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.
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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0 m
Surface
Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.
spearo.app
no dataupdated 03:35
Exposed coast — Torre Vigía (west) — solo, off the rocks
BEST WINDOW
best weather window · solo, stay careful, run the checklist · calm conditions: swell, wind and visibility all normal
What's missing? Tell us what you'd like to see — new spots, species, data or features. We read everything.
Your best window — with you. Forecast in your pocket.
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−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.
In summer the whole beach is a bathing zone, and the Málaga ordinance bans hunting inside it from 10:00 to 21:00 between 1 June and 30 September. In practice that means June to September is a write-off. What is left is early first light and the cold months, water at 15–16 degrees and an empty shore.
tide
The tide is simply not counted here — the micro-tide of Málaga bay moves nothing. The only things worth watching are which way the surf runs along that narrow strip and the muddy plume coming out of the city after a downpour. There is no steady current: what you feel is wind drift along the promenade.
shelter
The most sheltered piece of the whole city shoreline: the Málaga port moles block it from the west and the water is officially listed as calm. Levante (E) arrives already broken and Poniente (W) is cut off almost entirely by the port. The price is a corner of the bay where nothing really flushes through.
conditions
Straight up: this is marginal ground for hunting. The beach is 550 m long and barely five wide, the bottom is sand, and the rock ledge is a narrow strip off the middle of the beach. Viz is nearly always poor: the Guadalmedina mouth and the port are right next door. It is only worth coming in winter, to loosen up and drill your dives.
hazard
The ordinance also shuts the night of the Pregón de la Feria, in August, when the whole city is out on the promenade. Loading the gun out of the water is forbidden, and here the bar, the promenade and the swimmers are right on top of you: load only once you are in. Urchins on the ledge, broken glass at the waterline. The buoy is compulsory, stay within 25 m of it.
access
East end of the Paseo Marítimo Antonio Machado; a city bus gets you there, and street parking is a lottery at any time of year. Two steps from the pavement to the water, entry over dark sand. The rock ledge sits off the middle of the beach, about forty metres out, with two to three metres of depth on the way.
Urban rocky ground; easy entry, lightly exposed, marginal for spearfishing.
Cala del Moral / Rincón de la VictoriaCoast — Málaga
borderline
swell on the quarter today (city-level)
window
The Málaga ordinance counts a bathing zone as 200 m along a beach and 50 m along the rest of the shore when there are no buoys; here the markers go in from June. In the bathing season, 1 June to 30 September, that strip is closed from 10:00 to 21:00 — work before ten. July gives 22.3 degrees, January 15.2.
tide
Nobody watches the tide here: half a metre of level on a sand beach goes unnoticed. What really makes or breaks the day is the swell. The shallow sandy bottom lifts sediment with waves under a metre, and it takes a day or two to settle. There is simply no headland current to work with here.
shelter
The same south-facing front as La Araña, but with less relief: nearly all sand, with rock showing only in patches. There is nowhere to hide — under Levante (E) the wave runs the whole beach without a single lee. Only the northerly Terral helps, and even then it does not always flatten the water.
conditions
This one is for a calm day: Terral or flat, and you get 4–6 m over the rock outcrops. With Levante between 110 and 160 degrees there is no point coming — there is more sand here than at the neighbouring spots and the murk lasts longer. Watch the rain too: the arroyo Totalán, between La Araña and Cala del Moral, pushes a muddy tongue straight into the water.
hazard
The ordinance adds one more closed day: the Virgen del Carmen procession in July, a full ban. The municipal boundary also runs right along here, so check which shore you are actually standing on. This is a very busy beach: lifeguards, kids, boats. Scuba is banned everywhere in Spain; keep your buoy in plain sight.
access
Come off the A-7 at Rincón de la Victoria and park on the promenade itself: free, but in summer there is nothing left after nine in the morning. Thirty seconds from car to water, entry over sand, very gentle. It is a hundred to a hundred and fifty metres out to the first stones, and you will barely find more than five or six metres of depth.
Low rocky ground at Rincón; mixed bottom, moderately exposed to the S; heavily built-up coast.
