ChanavayitaIquique
borderlineexposed head-on to the swell today
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Cove ~60 km south, rock and kelp forest, less pressure. Coords approx.
Google MapsIquique spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras
5.3
wave 1.2 m head-on
visibility3m
Today — right on the edge — wave, wind and surge pounding.
Sources: IPMA · NDBC · Copernicus — high confidence · data 13:12
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 13:12
Iquique — solo, off the rocks
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site · wave 1.2 m (occasionally up to ~2.4 m)
wave 1.2 m head-onwind 6 km/hsurge pounding the rocksvisibility ~4 m
today, best window 18:00–21:00
fish · Visibility 4 m · Water 19.2°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
07:14–18:19 · first quarter
▲ 03:00▼ 10:00▲ 15:00▼ 21:00 · 0.6 m
Hours (06→20)
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide-0.11 m
Wave1.24 m
Wind2 km/h
Water19 °C
fish activity: moonset 01:25 · moderate · moon underfoot 07:10 · high · moonrise 12:46 · moderate · moon overhead 19:30 · high
Conditions window12:00–15:00
don't go fish
Hs 1.22 mperiod 8.4 s head-onwind 10→29surge 8.1viz 3 m
1.22 mup to ~2.44 · 242° head-on
8.4 sswell moderate
10→29gusts 29 km/h
8.1pounding the rocks
0.11m/s
3 mrecent swell
19.2°C5 mm + hood
▲15:00tide turn near
Atmosphere16 kmlandmarks visible
moderatemoonrise
- wave 1.2 m (occasionally up to ~2.4 m)
- long secondary swell (18 s) straight onshore
- flood toward high water
confidence mediumday
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
Playa CavanchaIquique
borderlineexposed head-on to the swell today
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Cavancha peninsula, rock+sand+kelp, 0–10 m, shore; urban entry point. Coords approx.
Google MapsPunta GruesaIquique
borderlineexposed head-on to the swell today
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
~17 km south, deep rocky point with kelp to 30 m; vieja and pejeperro. Coords approx.
Google MapsSOLO 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
Open the seafloor map →What's in season,
Reference
What's in season,
what the law says.
In season now
- Chilean sandperch (vieja)⚠️ Limit 1 fish/day, no minimum size. Heavily speared — better to release.
- Chilean sheephead⚠️ Limit 1 fish/day, no minimum size. Heavily speared — better to release.
- Peruvian gruntLimit 5 fish/day (overall cap ≤10/jornada). No minimum size.
- Chilean sandperch (rollizo)Limit 5 fish/day (overall cap ≤10/jornada). No minimum size.
- Peruvian morwongLimit 5 fish/day (overall cap ≤10/jornada). No minimum size.
- Lorna drumLimit 5 fish/day (overall cap ≤10/jornada). No minimum size.
- snoek
- yellowtail amberjack
- corvina drum⚠️ Biological closure 1 Oct–30 Nov. Min 40 cm (TL), limit 3/day.
- palm ruff⚠️ Closed 1–31 Aug. Min 30 cm (Atacama–Coquimbo).
- Chilean jack mackerel
- jerguilla
- apañado
- rock bass
- flounder
- elephant fishMandatory release (catch-and-release). Do not keep.
- humpback smoothhoundMandatory release (catch-and-release). Do not keep.
- Chilean abalone (loco)🚫 Permanent extraction ban to 31 Dec 2028 (Arica→Aysén). Benthos — by hand by the AMERB org, not speargun; no recreational take.
Law
- ✓A SERNAPESCA recreational-fishing licence is required — it explicitly covers spearfishing (defined as capture by sport diving, apnea and spearguns). Online at pescarecreativa.sernapesca.cl. Free for 65+/under-12/disabled. Sale prohibited.
- ✓Unlike continental Argentina, scuba is not banned: the legal definition includes 'sport diving', so both apnea and scuba are legal. Respect RAV closed seasons (conger, corvina) and regional sizes.
- ⛔ 🚫 Loco (Concholepas) — permanent ban to 31 Dec 2028 (Arica→Aysén). Only by hand by the AMERB org; outsiders/recreational barred.
- ⛔ Elephant fish (Callorhinchus) and smoothhounds (Mustelus) — mandatory release. Don't shoot.
- ⛔ AMERB areas (hundreds of polygons): benthos (loco/lapa/erizo) — exclusive to fisher orgs, don't take; fish by speargun — grey zone, check locally.
- ⛔ Marine mammals, sea turtles, penguins — protected; do not touch.
Rules change. Before heading out, get the recreational licence (SERNAPESCA, pescarecreativa.sernapesca.cl) and respect the RAV closed seasons and regional sizes.
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 Iquique: spots, seasons and rules
Spearfishing in Iquique is not a warm reef holiday. It is northern Chile kelp diving: cold clear water, rock and sand, and a coast that gets punished by SW groundswell. Playa Cavancha gives an urban shore entry in shallow mixed bottom. Punta Gruesa, about 17 km south, and Chanavayita, about 60 km south, are the more serious rocky options. The legal baseline is a SERNAPESCA recreational-fishing licence; Chile defines spearfishing as capture by sport diving, apnea and spearguns. That wording makes both breath-hold and scuba legal nationally, which is unusual. It does not remove closed seasons, regional size rules, AMERB benthic restrictions or the ban on selling your catch.
