Jambiani (Zanzibar) spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras

spearo.app / Tanzania / Jambiani (Zanzibar)
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◈Jambiani (Zanzibar) · Tanzania
2.8
wave 0.9 m head-on
visibility~4m

Nottoday

Today — sit it out — wave, wind and surge pounding.

Sources: Open-Meteo · Copernicus — high confidence · data 18:22

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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Spots in Tanzania

🇹🇿Tanzania

Tanzania map →

Nearby towns

  • Bwejuu (Zanzibar)
  • Kizimkazi (Zanzibar)
  • Stone Town (Zanzibar)
  • Matemwe (Zanzibar)
  • Dar es Salaam

Zanzibar (Unguja)

  • Nungwi (Zanzibar)

Northern coast (Tanga–Bagamoyo)

  • Bagamoyo
  • Pangani
  • Tanga

Pemba Island

  • Chake-Chake (Pemba Island)

Mafia and the south (Kilwa–Mtwara)

  • Mafia Island (Kilindoni)
  • Kilwa Masoko
  • Mtwara (Mikindani)

spearo.app — All countries

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spearo.app · a private marine instrument · Jambiani (Zanzibar) · 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 18:22
Jambiani (Zanzibar) — solo, off the rocks
DON'T GO
don't go · wind 15 km/h, gusts to 30 — caution
wave 0.9 m head-onwind 15, gusts 30 km/hsurge pounding the rocksvisibility ~4 m
today, best window 12:00–15:00
fish · Visibility 4 m · Water 27.5°C
confidence low · verdict for the selected day
Best window · next 3 days

Next 3 days — not divable: wave up to 1.2 m

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.

Tuesday · today2026-10-13
06:01–18:14 · waxing crescent
▲ 05:00▼ 11:00▲ 17:00▼ 23:00mid-range tides · 3.4 m
Hours (06→20)
06
09
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide-0.92 m
Wave0.96 m
Wind11 km/h
Water27 °C
fish activity: moon underfoot 01:40 · high · moonrise 07:48 · moderate · moon overhead 14:10 · high · moonset 20:34 · moderate
Conditions window06:00–09:00
don't go fish
Hs 0.92 m · roughperiod 5.7 s head-onwind 9→21surge 4.8viz 5 m
0.92 mrough · up to ~1.84 · 103° head-on
5.7 sswell moderate
9→21gusts 21 km/h
4.8pounding the rocks
0.78m/s
5 mrecent swell
27.2°C5 mm + hood
▼11:00tide falling
Atmosphere8 kmprecip 0.2 mm
moderatemoonrise
  • current 0.78 m/s
  • ebb — weaker inshore
confidence lowtwilight
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 →
Cement WallJambiani (Zanzibar)
no data
Zanzibar: a licensed operator reports that sport spearfishing needs a licence from the Department of Fisheries Development and that visitors may only spearfish through a registered operator; the 1993 regulations were not checked. Night rules not verified.
window
—

Reef wall, boat access, depth not given by the source. Reef mapped in OpenStreetMap; no diver reports — unverified.

Google Maps
Jambiani LagoonJambiani (Zanzibar)
no data
Zanzibar: a licensed operator reports that sport spearfishing needs a licence from the Department of Fisheries Development and that visitors may only spearfish through a registered operator; the 1993 regulations were not checked. Night rules not verified.

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

    Tanzania: operators report that speargun fishing is banned on the mainland (Fisheries Act 2003 / Regulations 2009) and that Zanzibar issues sport-spearfishing licences only through registered operators. The acts could not be read — treat this as unconfirmed and check with the Fisheries Division. Marine parks and reserves are closed to hunting. Night rules not verified.

    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 Jambiani (Zanzibar)

    window
    —

    Tidal lagoon, reached from the shore at high tide only, depth not given by the source. On this coast the sea drains hundreds of metres at low tide. Reef mapped in OpenStreetMap; no diver reports — unverified.

