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
calmupdated 11:46
Olhão — solo, off the rocks
BORDERLINE
⛔ Banned here
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site · steep wind-wave — choppy surface, careful on entry
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: 1391 spots across 205 stretches of coast — mainland Portugal, Madeira and the Azores.
Barra da Armona — ocean sideBarra da Armona · Barra da Armona — lado oceânico
borderline
swell on the quarter today
window
Summer calm, June to September, and a strictly daytime window around slack — you plan this by the tide table, not by the hour of the day. Spearfishing is banned sunset to sunrise, and you still have the boat ride home.
tide
Slack water only — that is not advice, it is the condition of entry. The Armona bar is ebb-dominated: on a neap at the Faro-Olhão inlet the flood measured ~0.4 m/s against an ebb of ~0.8 m/s, and models give over 3 m/s on a spring ebb. You do not enter that jet: it carries you out to sea.
shelter
No shelter of any kind: the point is 1.2 km offshore of the mouth, over the open ebb delta, aspect S/SSW. The only help is the general lee of Cabo de São Vicente, which lets Atlantic swell arrive here weakened. Nothing shelters you from the levante or from the current.
conditions
Dead calm only, swell under ~0.5 m, and slack water. Bottom is ~3.7 m of ebb-delta sand that reshapes constantly, and the murk lifts from the current alone, with no swell at all. Realistically this is a two-or-three-dive scout, not a working spot.
hazard
This is the most demanding point in Olhão, and hazard number one is the tidal current over a mobile ebb delta: get into the ebb jet and you are taken out to sea, and you will not swim back. Then bar traffic: spearfishing is banned in the navigation channel, and that is exactly where the boats run. Experienced only, boat only, with someone aboard, never solo on a spring tide.
access
Boat only — the point is 1.2 km off the mouth and there is no shore entry. Run out from Olhão or Fuseta, sit offshore and clear of the navigation channel, and keep the boat alongside you. The lagoon behind the bar is closed to spearfishing — you work the ocean side only.
Mouth of the Armona bar (Ria Formosa bar register, DGRM). Point ~1.2 km offshore, clear of the navigation channel. Strong tidal streams — experienced only. ~3.7 m.
Ilha da Armona — ocean front (east stretch)Ilha da Armona · Ilha da Armona — frente oceânica (troço nascente)
borderline
swell on the quarter today
window
Early morning before the breeze; June to early October, water 20–24 °C. There is almost nobody here — but that also means nobody to help, and an early start means an empty beach behind you. Daylight only: spearfishing is banned from sunset to sunrise.
tide
Dive the slack or the flood. The point sits between two Ria Formosa inlets, and the inlets are ebb-dominated — on the ebb the longshore stream picks up and pulls toward the bar. Best visibility is exactly at slack water in a flat summer spell.
shelter
No shelter at all: a long empty sand front facing S/SSW, no headland, no jetty. Only the geography helps — the island lies in the lee of Cabo de São Vicente, so Atlantic swell arrives weakened. The easterly levante runs straight along the shore with nothing to stop it.
conditions
Works with swell up to ~0.7 m and light wind; ~3.2 m is noticeably more water than the beach points either side, so it clouds up more slowly. With levante, or any build in the swell, the sand lifts and visibility goes to nothing.
hazard
The main risk is isolation: an empty stretch of island, no lifeguard, nobody on the beach, and the settlement kilometres to the west. Then the longshore drift on the ebb and the complete lack of landmarks — over featureless sand it is easy to swim off without noticing. Flagged buoy mandatory; carry a phone and water.
access
Ferry from Olhão to Armona, then a long walk east along the island, away from the settlement. Enter off the sand and swim the ~400 m out. Plan the return ferry — there is no other way off the island.
Ocean side of Ilha da Armona (Olhão council), ~400 m out, outside the lagoon. ~3.2 m.
