Kailua-Kona spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras

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◈Kailua-Kona · United States
5.3
wave 1.2 m
visibility~3m

Dayisover

Today — right on the edge — wave, wind and surge pounding.

Sources: NWS · NDBC · Open-Meteo · Copernicus — high confidence · data 11:28

Sources & confidence

Sources
NWS · NDBC · 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 zonesLive cams

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.

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Spots in United States

🇺🇸United States

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Hawaii

  • Captain Cook (Kealakekua Bay)
  • Hilo
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  • Poipu

California

  • Mendocino
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  • Bodega Bay
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  • Pacifica
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spearo.app · a private marine instrument · Kailua-Kona · a planner, not a safety guaranteePrivacy
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0 m

Surface

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

spearo.app
NWS no dataupdated 11:28
Kailua-Kona — solo, off the rocks
Day is over
spearfishing is banned at night · night — spearfishing prohibited
wave 1.2 mwind 12 km/hsurge pounding the rocksvisibility ~3 m
today, best window 18:00–21:00
fish · Visibility 3 m · Water 27.8°C
confidence medium · verdict for the selected day
Best window · next 3 days
borderlinetomorrow · 09:00–12:00
you can see ~3 m ahead fish

ℹ️ Conservative visibility estimate kept

↑ high tide 14:04 · slack water ~13:19–14:49 bite times: 10:00–12:00 · 16:25–17:25

Tell me when it's on

Just your email — nothing else needed.

Before entering, check the camera and the surge
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
06:21–17:54 · full moon
▲ 02:00▼ 09:00▲ 14:00▼ 20:00mid-range tides · 0.7 m
Hours (06→20)
06
09
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide0.62 m
Wave1.14 m
Wind6 km/h
Water28 °C
fish activity: moonset 04:56 · moderate · moon underfoot 11:00 · high · moonrise 16:55 · moderate · moon overhead 23:20 · high
Conditions window18:00–21:00
spearfishing is banned at night fish
Hs 1.20 m · roughperiod 11.3 swind 12→23surge 3.8viz 3 m
1.20 mrough · up to ~2.40 · 192° at an angle
11.3 sswell building
12→23gusts 23 km/h
3.8pounding the rocks
0.25m/s
3 mrecent swell
27.8°C5 mm + hood
▼20:00tide turn near
Atmosphere43 kmovercast
lowoff the lunar peaks
  • night — spearfishing prohibited
  • wave 1.2 m + swell period 11 s
  • low water — slack
confidence mediumnight
Open the seafloor map with entry points →

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

Download on theApp StoreGET IT ONGoogle Play
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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 →
'Alula Beach (Kona Dog Beach)Kailua-Kona
borderline
253 m from the boundary of West Hawai'i Regional Fishery Management Area (restricted zone)
swell on the quarter today
window
—
Seabed depth of the selected area
≈2.6–30 m (bathymetry NOAA CUDEM/CoNED, 3 m)

'Alula Beach (Kona Dog Beach): you go in from the shore, some 4.4 km from Kailua-Kona. Maximum depth is around 30 m. Tides here rise and fall only a little. West Hawai'i Regional Fishery Management Area, a restricted area, lies about 250 m away; check its rules and boundary.

Google Maps
Garden Eel Cove / Manta Ray HeavenKailua-Kona
borderline
⚠️ This point is inside the restricted zone “West Hawai'i Regional Fishery Management Area”: fishing there is regulated (season, gear, permit), not banned outright. Read the zone's rules before you go.

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
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».

connecting to the stream…
● LIVE↗
Outrigger Kona Resort (Ozolio)Live (ozolio) — Outrigger Kona Resort (Ozolio). Operator iframe embed. Read the water before you go.camera: ozolio ↗
connecting to the stream…
● LIVE↗
Kohanaiki Web Camera (north Kona)YouTube live — Kohanaiki Web Camera (north Kona). Embedded live stream; if the ID rotates it opens the source page. Read the water before you go.camera: youtube ↗
connecting to the stream…
● LIVE↗
MEGA Lab underwater reef cam — NELHA, Keahole PointYouTube live — MEGA Lab underwater reef cam — NELHA, Keahole Point. Embedded live stream; if the ID rotates it opens the source page. Read the water before you go.camera: youtube ↗
Open the seafloor map →
Reference

What's in season,
what the law says.

