Escollera SarandíCiudad Vieja — Escollera Sarandí
borderlineexposed head-on to the swell today
- window
- —
~950 m mole; sargo and mullet only on clear water (north wind). Turbid estuary, low-viz. Coords approx.
Google MapsMontevideo spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility & live cameras
5.1
wave 0.9 m head-on
visibility1m
Today — right on the edge — wave, wind and noticeable surge.
Sources: Open-Meteo · Copernicus — high confidence · data 00:29
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.
- 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 — 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
Surface
Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.
spearo.app
updated 00:29
Ciudad Vieja — Escollera Sarandí — solo, off the rocks
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site · wave 0.9 m + hitting the shore
wave 0.9 m head-onwind 17, gusts 36 km/hnoticeable surgevisibility ~1 m
today, best window 18:00–21:00
fish · Visibility 1 m · Water 16.7°C
confidence medium · 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.
Sunday · today2026-10-25
05:50–19:08 · full moon
▼ 01:00▲ 02:00▼ 06:00▼ 08:00▲ 11:00▲ 14:00▼ 17:00 · 0.5 m
Hours (06→20)
06
09
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide0.29 m
Wave0.72 m
Wind10 km/h
Water17 °C
fish activity: moon overhead 00:00 · high · moonset 05:06 · moderate · moon underfoot 12:00 · high · moonrise 18:53 · moderate
Conditions window06:00–09:00
don't go fish
Hs 1.12 m · roughperiod 6.6 s head-onwind 19→36surge 1.2viz 1 m
1.12 mrough · up to ~2.24 · 146° head-on
6.6 sswell moderate
19→36gusts 36 km/h
1.2weak surge
0.17m/s
1 mrecent swell
16.7°C5 mm + hood
▼08:00tide turn near
Atmosphere6 kmovercast
lowoff the lunar peaks
- wave 1.1 m (occasionally up to ~2.2 m)
- steep wind-wave — choppy surface, careful on entry
- dawn/dusk
confidence lowtwilight
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 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
Admiral Graf Spee (pecio, memorial)Punta Carretas & the Graf Spee roadstead
dangerousexposed head-on to the swell today
- window
- —
Cruiser scuttled 1939; in Plata mud, viz~0, largely salvaged 2004–06. Historic landmark —do NOT spear. Coords verified:false.
Google MapsPunta Carretas (roquerío del faro)Punta Carretas & the Graf Spee roadstead
dangerousexposed head-on to the swell today
- window
- —
Urban reef by the lighthouse; estuarine low-viz, window on north wind. Coords approx.
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
- sea bream (sargo)
- black drumBlack corvina: mind the reproductive closure (winter). Big fish = better breeders, release them.
- flounder
- brotula
Law
- ✓DINARA sport-fishing permit; sport fishing is open except for zones/species/gear that need a permit. Res. 388/2015 froze new 'from-shore' permits. Sale prohibited.
- ✓Precautionary closed season for black corvina (DINARA) and winter brótola; respect minimum sizes.
- ⛔ 🚫 Isla de Lobos (NP, Dto 233/024) and Cerro Verde e Islas de la Coronilla (SNAP) — no-take: no hunting. Cabo Polonio — advisory ring, avoid hunting.
- ⛔ Sea lions, turtles and cetaceans — protected; do not disturb.
Rules change. Before heading out, get the DINARA sport-fishing permit and respect the black-corvina closure and minimum sizes.
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 Montevideo: spots, seasons and rules
Spearfishing in Montevideo is possible but highly conditional. The water is brackish, turbid and often under 1-2 m visibility. Only rare north-wind, settled-water windows make Escollera Sarandí or Punta Carretas worth checking. The Admiral Graf Spee should not be framed as a hunting mark: it is a historic wreck in mud and near-zero visibility. Use Montevideo as an opportunistic local session, not as Uruguay's main clear-water plan.
TL;DR
- Montevideo is a low-visibility Río de la Plata shore, not a clear-water destination.
- Escollera Sarandí and Punta Carretas only work in rare north-wind windows.
- The Graf Spee is a historic wreck reference, not a spearfishing spot.
Montevideo urban checks
Think like a shore navigator: visibility, port movement, line fishers and exit rocks matter more than the map pin.
| Spot | Type | Depth | Level | Access | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Escollera Sarandí | Urban breakwater | Shallow blocks | Intermediate because of low visibility | Port-side shore access | Possible sargo and mullet in clear water. Skip it if you cannot identify fish cleanly. |
| Punta Carretas | Lighthouse rocks | Low estuary rock | Intermediate | Rambla rocks | Short north-wind window; watch shore anglers and surge. |
| Admiral Graf Spee | Historic wreck | Mud, near-zero visibility | Not a hunting spot | Offshore landmark | A memorial reference, not a spearfishing plan. |
When can Montevideo work?
Only with north wind, low chop and settled estuary water. Even then, cancel if you cannot identify fish, bottom and exit. DINARA sport-fishing rules are the legal baseline, and Prefectura or port limits can matter locally. Sargo and mullet are more realistic than chasing black corvina in blind water.
FAQ
Is Montevideo clear enough for beginners?
Usually no. Low visibility makes identification and exit control harder.
Where should you check first?
Escollera Sarandí or Punta Carretas in a rare clear north-wind window.
Can you spear the Graf Spee wreck?
Do not treat it as a spearfishing spot. It is historic and muddy.
Do DINARA rules apply?
Yes. Use the sport-fishing permit framework and check current closures.
What fish are realistic?
Sargo and mullet on urban rocks when visibility allows clean identification.
Sources
Nearby towns
Coming soon
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