Praia da Armona-Mar — ocean frontIlha da Armona, ocean beach · Praia da Armona-Mar — frente oceânica
borderline
swell on the quarter today
window
Before the first ferry from Olhão — that is, at first light, with the beach empty and the sea breeze not yet up. Season June to early October, water 20–24 °C. In peak season there is nothing to do here after midday.
tide
Slack or flood. On the ebb the longshore current strengthens — every Ria Formosa bar is ebb-dominated and you feel it even kilometres from a mouth. A higher tide gives more water over the sand and a softer entry.
shelter
Open sand beach facing S/SSW, no shelter — no rock, no jetty. Swell arrives weakened because the coast sits in the lee of Cabo de São Vicente, but the easterly levante comes along the shore at full strength.
conditions
Window is swell under ~0.7 m and a calm morning; ~3.5 m of clean sand, no structure — you work robalo and sargo in the surf line. In summer afternoons this is a bathing beach, and the water clouds from more than the swell. A fallback, not the reason you came.
hazard
The main problem is people: this is the beach the Olhão ferry lands them on, it is lifeguarded with a marked swimming zone in summer, and spearing within 50 m of it is banned. Then the shorebreak over shallow sand and the longshore drift on the ebb. The lagoon behind the island is closed to spearfishing (Portaria 560/90) — do not cut through the channel.
access
Ferry from Olhão to Armona, then a few minutes on foot straight across the island to the ocean beach. Entry off the sand. The return is by ferry timetable — there is no other way off.
The ocean beach of Armona in front of the settlement. ~3.5 m.
Praia da Fuseta-Mar — ocean frontFuseta barrier island · Praia da Fuseta-Mar — frente oceânica
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best candidate for today
swell on the quarter today
window
Early morning before the sea breeze builds — in summer the calm is dawn only. Season June to early October, water 20–24 °C, the warmest on the Portuguese coast. Daylight only: spearfishing is banned from sunset to sunrise.
tide
Dive the slack or the flood. The Fuseta inlet is right beside the spot and, like every Ria Formosa bar, it is ebb-dominated: the ebb runs shorter and faster than the flood, and on a spring ebb the jet fires seaward and carries you with it.
shelter
No natural shelter: an open sand front on the barrier island, facing S/SSW. The coast lies in the lee of Cabo de São Vicente and takes far less Atlantic swell than the west coast, but nothing here blocks the easterly levante.
conditions
Window is swell under ~0.5 m with light wind at dawn. Only ~1.5 m of water: any push lifts the sand and visibility goes in minutes. The levante shuts it down completely — it blows straight along the shore, builds short steep chop and stirs the bottom.
hazard
First, the ebb jet out of the Fuseta bar: on a spring ebb stay away from the mouth — it will carry you offshore. Second, the surf itself: in ~1.5 m you are not under the wave, you are in it. Legally: the bar channel is banned water, so is the lagoon behind the island (Portaria 560/90), and keep 50 m off any marked swimming zone.
access
Passenger ferry from Fuseta across the channel, then walk over the island to the ocean side. Entry straight off the sand through the break; the point sits ~250 m out. Plan the return ferry — there is no road to the island.
Ocean side of the barrier island off Fuseta (an Olhão parish, ~9.5 km from town), ~250 m out, outside the Ria Formosa. ~1.5 m.
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.
In season now: Sea bass, White seabream, Gilthead bream, Salema, Octopus, Mullet
In season now
Robalo (sea bass)
<4 m · end of ebb → start of flood · dawn/dusk
Prime target. Shy of light — pick early/twilight windows.
Sargo (white seabream)
1–5 m · flood (rides the surf onto the reef) · dawn
Dominant reef target. Visibility matters more than time of day.
Dourada (gilthead bream)
1–4 m · flood over sand/weed · dawn
Very skittish — static ambush.
Salema
0–2 m · — · daytime
Easiest target at 0–6 m. ⚠️ Do NOT eat the head/guts (ichthyosarcotoxism).
Polvo (octopus)
1–6 m · high water · twilight
Peaks in autumn. Spot the den by the pile of shells. Don't take egg-bearing females. Min. weight 750 g (DGRM).
Tainha (mullet)
0–2 m · — · —
Extremely wary; murky water HINDERS it. Opportunistic, in calm coves.