In season now
  • uhu (parrotfish)
    Scaridae · 2–20 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
    The 2 uhu/day bag is STATEWIDE, not Maui-only (HAR 13-95-16(c), amended 22 Feb 2024). Min 10″ (25 cm), and 14″ (36 cm) for 'ele'ele, uliuli, palukaluka and 'ahu'ula. On Maui (HAR 13-95.1) blue terminal-phase 'ele'ele and uliuli may not be taken at all. Kahekili Herbivore FMA: uhu banned year-round. Miloli'i CBSFA: no spearing uhu at night by any gear.
  • ulua (giant trevally)
    Caranx spp. / Carangoides spp. · 2–30 m · legal
    'Ulua and papio' is a LEGAL GROUP, not one species: Caranx ignobilis, C. lugubris, C. melampygus ('omilu), C. sexfasciatus, Carangoides equula, C. ferdau and C. orthogrammus. Min 10″ (25 cm) to take or possess, 16″ (41 cm) to sell. Bag 20 ulua over 10″ per person per day, non-commercial (HAR 13-95-22).
  • kumu (goatfish)
    Parupeneus porphyreus · 2–25 m · legal
    This is specifically Parupeneus porphyreus, not the whole Mullidae family. Year-round. Min 10″ (25 cm) statewide (HAR 13-95-7), 12″ (30 cm) on Maui island. No statewide bag limit, but 1 kumu per person per day on Maui (HAR 13-95.1-20(c)).
  • roi (peacock grouper)
    Cephalopholis argus · 3–30 m · invasive — target
    Invasive: DLNR AIS lists it as introduced — deliberately stocked as a sportfish in 1956, now a dominant reef predator on Kaua'i, O'ahu, Moloka'i, Lana'i, Maui and Hawai'i island. No season, size or bag limit. On ciguatera: no Hawai'i state page asserting it could be found — treat it as a local caution, not a rule.
  • Pacific Grove
  • Monterey
  • South San Francisco
  • Santa Cruz
  • San Mateo
  • Corte Madera
  • Marina
  • Soquel
  • Eureka
  • Alameda
  • Menlo Park
  • Berkeley
  • San Pablo
  • San Leandro
  • San Simeon
  • Vallejo
  • Trinidad
  • Cayucos
  • Morro Bay
  • Grover Beach
  • All 367 spots → · Region: Hawaii · spearo.app — All countries

    transparency nearby ~37 m · satellite, 2 days agosatellite estimate · may differ right at the shore

    buoy Hilo, HI: 27.2° · wave 1.5 m/10 s · 43 min ago

    swell on the quarter today
    window
    —
    Seabed depth of the selected area
    ≈3.0–43 m (bathymetry NOAA CUDEM/CoNED, 3 m)

    Shore access point Garden Eel Cove / Manta Ray Heaven, roughly 12 km from Kailua-Kona. We have no measured depth for this entry so far. The tidal range is small. Inside West Hawai'i Regional Fishery Management Area; read its rules first.

    Google Maps
    Kahalu'u Beach ParkKailua-Kona
    borderline
    swell on the quarter today
    window
    —
    Seabed depth of the selected area
    ≈0.4–1.4 m (bathymetry NOAA CUDEM/CoNED, 3 m)

    Shore access point Kahalu'u Beach Park, roughly 7.5 km from Kailua-Kona. Marker position: 19.579° N, 155.967° W. Depths reach about 1.0 m. The tidal range is small.

    Google Maps
    Kailua BayKailua-Kona
    borderline
    ⚠️ This point is inside the restricted zone “Kailua Bay Fisheries Management Area (Zone A)”: fishing there is regulated (season, gear, permit), not banned outright. Read the zone's rules before you go.
    swell on the quarter today
    window
    —
    Seabed depth of the selected area
    ≈1.0–9.8 m (bathymetry NOAA CUDEM/CoNED, 3 m)

    Kailua Bay is a shore entry about 0.2 km from Kailua-Kona. Maximum depth is around 11 m. Inside Kailua Bay Fisheries Management Area (Zone A); read its rules first. No-take Old Kona Airport Marine Life Conservation District is about 590 m away.

    Google Maps
    Keahole Point drop-off (NELHA)Kailua-Kona
    borderline
    ⚠️ This point is inside the restricted zone “West Hawai'i Regional Fishery Management Area”: fishing there is regulated (season, gear, permit), not banned outright. Read the zone's rules before you go.
    swell on the quarter today
    window
    —
    Seabed depth of the selected area
    ≈4.9–67 m (bathymetry NOAA CUDEM/CoNED, 3 m)

    A steep lava drop-off right off the shore, 5–30 m: uku, ono and pelagics in very clear water. West-coast rule: spearfishing on breath-hold only. Strong current and no shelter — dive with a buddy and a set exit plan.