TL;DR
- Iquique is a cold-water northern Chile base with rock, sand and huiro kelp, fishable year-round when the SW swell backs off.
- The named sectors are Playa Cavancha, Punta Gruesa and Chanavayita; the stronger spearfishing line runs south of town.
- Treat coordinates as approximate. Read the shore, the kelp and the exit before committing to the rocky points.
- Chile requires a SERNAPESCA recreational licence. Unusually for the region, the national definition does not ban scuba spearfishing.
Best spearfishing spots in Iquique
Iquique has three named sectors in the working data. They should be treated as areas rather than pin-drop promises, because the coordinates are approximate and all three depend on swell direction. Cavancha is the quick urban read. Punta Gruesa and Chanavayita are the southbound choices when the Pacific is settled enough to give you a clean entry and a clean exit.
| Spot | Type | Depth | Level | Access | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Playa Cavancha | Mixed rock, sand and huiro kelp | 0 to 10 m | Accessible, but still exposed to swell | Shore entry on the Cavancha peninsula | Use it to check the day's water before driving south. It is an urban entry, not a guaranteed shelter when the SW pulse is running. |
| Punta Gruesa | Rocky point with kelp | Up to about 25 m | Intermediate to advanced | Rocky coast about 17 km south of Iquique | The sector is associated with vieja and pejeperro. Both are pressured by spearguns, so take the one-fish limit seriously and skip marginal shots. |
| Chanavayita | Rocky cove and kelp forest | Up to about 20 m | Intermediate, with more driving and planning | Cove about 60 km south of town | Less pressure is the draw. The tradeoff is logistics: carry enough margin to turn around if the swell is closing the rocks. |
Spearfishing Iquique conditions today
The first question is swell, not target fish. Iquique faces an exposed Pacific sector, and the bad window runs broadly from SW through WNW. If that energy is in the water, the kelp will show it and the rocky exits will feel small. On settled days the area can offer cold, clear water around the cited 16 to 19 °C range. Upwelling-favourable south to southwest wind can chill the surface further, so dress for northern Chile, not for the tropics.
Underwater visibility in Iquique today
There is no wired local buoy in the city data, so visibility is a practical call. Look at swell period, recent wind and the colour of the water at Cavancha before betting on Punta Gruesa or Chanavayita. Milky water, long sets and foam stuck to the shelves usually mean the south points are not worth forcing. When the window is right, the signs are simple: low pulse, cold water, standing kelp and a shore exit you can identify before the first dive.
What fish can you spear in Iquique?
Local names include sargo, rollizo, pintacha, lorna, sierra, yellowtail amberjack, jack mackerel, jerguilla, rock bass and flounder. Vieja and Chilean sheephead are the headline reef fish, but both are heavily speared and limited to one fish per day. Sargo, rollizo, pintacha and lorna carry a five-fish daily limit inside a ten-fish overall cap. Corvina has a 40 cm minimum and a biological closure from 1 October to 30 November. Elephant fish and smoothhounds are mandatory release.
Spearfishing licence in Iquique, Chile
Carry the SERNAPESCA recreational-fishing licence and keep the trip non-commercial. The licence covers spearfishing because the Chilean definition includes sport diving, apnea and spearguns. That is also why scuba is not banned at national level, unlike in several neighbouring countries. Do not turn that legal peculiarity into sloppy practice: respect RAV closures, regional sizes and AMERB areas, where benthic resources such as loco, lapa and urchin belong to fisher organisations.
Spearfishing for beginners in Iquique
Start with the smallest commitment. Cavancha lets you read the water without a long drive or a deep rocky exit. Punta Gruesa is not a first solo objective, and Chanavayita is far enough south that you need a full-day plan. The local Pesca Deportiva Iquique club is mentioned in the city notes; for visiting divers, local timing matters more than copying approximate coordinates.
FAQ
Where can you spearfish in Iquique?
The named sectors are Playa Cavancha, Punta Gruesa and Chanavayita. Check the swell and the exit before entering any of them.
What is the underwater visibility in Iquique today?
It changes with swell and wind. Settled cold water can be clear; SW groundswell usually hurts both visibility and shore safety.
What fish can you spear in Iquique?
Sargo, rollizo, pintacha, lorna, sierra, amberjack, jack mackerel, jerguilla, rock bass and flounder. Vieja and Chilean sheephead require restraint.
When is the best season to spearfish in Iquique?
The area is fishable year-round. The real filter is a settled sea, clean water and a safe rocky exit.
Is spearfishing legal in Chile?
Yes, with a SERNAPESCA recreational-fishing licence and compliance with closures, size rules, protected species and special areas.
Can you spearfish on scuba in Chile?
The national definition includes sport diving, so scuba is not banned at that level. Confirm current local rules before planning a tank dive.
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