Sources:IPMA · NDBC · Copernicus — high confidence · data 01:46
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.
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 — 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
This verdict — in your pocket. Open the app for the week's window.
Android: the public release is in Google Play review — leave your email and we'll send beta access today.
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: 1152 spots across 189 stretches of coast — mainland Portugal, Madeira and the Azores.
Praia do ParaísoParaíso cove, east of Carvoeiro beach
borderline
swell on the quarter today
window
Early morning when the beach is quieter and there are fewer boats; shoulder season preferred.
tide
Mid-to-low tide exposes more rock at the edges and eases the sand-to-reef entry.
shelter
Small secluded cove with rocky surrounds; the walls shelter from cross-winds, the front is open to the south.
hazard
Rocks at both edges and submerged — shorebreak on exit when swell is up. No lifeguard, tight cove: as swell builds the exit gets harder. Shuttle boats pass close by.
access
A long staircase cut into the cliff leads down to the sand; from there enter the water toward the rocky edges.
Quieter and less crowded than Carvoeiro's main beach; also west of Alfanzina lighthouse, outside the park — works as a quiet fallback dive cove, entering after scouting from land.
Early morning before the tour boats and before the thermal breeze fills in; best in late spring and autumn flat windows.
tide
Platform entry is safer at mid-to-low tide when the rock ledges are exposed; at high water wash sweeps the entry point.
shelter
Jagged karst platform of pools, tunnels and overhangs; the recesses give local shelter from the west, but the front faces S-SW swell head-on.
hazard
Dominant danger is the exit: as swell builds, surge and suck-back into the tunnels create a real entrapment risk against the limestone. Add heavy Benagil tour-boat traffic right along the cliff.
access
Free car park at the end of Estrada do Algar Seco, then a stairway and rock-cut tunnel down to the platform at the water; reef shoes essential.
Scout from land first on a calm day: it is a tourist viewpoint, not an established hunting entry — only enter flat and with a buddy.
Praia de Vale CenteanesVale Centeanes cove, west rocks
closed
swell on the quarter today
window
Off-season / early morning only: in summer it is a Blue Flag, lifeguarded, busy beach. Best on weekdays in May-June and September-October.
tide
Any tide works for the sand entry; at low water the west rocks expose and the reef is closer to hand.
shelter
Deep cove between high cliffs — well sheltered from wind, especially N/NW; sea usually calm. Rocky reef runs along the western (left) edge.
hazard
The bottom drops off sharply by the west rocks, where submerged boulders break in swell. In summer, swimmers and the 50 m-from-beach rule apply.
access
A long cliff-cut staircase drops to the sand; enter from the beach and swim to the left (west) reef.
Hunting is legal here (west of Alfanzina lighthouse, outside the marine park), but it is a busy lifeguarded beach — realistic only for an off-season reef dive/scout, not active hunting in summer.
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.
Android: the public release is in Google Play review — leave your email and we'll send beta access today.
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».
Praia Nova (Porches, ~6 km E de Carvoeiro) (Windy)Live Windy webcam — Praia Nova (Porches, ~6 km E of Carvoeiro). Official keyless player, plays inline. Read the water and swell before you go.camera: windy ↗
✓Hand-gathering shellfish with NO gear — no licence; but if a speargun is on the dive, a spearfishing licence is required.
✓Night prohibited: spearfishing only in daylight (sunset→sunrise not allowed). Artificial light as a means of finding/attracting fish is banned — a torch for safety only.
✓Signalling buoy MANDATORY for spearfishing: buoy/float with an «Alfa» flag (red/orange/yellow, ≥8 L), no more than 30 m from the diver.
✓Spearfishing daily limit: fish + cephalopods — 15 kg (excluding the largest specimen). General rod-and-line recreational fishing — 10 kg.
Rules change. Before heading out, check with DGRM / ICNF / Capitania and the defeso table.
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. At Cabo Raso/Arriba a 0.5 m rise in swell makes a boulder exit impossible — getting pinned/unable to climb out is the main killer here.
Headland rip: at Cabo Raso there is 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.
Nortada (Jun–Sep): wind builds from midday — be out of the water by ~11:00; 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 · Lagoa / Carvoeiro
Spearfishing in Lagoa / Carvoeiro: spots, seasons and rules
Updated 2026-07-09 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher
Spearfishing around Lagoa and Carvoeiro is about calm coves, limestone edges and timing around tourist traffic. The coast faces south and is sheltered from the usual NW swell, so it often looks friendly. The risk comes from S or SW swell entering the coves, boats and kayaks around the caves, and crowded bathing beaches. For shore spearing, Vale Centeanes and Praia do Paraíso are the realistic entries; Algar Seco is a land-scout first.
TL;DR
Lagoa and Carvoeiro are sheltered south-coast limestone coves, usually calmer than west-facing Algarve shores.
Use Vale Centeanes and Praia do Paraíso as the practical shore entries; Algar Seco is scout-only.
South or SW swell is the bad direction, bringing turbidity, surge and difficult exits.
Best spearfishing spots in Lagoa / Carvoeiro
Algar Seco is excluded because it is marked scout. These two yellow entries still need flat water and off-season or early timing.
Spot
Type
Depth
Level
Access
Notes
Praia de Vale Centeanes
Cliff cove with west-side reef
Sand, rock and a drop by the west edge
Careful intermediate
Long cliff staircase to the beach, then swim to the left reef
Good outside peak beach hours. Watch submerged boulders, swimmers and south swell.
Praia do Paraíso
Small rocky cove
Shallow to mid rocky edges
Intermediate
Long stairway down to the sand, then work the rocky points
Quieter than central Carvoeiro. Needs flat water and offshore wind; south swell makes the exit worse.
When are Carvoeiro conditions worth it?
Pick early morning, light northerly or offshore wind, and very small swell. The south coast is protected from NW swell, but S and SW swell run straight into the coves and quickly turn the water murky. Vale Centeanes can handle small south swell near 1 m; Paraíso wants flatter water. Algar Seco has caves, surge and Benagil tour-boat traffic, so it is scout-only, not a normal spearfishing entry.
FAQ
Which Carvoeiro entry is most practical?
Vale Centeanes, because it has a beach entry and reef on the west side, but avoid swimmers and summer crowds.
Why not list Algar Seco?
It is marked scout, with cave and tunnel surge, difficult exits and heavy tour-boat traffic.
What swell direction is bad here?
South and southwest swell. It enters the coves directly and reduces visibility.
Is there a camera nearby?
Yes. There is a Windy camera at Praia Nova in Porches, about 6 km east of Carvoeiro.
Do I need a Portugal spearfishing license?
Yes, from age 16. Breath-hold only, daylight only, flagged buoy within 30 m and national minimum sizes apply.
Portugal
Spain
Italy
Greece
France
Turkey
Croatia
Cyprus
Malta
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Venezuela
Ecuador
Mexico
Bahamas
Dominican Republic
Puerto Rico
Peru
Uruguay
Argentina
Australia
New Zealand
South Africa
United States
Philippines