    Google Maps
    Keauhou Bay (Manta Village)Kailua-Kona
    borderline
    390 m from the boundary of West Hawai'i Regional Fishery Management Area (restricted zone)
    swell on the quarter today
    window
    —
    Seabed depth of the selected area
    ≈0.7–4.7 m (bathymetry NOAA CUDEM/CoNED, 3 m)

    Shore access point Keauhou Bay (Manta Village), roughly 9.4 km from Kailua-Kona. Depths reach about 5 m. The tidal range is small. West Hawai'i Regional Fishery Management Area, a restricted area, lies about 390 m away; check its rules and boundary.

    Google Maps
    Manta Ray MadnessKailua-Kona
    borderline
    ⚠️ This point is inside the restricted zone “West Hawai'i Regional Fishery Management Area”: fishing there is regulated (season, gear, permit), not banned outright. Read the zone's rules before you go.
    swell on the quarter today
    window
    —
    Seabed depth of the selected area
    ≈6.4–37 m (bathymetry NOAA CUDEM/CoNED, 3 m)

    Manta Ray Madness is a shore entry about 9.4 km from Kailua-Kona. Marker position: 19.560° N, 155.968° W. Depths reach about 9 m. The marker is inside West Hawai'i Regional Fishery Management Area, a restricted area; check what may be taken there before spearing.

    Google Maps
    Mile Marker 4Kailua-Kona
    borderline
    swell on the quarter today
    window
    —
    Seabed depth of the selected area
    ≈0.9–10 m (bathymetry NOAA CUDEM/CoNED, 3 m)

    Mile Marker 4: you go in from the shore, some 5.9 km from Kailua-Kona. Marker position: 19.593° N, 155.972° W. Depths reach about 10 m. Heading out to the west, the bottom is about 4 m deep 50 m from the marker and 12 m at 200 m. The tidal range is small.

    Google Maps
    Pahoehoe Beach ParkKailua-Kona
    borderline
    swell on the quarter today
    window
    —
    Seabed depth of the selected area
    ≈1.0–10 m (bathymetry NOAA CUDEM/CoNED, 3 m)

    Shore access point Pahoehoe Beach Park, roughly 5.5 km from Kailua-Kona. Marker position: 19.596° N, 155.973° W. Maximum depth is around 10 m. The nearest protected area on our map, West Hawai'i Regional Fishery Management Area, is about 3.7 km away.

    Google Maps
    Pawai BayKailua-Kona
    borderline
    258 m from the boundary of Old Kona Airport Marine Life Conservation District (no-take zone)
    swell on the quarter today
    window
    —
    Seabed depth of the selected area
    ≈2.9–55 m (bathymetry NOAA CUDEM/CoNED, 3 m)

    A swell-protected reef near town, 5–20 m: reef fish and uku. WARNING: the Old Kona Airport conservation district starts just to the south and is not yet drawn on our layer — confirm the line with DAR.

    Google Maps
    Pine Trees / Kohanaiki reefKailua-Kona
    borderline
    swell on the quarter today
    window
    —
    Seabed depth of the selected area
    ≈2.3–31 m (bathymetry NOAA CUDEM/CoNED, 3 m)

    A fringing reef north of town with an offshore drop, 3–15 m: uku and goatfish on the edge. WARNING: in the West Hawai'i regulated area spearfishing on SCUBA is banned — freedive only, and you may not even carry tank and spear together.

    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.

