; check the sectors of RN Mar Tropical de Grau.

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 Ilo: spots, seasons and rules

Updated 2026-07-09 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher

For Ilo, start with exposure and zoning. A southern port with rocky coves for spearfishing; Catarindo and Pocoma are classics; Punta Coles nearby is a reserve. The worst sea is from SW; the coast is exposed, so dawn matters; upwelling can clear and cool the water at the same time. The usable plan is conservative: buddy, buoy, small sea and no shooting inside parks, reserves or uncertain sectors. The local list includes murique grouper, flag cabrilla, Peruvian grunt; the non-negotiable closures are chita in December and lorna in April.

Practical spearfishing areas around Ilo

Treat each name as a starting point, not permission. The coves only fish clean on a small, low southwest swell at dawn. Confirm the boundary before loading.

Spot	Type	Depth	Level	Access	Notes
Catarindo	reef	shallow to mid-depth	Intermediate	shore entry, only in small seas	Classic Ilo dive and spearfishing rock reef; cold clear water. Get out before the boats start moving.
Playa Pocoma	reef	shallow to mid-depth	Intermediate	shore entry, only in small seas	Rock reef ideal for diving and spearfishing north of Ilo. Leave once launch traffic builds.
Playa Wawakiki	mixed bottom	3-10m	Intermediate	shore entry, only in small seas	Rocky beach («Los Gringos») N of Ilo (Pacocha); rock 3-10. Time it for the quiet hours off the ramp.

When should you skip spearfishing in Ilo?

Skip it when the return route is covered, visibility is too short, or zoning is unresolved. The window improves with low swell, light wind and clear Humboldt water. Avoid Punta Coles where it overlaps core, breeding-fauna or closed sectors; confirm with SERNANP in reserve water. Catarindo and Pocoma are the rocky coves worth waking up for when cold water is clear and calm. Wawakiki, also called Los Gringos, adds 3-10 m rock north of Ilo, while Punta Coles is a different category because of sea lions, penguins and the RNSIIPG reserve context. The local bad sector runs roughly 190-280 degrees, with the worst direction near 215. With no listed webcam or buoy, decide from shore: water color, set length, exit shape and boat traffic come before fish talk. Cabrilla and pintadilla fit the rocky-cove profile.

Surface

Windows, hours
and the day's trends.

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Help us make it better

The water column

A marine instrument,
go / no-go for solo hunting.

The seabed

The forecast is the plan.
The call is on the rock.

Where to get in
off the rocks.

Surfacing

What's in season,
what the law says.

Spearfishing in Ilo: spots, seasons and rules

TL;DR

Practical spearfishing areas around Ilo

When should you skip spearfishing in Ilo?

FAQ

Sources

Nearby towns

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

Windows, hours and the day's trends.

Get the go / no-go verdict for Ilo by email

Spots in Peru

🇵🇪Peru

South Peru

Central Peru

North Peru

Help us make it better

A marine instrument, go / no-go for solo hunting.

The forecast is the plan.The call is on the rock.

Where to get in off the rocks.

What's in season, what the law says.

TL;DR

Practical spearfishing areas around Ilo

When should you skip spearfishing in Ilo?

FAQ

Sources

Nearby towns

Windows, hours
and the day's trends.

A marine instrument,
go / no-go for solo hunting.

The forecast is the plan.
The call is on the rock.

Where to get in
off the rocks.

What's in season,
what the law says.