Juan GriegoMargarita
borderlineexposed head-on to the swell today
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
NW bay, more sheltered from the trades; rock 0–10 m, good for beginners and sunset dives. Snapper and jack. Coords approximate.
Google MapsMargarita spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras
5.3
wave 0.8 m head-on
visibility3m
Today — right on the edge — wave, wind and noticeable surge.
Sources: IPMA · NDBC · Copernicus — high confidence · data 13:48
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.
- 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.
- Wind & gusts
- Speed and gusts, hour by hour — wind speed and an onshore push chop the surface and cut visibility.
- Tide phase
- Timing and range of the tide, calibrated per coast — big spring tides pull the verdict toward caution.
- Water temperature
- Sea-surface temperature — sharply cold water vetoes a green verdict.
- Currents & outflow
- Direction and drift of the current — it pushes you, and it drags turbid coastal water across where you dive.
- Rain runoff & air clarity
- Rain muddies the water inshore through land runoff, while fog and haze cut visibility at the surface.
- 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
Surface
Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.
spearo.app
calmupdated 13:48
Margarita — solo, off the rocks
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site · wave 0.8 m + hitting the shore
wave 0.8 m head-onwind 18, gusts 43 km/hnoticeable surgevisibility ~5 m
today, best window 18:00–21:00
fish · Visibility 5 m · Water 26.1°C
confidence high · verdict for the selected day
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.
Wednesday · today2026-07-22
06:01–18:41 · first quarter
▼ 04:00▲ 06:00▼ 08:00▲ 10:00▼ 11:00▼ 20:00▲ 21:00 · 0.3 m
Hours (06→20)
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide0.03 m
Wave0.78 m
Wind17 km/h
Water26 °C
fish activity: moonset 00:14 · moderate · moon underfoot 06:40 · high · moonrise 13:10 · moderate · moon overhead 19:00 · high
Conditions window12:00–15:00
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site fish
Hs 0.74 mperiod 4.7 s head-onwind 21→49surge 1.2viz 3 m
0.74 mup to ~1.48 · 55° head-on
4.7 sswell moderate
21→49gusts 49 km/h
1.2weak surge
0.17m/s
3 mrecent swell
26.2°C5 mm + hood
▼20:00tide rising
Atmosphere38 kmlandmarks visible
moderatemoonrise
- steep wind-wave — choppy surface, careful on entry
- strong wind 21 km/h, gusts 49 — caution
confidence highday
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.
See all spotsThe 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
PampatarMargarita
borderlineexposed head-on to the swell today
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
East coast near Pampatar town, rock and sand 0–12 m; urban access point, handy base. Snapper, jack, barracuda. Coords approximate (general island anchor).
Google MapsPlaya El AguaMargarita
borderlineexposed head-on to the swell today
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Open NE coast, sand/rock 0–15 m; very exposed to the trades — calm days only, but the best background viz. Coastal pelagics. Coords approximate.
Google MapsSOLO 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.
Surfacing
Cameras, map and reference — to hand as you come up.
Live cameras, map & reference
Open the seafloor map →What's in season,
Reference
What's in season,
what the law says.
In season now
- cubera snapper⚠️ Only outside national parks (Los Roques/Morrocoy/Mochima etc. — no-take). INSOPESCA minimum size not published (verified:false); pargo ~30 cm guide — not a rule.
- grouper⚠️ Only outside parks. Slow-growing — go easy. Min size not published (~35 cm guide, not a rule).
- great barracuda⚠️ Only outside parks. Large individuals — ciguatera risk. Min size not published (verified:false).
- jack / trevally⚠️ Only outside national parks (Los Roques/Morrocoy/Mochima etc. — no-take). INSOPESCA minimum size not published (verified:false); pargo ~30 cm guide — not a rule.
- Spanish mackerel⚠️ Only outside national parks (Los Roques/Morrocoy/Mochima etc. — no-take). INSOPESCA minimum size not published (verified:false); pargo ~30 cm guide — not a rule.
- lionfishCaribbean invasive. Culling encouraged. Venomous spines — careful; edible.
Law
- •An INSOPESCA recreational underwater permit is required to carry a speargun; needs an FVAS card + RIF. The formal process exists but is loosely enforced in practice — confirm with INSOPESCA/a local club.
- ✓PN Morrocoy and other park zones = spearing restricted/prohibited.
- ⛔ 🚫 In national parks (Los Roques, Morrocoy, Mochima, San Esteban, La Restinga) spearfishing is BANNED (no-take). Criminal + administrative fines.
- ⛔ Always banned: endangered species, ornamental fish, corals, seahorses, botuto (Strombus/conch), starfish, turtles.
- ⛔ Military zones (Turiamo, La Orchila, Los Monjes, Isla de Aves) — access closed, keep away.
Rules change and are loosely enforced. Before heading out, check with INSOPESCA (underwater permit, FVAS card + RIF); PN Morrocoy and other park zones are restricted.
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.
Spearfishing in Margarita: spots, seasons and rules
Isla Margarita has the ingredients Venezuela is known for: warm water, apnea culture, clubs and fishy open coast. Pampatar gives urban rock and sand in 0-12 m; Playa El Agua is exposed to the ENE trades and needs calm days; Juan Griego is more sheltered on the northwest side. Targets include snapper, grouper, jack, barracuda, Spanish mackerel and lionfish. The legal frame is practice-based: INSOPESCA permit, FVAS card and RIF are referenced, but local clubs are the honest way to confirm paperwork.
TL;DR
- Margarita is Venezuela's practical spearfishing hub, with warm water and an active scene.
- Pampatar, Playa El Agua and Juan Griego are open-coast references outside the island parks.
- La Restinga and Cerro El Copey are national-park contexts; fail closed there.
Margarita shore spots
Stay on open coast and out of national parks. La Restinga is not a spearfishing area.
| Spot | Type | Depth | Level | Access | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pampatar | Urban east coast | Rock and sand 0-12 m | Intermediate | Easy town base | Snapper, jack and barracuda with local boat traffic nearby. |
| Playa El Agua | Open northeast coast | Sand and rock 0-15 m | Upper intermediate | Beach entry on calm days | Potentially clear, but exposed to trade wind. |
| Juan Griego | Northwest bay | Rock 0-10 m | More forgiving | Town access | More sheltered for short snapper and jack sessions. |
What matters most in Margarita?
Wind exposure and park boundaries. Water is warm, often 25-28 °C, and visibility can reach 8-20 m on the right leeward day. Do not spear in La Restinga or any national park. Corals, seahorses, conch, turtles, sea stars and threatened species are off limits; lionfish is the invasive exception to target carefully.
FAQ
Is spearfishing legal in Margarita?
On open coast outside parks, with INSOPESCA/FVAS paperwork confirmed locally.
Can you spear in La Restinga?
No. Treat it as no-take national-park water.
Which side is more sheltered?
Juan Griego is usually more protected than Playa El Agua.
What fish are typical?
Snapper, grouper, jack, barracuda, Spanish mackerel and lionfish.
Should visitors contact a club?
Yes. The formal process exists, but practice is best checked through active local clubs.
Sources
Nearby towns
Coming soon
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