    ta'ape (bluestripe snapper)
    Lutjanus kasmira · 3–40 m · invasive — target
    Invasive, confirmed by DLNR AIS: first found in Hawai'i in 1955, deliberately stocked from French Polynesia, now established through the main islands on reefs, shallow lagoons and outer reef slopes. No season, size or bag limit. 'Removal encouraged' is community practice, not a published DAR position.
  • kole (goldring surgeonfish)
    Ctenochaetus strigosus · 2–25 m · legal
    One of the most-speared reef fish in Hawai'i. Year-round statewide. Min 5″ (13 cm) — a NEW rule: §13-95-25 was created by the 22 Feb 2024 amendment, so any older 'kole is unregulated' note is stale. No statewide bag. Miloli'i CBSFA: closed Mar–Jun, 20/person/day Jul–Feb.
  • moi (Pacific threadfin)
    Polydactylus sexfilis · 0–10 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
    The only clean three-month statewide closure in the façade: Jun 1–Aug 31 it is unlawful to take, possess or sell any moi (HAR 13-95-23(c)). September through May: min 11″ (28 cm), 15 per person per day. A classic shorebreak and sand-channel target.
  • uku (grey / green jobfish)
    Aprion virescens · 10–60 m · legal
    The blue-water target of Hawaiian spearfishing. Year-round. The size rule is written specifically for spearfishers: 'unlawful to take with spear or possess any speared uku less than one pound' (0.45 kg) — HAR 13-95-15(b). No state bag limit; the federal stock is managed by an annual catch limit, not a recreational bag.
  • kala (bluespine unicornfish)
    Naso unicornis · 2–25 m · legal
    A staple reef meat fish. Year-round. Min 14″ (36 cm), HAR 13-95-11(a); kala 'opelu (Naso hexacanthus) 16″ (41 cm), §13-95-12. Bag 4 kala per person per day; a commercial kala permit ($100) is needed to exceed it. Kahekili Herbivore FMA on Maui: all surgeonfish including kala are prohibited.
  • 'omilu (bluefin trevally)
    Caranx melampygus · 2–30 m · legal
    The everyday reef-edge trevally — and legally it IS an ulua: regulated inside the 'ulua and papio' group (HAR 13-95-22), which most divers do not know. Min 10″ (25 cm), bag 20/day SHARED with all other ulua/papio, not a separate allowance.
  • manini (convict tang)
    Acanthurus triostegus sandvicensis · 0–15 m · legal
    Shallow-reef bread-and-butter for shore divers on every island. Year-round, min 6″ (15 cm), HAR 13-95-5. No statewide bag limit. Prohibited inside the Kahekili Herbivore FMA (north Ka'anapali, Maui).
  • mu (bigeye emperor)
    Monotaxis grandoculis · 3–40 m · legal
    A top Hawaiian spear target with NO state size or bag limit. The evidence is negative: mu appears nowhere on the DAR 'Marine Fishes and Other Vertebrates' regulated-species page (read in full 2026-09-03) nor in HAR 13-95. Hence conf 'partial' — this is an absence of rule, not a written allowance. Check local and county rules separately.
  • 'u'u / menpachi (soldierfish)
    Myripristis spp. · 3–30 m · legal
    The archetypal Hawaiian night-dive fish. Unregulated statewide — absent from the DAR regulated list, hence conf 'partial'. But genuinely regulated inside Miloli'i CBSFA: closed April–June, and no spearing 'u'u inside the Puakai'a Miloli'i sub-zone.
  • he'e (day octopus / tako)
    Octopus cyanea · 0–20 m · legal
    Do not confuse it with the crustacean ban: he'e is a mollusc, so the statewide ban on spearing crustaceans does NOT reach it — three-prong tako hunting is legal. Year-round, min 1 lb (0.45 kg), HAR 13-95-55. No state bag limit.
  • 'ama'ama (striped mullet)
    Mugil cephalus · 0–8 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
    The façade's second statewide closed season: December through March take is prohibited (HAR 13-95-8, HRS 188-44). April–November: min 11″ (28 cm). No statewide bag limit; in the Hilo Bay FMA it counts inside a combined 20/day cap. A shallow flats and harbour-mouth target.
  • 'o'io (bonefish)
    Albula glossodonta · 0–10 m · legal
    A sand-flat target adjacent to most of our HI city spots. Year-round, min 14″ (36 cm), HAR 13-95-10. No state bag limit.
  • Not a target — don't shoot
    • paku'iku'i (Achilles tang)🚫 no-take
