Isla Grande spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility & live cameras

spearo.app / Panama / Isla Grande
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◈Isla Grande · Panama
2.5
visibility: 1 m
visibility~1m

Dayisover

Today — sit it out.

Sources: Open-Meteo · Copernicus — high confidence · data 10:16

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.

01
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.
02
Wind & gusts
Speed and gusts, hour by hour — wind speed and an onshore push chop the surface and cut visibility.
03
Tide phase
Timing and range of the tide, calibrated per coast — big spring tides pull the verdict toward caution.
04
Water temperature
Sea-surface temperature — sharply cold water vetoes a green verdict.
05
Currents & outflow
Direction and drift of the current — it pushes you, and it drags turbid coastal water across where you dive.
06
Rain runoff & air clarity
Rain muddies the water inshore through land runoff, while fog and haze cut visibility at the surface.
07
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.

Entry pointsNo-take zones

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.

Coming soon

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More spots

Spots in Panama

🇵🇦Panama

Panama map →

Nearby towns

  • Portobelo
  • Colón / Fort Sherman
  • El Porvenir (Guna Yala)
  • Panama City / Taboga
  • Contadora (Las Perlas)

Pacific coast (Gulf of Panama & Azuero)

  • Coronado / Punta Chame
  • Pedasí (Isla Iguana)
  • Playa Venao

Veraguas & Chiriquí (Coiba)

  • Santa Catalina (Coiba)
  • Boca Chica (Golfo de Chiriquí)
  • Puerto Armuelles

Caribbean coast

  • Bocas del Toro

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spearo.app · a private marine instrument · Isla Grande · a planner, not a safety guaranteePrivacy
Today
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0 m

Surface

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

spearo.app
updated 10:16
Isla Grande — solo, off the rocks
Day is over
That is it for today — the day's windows have closed.
Tomorrow, best window 18:00–21:00
Best window · next 3 days
goWednesday · 18:00–21:00
you can see ~4 m ahead fish

〜 tide is minor here bite times: 07:07–08:07 · 12:30–14:30

Tell me when it's on

Just your email — nothing else needed.

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.

Monday · today2026-10-12
06:06–18:02 · waxing crescent
▲ 04:00▼ 07:00▲ 14:00▼ 23:00 · 0.4 m
Hours (06→20)
06
09
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide0.00 m
Wave1.14 m
Wind6 km/h
Water30 °C
fish activity: moon underfoot 01:10 · high · moonrise 07:37 · moderate · moon overhead 13:30 · high · moonset 19:30 · moderate
Open the seafloor map with entry points →

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

Download on theApp StoreGET IT ONGoogle Play
Google Play — 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: 3016 spots across 406 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 →
Isla Grande north reefIsla Grande
dangerous
⚠ Restrictions apply
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
—

Reef, boat access. Next to Parque Nacional Portobelo — treat as no-take. Point placed off a named feature — not a confirmed dive or hunting site, unverified; coords approx.

Google Maps
Isla Grande, La PuntaIsla Grande
dangerous
⚠ Restrictions apply
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
—

Reef, shore or boat. Next to Parque Nacional Portobelo — treat as no-take. Dive-site catalogue coordinates.

Google Maps

One morning glance — and you know.

Download on theApp StoreGET IT ONGoogle Play
Google Play — 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
  • no targets this month
Law

    Panama: breath-hold spearfishing is legal sport fishing with an ARAP licence (Ley 204 of 2021, art. 65–66); the catch may not be sold. Taking parrotfish, angelfish, damselfish, butterflyfish and surgeonfish is banned nationwide (Ley 304 of 2022, art. 17). Coiba National Park, Isla Iguana and the Zapatilla cays (Bastimentos) are closed to spearfishing; Las Perlas allows only a band speargun on breath-hold. Check current rules locally.

    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.
    Isla LintonIsla Grande
    dangerous
    ⚠ Restrictions apply
    exposed head-on to the swell today
    window
    —

    Island/islet edge, boat access. Next to Parque Nacional Portobelo — treat as no-take. Point placed off a named feature — not a confirmed dive or hunting site, unverified; coords approx.

    Google Maps
    Isla MameyIsla Grande
    dangerous
    ⚠ Restrictions apply
    exposed head-on to the swell today
    window
    —

    Island/islet edge, boat access. Next to Parque Nacional Portobelo — treat as no-take. Point placed off a named feature — not a confirmed dive or hunting site, unverified; coords approx.

    Google Maps
    Punta Manzanillo reefIsla Grande
    dangerous
    No national spearfishing ban found in Panama. Sport fishing, incl. breath-hold, needs an ARAP licence and the catch may not be sold (Ley 204/2021 art. 65–66). Never take sea turtles, corals or other protected species. Ley 304/2022 art. 17 bans taking parrot-, angel-, damsel-, butterfly- and surgeonfish nationwide.
    exposed head-on to the swell today
    window
    —

    Reef, boat access. Point placed off a named feature — not a confirmed dive or hunting site, unverified; coords approx.

    Google Maps
    Terry's ReefIsla Grande
    dangerous
    No national spearfishing ban found in Panama. Sport fishing, incl. breath-hold, needs an ARAP licence and the catch may not be sold (Ley 204/2021 art. 65–66). Never take sea turtles, corals or other protected species. Ley 304/2022 art. 17 bans taking parrot-, angel-, damsel-, butterfly- and surgeonfish nationwide.
    exposed head-on to the swell today
    window
    —

    Reef, boat access. Offshore, 28 km from town. Dive-site catalogue coordinates.

    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.

    FAQ — spearfishing in Isla Grande

    Where can I spearfish in Isla Grande?

    Isla Grande has rock entry points such as Isla Grande, La Punta, Isla Grande north reef and Punta Manzanillo reef. Isla Grande lies just off the Caribbean coast east of Portobelo, with fringing reef around the island and Terry's Reef about 25 km east towards Nombre de Dios. Below you'll find each spot (access, shelter and hazards) and today's forecast.

    When is the best season in Isla Grande?

    September–October and March–April have the calmest water; December–March the trade winds raise a chop.

    How cold is the water in Isla Grande?

    About 27–29 °C; visibility 6–15 m, worse after rain.

    Is Isla Grande good for a beginner?

    Easy to moderate: small tides; Guna Yala needs community permission, the Bastimentos and Portobelo parks are partly closed.

    Do I need a licence in Isla Grande?

    Isla Grande: Panama: breath-hold spearfishing is legal sport fishing with an ARAP licence (Ley 204 of 2021, art. 65–66); the catch may not be sold. Taking parrotfish, angelfish, damselfish, butterflyfish and surgeonfish is banned nationwide (Ley 304 of 2022, art. 17). Coiba National Park, Isla Iguana and the Zapatilla cays (Bastimentos) are closed to spearfishing; Las Perlas allows only a band speargun on breath-hold. Check current rules locally.

    Data partners
    dive centres that send us real visibility readings
    Águas VivasMilfontes · Sagres