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Offshore lighthouse island, two faces, 8–42 m, by boat; one of Rio's best sites, outside MoNa das Cagarras. Visibility 2–20 m.
Google MapsToday — right on the edge — wave, wind and surge pounding.
Sources & confidence
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.
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.
Safety gates
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
Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.
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.
Leave your email — and the moment a window opens at Niterói, we'll send the go / no-go verdict. Email is all we need.
Every covered town has its own live forecast, cameras and entry points. Choose where you're diving.
What's missing? Tell us what you'd like to see — new spots, species, data or features. We read everything.
Visibility and what drives it — post-storm clearing, river plume, temperature and the thermocline.
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: 1391 spots across 205 stretches of coast — mainland Portugal, Madeira and the Azores.
See all spotsRelief and bottom type, tides, and the depths of each spot.
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.
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 mapOffshore lighthouse island, two faces, 8–42 m, by boat; one of Rio's best sites, outside MoNa das Cagarras. Visibility 2–20 m.
Google MapsThe full spot briefing is part of the subscription: entry, bottom, hazards, tide window.
Open in the appRocky islet off Itaipu, by boat; inside RESEX Marinha de Itaipu — fishing for registered beneficiaries only. Coords approx.
Google MapsThe full spot briefing is part of the subscription: entry, bottom, hazards, tide window.
Open in the appGroup of offshore rocky islets, 5–18 m, by boat; calm sea only, current in the channel. Coords approx.
Google MapsThe full spot briefing is part of the subscription: entry, bottom, hazards, tide window.
Open in the appThe full spot briefing is part of the subscription: entry, bottom, hazards, tide window.
Open in the appThe full spot briefing is part of the subscription: entry, bottom, hazards, tide window.
Open in the appRocky points of the cove, 0–12 m, shore; inside RESEX Marinha de Itaipu — fishing only for registered artisanal fishers. 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.
Cameras, map and reference — to hand as you come up.
Spearfishing in Niterói belongs on the ocean side. Itaipu, Itacoatiara and Piratininga give seaward headlands, while the Tijucas Islands are an offshore boat option in settled weather. Guanabara Bay is not the plan because of pollution and poor hunting logic. The local band is 18 to 25 °C water and 6 to 15 m visibility. MERO TOTAL MORATORIUM still applies: goliath grouper is banned. Use the gov.br recreational licence, waived only for under-18s with an adult and for men 65+/women 60+, and keep spearfishing apnea-only.
Split the city clearly: bay side out, ocean side only when the sea is small. If south swell is pushing foam over the rocks, call it off.
| Spot | Type | Depth | Level | Access | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Praia de Itaipu headland | Ocean shore headland | Shallow to moderate, no tighter local number | Intermediate | Shore entry with exit checked first | A practical shore reference, but stay away from swimmers and do not force a rough rock exit. |
| Tijucas Islands offshore | Outer islands and reef | Moderate, no specific local band | Intermediate to advanced | Boat and surface support | Clearer water is possible offshore, but boat cover, float, current and return logistics have to be easy. |
South swell is the classic stop signal because it dirties water and makes rock exits hard. In smaller windows, the ocean beaches can reach the stated 6 to 15 m visibility range. There is no local camera in the notes, so direct observation matters. Nationally, the gov.br licence is required, scuba spearing is banned, and goliath grouper remains under total moratorium. If an environmental boundary is uncertain, treat it as closed.
Rules change and vary by state. Before heading out, check on gov.br (recreational licence, MPA) and the state closed seasons/sizes; apnea only, goliath grouper is banned.
Yes. Use the gov.br recreational fishing licence service. Exemptions cover accompanied under-18s and men 65+/women 60+.
No. The local guidance keeps hunting on ocean beaches and offshore islands, not the polluted bay side.
The stated range is 6 to 15 m on ocean-facing water.
No. Treat them as offshore boat dives with surface support.
No. Goliath grouper, or mero, is under total moratorium.