      MORATORIUM. In the West Hawai'i Regional FMA take or possession is prohibited before 18 December 2026 (HAR 13-60.4-4(a)(7), am. 2 Jan 2025) — that directly covers Kailua-Kona and Captain Cook. In Miloli'i CBSFA prohibited before 1 July 2027, then 5/day at a 5″ minimum. ⏳ Both dates need a diary re-check or this card goes stale.
    • ula (spiny lobster) and ula papapa (slipper lobster)🚫 no-take
      NEVER by spear: 'unlawful to spear any crustacean (except introduced freshwater prawn), turtle or aquatic mammal at any time' (HAR 13-75 / HRS 188-23). Hand-take only, whole and unmutilated. Closed season May–August statewide; min carapace 3¼″ (8.3 cm), ula papapa 2¾″ (7.0 cm) tail width. No taking female ula. Maunalua Bay FMA bans lobster take outright; Miloli'i CBSFA caps ula at 2/day.
    • mano (sharks) and hihimanu (rays)🚫 no-take
      HANDS OFF: it is unlawful to intentionally or knowingly capture or entangle ANY shark or ray, alive or dead, or to kill any shark or ray in state marine waters (HRS 188-39.5 sharks, HRS 188-40.8 rays). Possessing, selling or distributing shark fins is also prohibited. For a spearo this matters more than the turtle line.
    • honu (sea turtles) and Hawaiian monk seal🚫 no-take
      There is no open season. Sea turtles: closed, state and federal endangered-species law both apply (HRS 195D-4). Monk seal: unlawful to molest, kill, capture or possess at any time. Spearing any turtle or aquatic mammal is separately unlawful under HAR 13-75. Keep your distance and never pursue.
    Law
    • ✓No licence for residents; non-residents need the Nonresident Recreational Marine Fishing License ().
    • ✓MLCDs — no-take. West Hawai'i — scuba-spear banned. Uhu (Maui): ≤2/day, no blue males. Roi/ta'ape invasive — removal encouraged.
    • •It is unlawful to spear any crustacean (lobster, all crabs), turtle or aquatic mammal at any time; spearfishing is allowed for all fishes. Taking any fish, crustacean, mollusc, turtle or marine mammal with firearms is prohibited, except tuna or billfish already gaffed.
    • •A dive flag is mandatory: spearfishers and divers must mark their position and may not surface more than 100 ft (30 m) from it in ocean waters (50 ft in navigable streams) except in an emergency. Minimum 12×12 in, or 20×24 in with a blue-and-white alpha flag if vessel-mounted on a boat over 16 ft.
    • •Night spear-ban zones. Maunalua Bay , O'ahu (Kawaihoa Pt to the Diamond Head buoy — this covers Hawai'i Kai and east Honolulu, HAR 13-48.5): from half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise it is unlawful to use or possess a spear while diving, or to hold dive gear and a spear together.
    • •The Kahekili Herbivore off north Ka'anapali, Maui (HAR 13-60.7) sits directly on the lahaina city: it is unlawful to injure, kill, possess or remove ANY parrotfish (uhu), rudderfish (nenue) or surgeonfish, or any sea urchin — everything else is fair game.
    • •Miloli'i CBSFA (HAR 13-60.10) runs from the shoreline to the 100-fathom contour on the SW Hawai'i island coast, south of the captain-cook city, with the tightest spear rules in the state: no spearing uhu at night by any gear; no uhu 'ele'ele or uhu uliuli at all; uhu 'ahu'ula/palukaluka closed March–May; ula capped at 2/day.
    • •West Hawai'i RFMA: it is unlawful merely to POSSESS SCUBA gear and a spear at the same time, or SCUBA gear plus any speared fish, anywhere in the region (HAR 13-60.4-4(a)(6)). The same subsection bans taking or possessing paku'iku'i before 18 Dec 2026.
    • •Licence: residents need none and no registration; non-residents aged 15+ need the — $20 for 1 day, $40 for 7 days, $70 for 1 year plus an online processing fee, sold ONLY at fishing.hawaii.gov. Statutory basis HRS 188-72 (Act 48, 2021).
    • ⛔ 🚫 Marine Life Conservation Districts (Hanauma/Molokini/Pupukea etc.) — no-take: spear nothing. West Hawai'i — scuba-spear banned.
    • ⛔ 🚫 Sea turtles, monk seal and cetaceans — protected, don't disturb. Uhu: blue terminal males (Maui) may not be taken.
    • ⛔ 🚫 Sharks and rays: capturing, entangling or killing ANY shark or ray in is unlawful (HRS 188-39.5, 188-40.8) — for a spearo this matters more than the turtle line. Shark fins may not be possessed, sold or distributed.