    Google Maps
    Lagoon Mounding (Paje–Jambiani)Jambiani (Zanzibar)
    no data
    Zanzibar: a licensed operator reports that sport spearfishing needs a licence from the Department of Fisheries Development and that visitors may only spearfish through a registered operator; the 1993 regulations were not checked. Night rules not verified.
    window
    —

    Tidal lagoon, reached from the shore at high tide only, depth not given by the source. On this coast the sea drains hundreds of metres at low tide. Reef mapped in OpenStreetMap; no diver reports — unverified.

    Google Maps
    Napoleon WallJambiani (Zanzibar)
    no data
    Zanzibar: a licensed operator reports that sport spearfishing needs a licence from the Department of Fisheries Development and that visitors may only spearfish through a registered operator; the 1993 regulations were not checked. Night rules not verified.
    window
    —

    Reef wall, boat access, depth not given by the source. Reef mapped in OpenStreetMap; no diver reports — unverified.

    Google Maps
    Pawoni HillJambiani (Zanzibar)
    no data
    Zanzibar: a licensed operator reports that sport spearfishing needs a licence from the Department of Fisheries Development and that visitors may only spearfish through a registered operator; the 1993 regulations were not checked. Night rules not verified.
    window
    —

    Reef, boat access, 10–25 m (source). Reef mapped in OpenStreetMap and named by local dive operators.

    Google Maps
    Sau Inn GardenJambiani (Zanzibar)
    no data
    Zanzibar: a licensed operator reports that sport spearfishing needs a licence from the Department of Fisheries Development and that visitors may only spearfish through a registered operator; the 1993 regulations were not checked. Night rules not verified.
    window
    —

    Reef, boat access, depth not given by the source. Reef mapped in OpenStreetMap; no diver reports — unverified.

    Google Maps
    Stingray City (Jambiani)Jambiani (Zanzibar)
    no data
    Zanzibar: a licensed operator reports that sport spearfishing needs a licence from the Department of Fisheries Development and that visitors may only spearfish through a registered operator; the 1993 regulations were not checked. Night rules not verified.
    window
    —

    Tidal lagoon, reached from the shore at high tide only, depth not given by the source. On this coast the sea drains hundreds of metres at low tide. Reef mapped in OpenStreetMap; no diver reports — unverified.

    Google Maps
    Woo SouthJambiani (Zanzibar)
    no data
    Zanzibar: a licensed operator reports that sport spearfishing needs a licence from the Department of Fisheries Development and that visitors may only spearfish through a registered operator; the 1993 regulations were not checked. Night rules not verified.
    window
    —

    Reef, boat access, depth not given by the source. Reef mapped in OpenStreetMap; no diver reports — unverified.

    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.

    Where can I spearfish in Jambiani (Zanzibar)?

    Jambiani (Zanzibar) has rock entry points such as Jambiani Lagoon, Stingray City (Jambiani) and Lagoon Mounding (Paje–Jambiani). Jambiani and Paje are a kite and lagoon coast: at low tide the sea drains hundreds of metres, and the lagoon marks are only workable near high tide. Below you'll find each spot (access, shelter and hazards) and today's forecast.

    When is the best season in Jambiani (Zanzibar)?

    The NE monsoon (Kaskazi, about Nov–Mar) is the calm season; the SE monsoon (Kusi, about Jun–Oct) roughs up the east coast, while the west side stays sheltered.

    How cold is the water in Jambiani (Zanzibar)?

    About 28–30 °C in January–March and 24–26 °C in July–September (forecast SST supersedes).

    Is Jambiani (Zanzibar) good for a beginner?

    Macro-tides: east-coast lagoons drain hundreds of metres at low tide, so shore entries are tide-locked; boat and jet-ski traffic at Nungwi, Pingwe and Mnemba.

    Do I need a licence in Jambiani (Zanzibar)?

    Jambiani (Zanzibar): Tanzania: operators report that speargun fishing is banned on the mainland (Fisheries Act 2003 / Regulations 2009) and that Zanzibar issues sport-spearfishing licences only through registered operators. The acts could not be read — treat this as unconfirmed and check with the Fisheries Division. Marine parks and reserves are closed to hunting. Night rules not verified.

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

    transparency ~25 m · satellite, yesterdaysatellite estimate · may differ right at the shore