Escollera del puerto (dique de Levante)Coast — Málaga
borderline
swell on the quarter today (city-level)
window
The Málaga ordinance only caps hours inside bathing zones; outside them, under art. 12.4, there is no time limit at all. But the constraint here is a different and harder one: port water works on the port authority's permission, not on the clock. On top of that sits the national rule — daylight only, sunrise to sunset.
tide
Inside the basin you can read the level off the wet band on the blocks — about half a metre between high and low water. That produces no tidal flow: the water in here is moved by propellers and wind. The murky layer on the bottom is permanent, and when a ferry goes by it lifts several metres up the column.
shelter
This is not a shoreline, it is a mole inside the port of Málaga: the mole is the breakwater. Behind the blocks of the dique de Levante there is essentially never a wave, even when Levante is kicking up a metre of short chop outside. The outer, eastern face is exposed; the inner one is standing harbour water.
conditions
There is real structure here: concrete blocks and stone over sand, octopus and sea bream tucked into the gaps. But the water is port water — dredging, run-off, propellers — and viz rarely beats two or three metres. And the key point: this is port water, and fishing here needs permission from the port authority. Without it, stay out.
hazard
Legally: without permission from the port authority you should not be here. Physically: cruise ships, the Melilla ferries, tugs and service launches, with the navigation channel running right behind the mole. Add nets and snagged line on the blocks. A loaded gun out of the water is forbidden; the buoy is compulsory but will not save you in a channel.
access
The dique de Levante is part of the port estate and there is no free access to the water: you go in through controlled gates, and without clearance from the port you do not pass. The realistic option is arriving by boat, and that also needs permission. If you only want rock to train on, head east to the open shore at La Araña.
Boulders with octopus; semi-sheltered, good for beginners; mostly sandy coast.
In summer the Málaga ordinance runs the day: from 1 June to 30 September, inside bathing zones spearfishing is banned from 10:00 to 21:00. So you go at first light — in August the sun is up around 07:29 and you get two and a half clean hours. Water is about 24 degrees in August, 14.8 in February.
tide
In Málaga the level moves between 0.10 and 0.74 m and that does nothing to your hunting — nobody counts the tide here. What matters is the bottom: sand right under the peñón, so after any swell the murk hangs for a full day. No notable coastal current is described on this stretch; the drift you feel is wind.
shelter
The shore here faces due south and there is no shelter in the usual sense — only the Peñón del Cuervo itself, the rock that splits the beach in two. Levante (E) comes in head-on and you hide on the west face of the rock; with Poniente (W) you move to the east face. Terral, the dry northerly off the hills, blows offshore and flattens the sea.
conditions
Come on a Terral or a light northerly: no wave, and 5–8 m of viz over the rocks. Levante in the 110–160 degree sector kills the place — the dark sand lifts and you are left with 1–2 m. A strong Poniente brings less wave but switches on the upwelling: the water drops 4–8 degrees in a day and turns green.
hazard
The same ordinance shuts the whole place for San Juan: from 10:00 on 23 June to 21:00 on the 24th nothing is shot anywhere. Then the physical side: a cement works and an industrial estate right next door, Pelagia jellyfish pushed in by Levante in July and August, urchins on the stones. Scuba is banned, the buoy is compulsory, stay within 25 m of it.
access
Exit 252 off the A-7 or the Paseo de los Canadienses; free parking for about 80 cars, asphalt and dirt, full by 10:30 on summer weekends. EMT buses 11 and 35, three minutes on foot from the stop. You enter off dark sand, some fifty metres to the peñón, and the working stones sit right at its foot.
Rocky ground east of Málaga; boulders over sand, sea bream and gilthead, exposed to the easterly (E-SE).
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.
One morning glance — and you know.
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≈
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».
Sin prohibición estatal de captura (NO está en el Catálogo Español, RD 139/2011).
common octopus
Octopus vulgaris · Mediterranean · 1 kg
Talla por PESO: mín. 1 kg (RD 560/1995, todos los anexos). No coger hembras con huevos.
Law
✓Spearfishing licence mandatory; the AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITY issues it (not the State) and it is valid in the exterior waters of the whole coast. Free-diving only — scuba is banned (, art. 3).
✓Spearfishing catch may not be sold or traded — it is non-commercial fishing ().
✓Night prohibited: spearfishing only in daylight (sunset to sunrise not allowed) — , art. 16.d.
✓Marker buoy MANDATORY: mark your position with a clearly visible buoy and stay within 25 m of it — , art. 15.
✓Never keep the speargun loaded out of the water — , art. 16.a.
✓Keep at least 300 m from professional fishing vessels that are working — , art. 12.b.
✓The state act (, art. 16) bans, for spearfishing: a loaded gun out of the water; explosive/electric points and lamps (hand torches excepted); underwater scooters; night — from sunset to sunrise. Plus art. 12 b), d), e): 300 m from professional fishing vessels, light as an attractant, poisons/explosives. A ban in a PARTICULAR reserve, port or beach comes from that place's OWN instrument (the reserve's order, the autonomous community's rules, the port authority) — see the no-take zones on the map and your community's rules.