    US spearfishing law is state-by-state. License, spearable species, powerhead rules and distances vary; federal sanctuaries (Gray's Reef, the Keys, Flower Garden Banks) ban spearfishing. Always confirm with the state agency and local ordinances.

    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.
    Local guide · Kailua-Kona

    Spearfishing in Kailua-Kona: spots, seasons and rules

    Updated 2026-07-09 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher

    Spearfishing Kailua-Kona is one of Hawaii's clearer reef-and-lava setups, but it is also one of the easiest places to make a boundary mistake. Pine Trees/Kohanaiki gives a fringing reef north of town with an outside drop-off. Keahole Point near NELHA is a steeper lava edge for uku, ono and passing pelagics. Pawai Bay is more protected, but the Old Kona Airport MLCD sits close enough that the boundary must be checked before entering. For Kailua-Kona water visibility, small west swell and light wind matter more than the calendar.

    TL;DR

    • Kailua-Kona spearfishing is leeward Big Island diving: Pine Trees, Keahole Point and Pawai Bay offer clear reef, lava edges and drop-off water.
    • The legal detail is central. West Hawaii Regional FMA allows ordinary fishing except listed restrictions, but SCUBA spearfishing is banned.
    • Kona can look calm while west swell is pushing surge into lava exits; NOAA station 51206 and the Kona cam are only the first screen.
    • Stay clear of MLCDs and the Old Kona Airport boundary near Pawai. If a line is uncertain, treat it as closed water.

    Best spearfishing spots in Kailua-Kona

    These sites are inside the West Hawaii Regional FMA setting, so freedive spear plans must stay distinct from SCUBA gear. Clear water can hide strong surge along lava exits, and a beautiful surface does not make a protected boundary disappear.

    SpotTypeDepthLevelAccessNotes
    Pine Trees / Kohanaiki reefFringing reef with drop-off accessReef flat to outside edgeIntermediateShore or boat depending on conditionsUku and goatfish are the core targets. Freedive spear is the method; SCUBA spear is not allowed in the West Hawaii FMA.
    Keahole Point drop-off (NELHA)Steep lava point and bluewater edgeDrop-off waterAdvanced freediveBoat or highly selective shore planUku, ono and pelagics can pass the edge. Watch west swell against lava and do not overstay deep dives.
    Pawai BayProtected reef near townShallow to moderate reefIntermediateShore or boat with boundary checkUseful when exposed lava entries are too rough. Verify the Old Kona Airport MLCD line just south before taking gear in.

    When is Kona water clearest?

    Kona is leeward, so it often has cleaner water than windward Hawaii, but west and southwest swell still push surge into the lava shelves. The bad approach sector is roughly 220 to 320 degrees, and a long-period pulse can make exits dangerous even when the wind is light. NOAA station 51206 is distant but useful for broad swell clues. Add a local camera, a shoreline look, and an exit check before committing to any Kailua-Kona freediving plan.

    What can you target in Kailua-Kona?

    Uku, ulua or papio, goatfish such as kumu and weke, and pelagics such as ono are the cleanest local targets. Roi and ta'ape are invasive and often treated as removal fish, though roi carries a ciguatera caution. Do not disturb turtles, monk seals, dolphins or whales. Sea turtles, monk seals and cetaceans are protected, so a fish that is easy to approach is not automatically legal to spear.

    What rules define West Hawaii?

    In the West Hawai'i FMA, freedive spear is OK but SCUBA spear is banned. Within it, engaging in SCUBA spearfishing, possessing SCUBA gear with a spear, or possessing SCUBA gear with speared aquatic life is prohibited. Nonresidents need the Hawaii Nonresident Recreational Marine Fishing License. MLCDs and reserves have separate restrictions, and some are no-take. Around Pawai, stay outside Old Kona Airport MLCD unless you have verified the exact line.

    FAQ

    Can you SCUBA spear in West Hawaii?

    No. West Hawaii Regional FMA rules prohibit SCUBA spearfishing and related possession combinations.

    Which NOAA station is listed for Kona?

    NOAA NDBC station 51206 is the listed offshore reference for Kailua-Kona.

    Is Pawai Bay protected?

    Pawai Bay is near the Old Kona Airport MLCD. Verify the boundary and fail closed if unsure.

    What fish are common targets?

    Uku, papio or ulua, goatfish, ono, roi and ta'ape are the practical local list.

    What swell direction is worst?

    West through northwest swell is the main surge problem for lava entries and drop-offs.

    Sources

    • Hawaii DLNR DAR, regulated fishing areas on Hawaii Island
    • Hawaii DLNR DAR, gear restrictions
    • NOAA NDBC, station 51206 Kailua-Kona

    Nearby towns

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    Águas VivasMilfontes · Sagres