✓Min. sizes by ( + + EU 2019/1241): sea bass 42 cm (rec.) / 36 cm / 25 cm Mediterranean / 22 cm Canaries; gilthead bream 20 cm and white seabream 23 cm in the Mediterranean (EU 2019/1241); grouper 45 cm. See your zone's species card.
✓Only species in Annex I of may be taken; keeping, landing or transporting undersized specimens is prohibited.
✓The licence needs a medical fitness certificate for free-diving and civil-liability insurance (or a federative licence, which includes it). Mandatory in the Basque Country/Murcia/Asturias/Galicia; the federative licence covers it in Galicia/Balearics/Cantabria; the Canaries and Andalusia do NOT require it for the individual licence (a responsible health declaration). Minimum age generally 16 (14 in Andalusia).
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 Málaga
Where can I spearfish in Málaga?
Málaga has rock entry points such as La Araña / Peñón del Cuervo, Cala del Moral / Rincón de la Victoria and Baños del Carmen. Málaga's shore is mostly sand and heavily built. Below you'll find each spot (access, shelter and hazards) and today's forecast.
When is the best season in Málaga?
Long season in the Alborán Sea. Currents off the Strait can pull, and the tide — though weakened — is still felt; the Atlantic inflow keeps it cooler and sometimes greener than the rest of the Med.
How cold is the water in Málaga?
~15–23 °C: the Alborán Sea is cooler and sometimes greener than the rest of the Med, from the Atlantic mixing. A 3 mm suit in summer, 5 mm in the shoulder months.
Is Málaga good for a beginner?
Intermediate: currents off the Strait can pull and visibility swings with the Atlantic mixing. Pick a day of weak current and small sea; keep the buoy in sight.
Do I need a licence in Málaga?
Yes — in Málaga you need a recreational sea-fishing licence (issued by the autonomous community); breath-hold only (no scuba), with a marker buoy and no night diving. See the guide.
✓There is no fixed national catch cap (, art. 5 delegates it to the communities); the standard is 5 kg/person/day, with 1 specimen allowed not to count (Canaries — Decreto 182/2004, art. 38.3; Murcia; Galicia; Basque Country). Protected species have per-piece quotas.
✓Only a harpoon is allowed — hand-held or mechanically propelled, with one or several points (, art. 14.1). Carrying spearfishing gear and underwater breathing equipment aboard AT THE SAME TIME is prohibited (art. 14.2) — an offence in itself, even if you dived on a breath hold.
✓Spain is not one jurisdiction. The licence is issued by a coastal autonomous community, and you must comply with the rules of the administration on whose littoral you are in the water: «debiendo cumplir la normativa establecida por la administración en cuyo litoral se realice la actividad» (, art. 13). Interior waters — inside the straight baselines: bays, coves, rías, the whole coastal strip — are the community's competence; exterior waters are the State's. So the age, the days of the week, the distances and the are found in your community's act, not in the state one.
•Andalusia: spearfishing licence; requires a medical certificate (NO civil-liability insurance — a responsible health declaration replaces it, ); applied for at the Junta de Andalucía. Confirm the exact procedure page at juntadeandalucia.es.
✓Andalusia: minimum licence age (incl. spearfishing/class 4) — 14; under-14s only surface modalities accompanied by an adult (Decreto 205/2023, art. 4.2/4.3). No civil-liability insurance: a responsible health declaration (, Annex IV).
✓Bans: RMIP Cabo de Gata-Níjar and Alborán island — spearfishing banned (see zones).
✓Andalusia: licence from age 14 (Decreto 205/2023, art. 4.2), minors accompanied (art. 5.3). The cap is 5 kg live weight or 4 kg gutted per licence per day (art. 9.1). Selling the catch (art. 12.a), powder or gas guns (art. 12.l), autonomous equipment and underwater scooters (art. 12.m) are prohibited. Buoy red or orange with the «Alfa» flag (art. 20.2); keep 250 m from people on the beach, bathing places, busy areas, port areas and navigation channels, and the same from set gear and professional vessels (art. 20.3). Allowed every day of the year, but only from sunrise to sunset (art. 22).
⛔ Seahorses (Hippocampus) — protected (RPE).
Rules change and are REGIONAL. Before heading out, check with the competent autonomous community (licence) and the min-size table in force.
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