Santola (spider crab)
1–10 m · low water (reef shelf exposed) · calm morning (≤force 2)
Carapace ≥12 cm. Peaks Jul–Aug. CLOSED 15.02–15.06. Limit 2 kg/day.
Law
🦀 spider crab open (season 16.06–14.02)
✓Spearfishing licence required, daily/monthly/annual (~€25/yr). Speargun = licence required. (DL 246/2000, art. 12.º + 12.º-A; fees in , .) There is no minimum age for the licence, but under-16s are exempt from holding one when fishing accompanied by a licence holder (art. 12.º n.º 2 al. b).
✓Hand-gathering shellfish with NO gear — no licence; but if a speargun is on the dive, a spearfishing licence is required (DL 246/2000, art. 12.º n.º 1; ).
✓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 (, art. 8.º/3 + 3.º/5; DL 246/2000, art. 14.º n.º 1 d).
✓Signalling buoy MANDATORY for spearfishing: buoy/float with an «Alfa» flag (red/orange/yellow, ≥8 L), no more than 30 m from the diver (, art. 4.º/2).
✓Spearfishing daily limit: fish + cephalopods — 15 kg (excluding the largest specimen). General rod-and-line recreational fishing — 10 kg (, art. 12.º/1).
✓Spider crab: min. carapace 12 cm; (closed season) 15.02–15.06 — applies to recreational gathering too (, ; table).
✓Min. sizes: robalo 36 cm, sargo 17 cm, dourada 19 cm, choupa 23 cm, corvina 42 cm; octopus 750 g ( + EU Reg. 2019/1241; minimum-size table).
✓Grouper — fully protected, may not be taken (
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.
FAQ — spearfishing in Olhão
Where can I spearfish in Olhão?
Olhão has rock entry points such as Praia da Fuseta-Mar — ocean front, Ilha da Armona — ocean front (east stretch) and Praia da Armona-Mar — ocean front. Olhão, on the Ria Formosa sotavento, is sheltered sandy estuary; clarity depends on getting out to the offshore reefs. Below you'll find each spot (access, shelter and hazards) and today's forecast.
When is the best season in Olhão?
The country's longest season: good May to October and workable in the shoulder months. The south coast is sheltered from the dominant swell and has the best visibility.
How cold is the water in Olhão?
The mainland's warmest: ~16–23 °C in summer. A 3 mm suit in high summer, 5 mm in the shoulder months.
Is Olhão good for a beginner?
The most accessible in the country: warm, clear, sheltered water with more good days — a good place to build water time on calm days. Even so, check the forecast and local hazards.
Do I need a licence in Olhão?
Yes — in Olhão, as everywhere on the mainland, you need a recreational fishing licence (DGRM); breath-hold only (no scuba), with a marker buoy and no night diving. See the guide for the details.
✓Breath-hold only: spearfishing may be practised in apnea alone. Scuba, rebreather and hookah are banned; the speargun may not be powered by a detonating charge or by compressed gas (DL 246/2000, art. 9.º n.º 3 — o antigo art. 6.º foi revogado).
✓The catch may NOT be sold: displaying for sale, offering or selling recreational catch is prohibited — it is for the fisher, the household, or donation to charitable, scientific or museum institutions (DL 246/2000, art. 7.º).
✓A loaded speargun out of the water is an offence (DL 246/2000, art. 14.º n.º 2 f). Same article: no fishing closer than the legally set distance from concessioned beaches during the bathing season (n.º 2 d), nor in places closed for health or marine-traffic reasons (n.º 2 e). The exact metres come from the regulation and the capitania — check before you go.
✓Distances between people: at least 20 m from another spearfisher (, art. 6.º n.º 3) unless you agree otherwise; from a boat, 50 m from other vessels, divers and set gear (art. 6.º n.º 2); every vessel must keep 50 m from your signalling buoy and from boats flying flag Alfa (art. 7.º n.º 6). The figure that circulates — «30 m between hunters» — is wrong: 30 m is the distance to YOUR OWN buoy.
✓What you may take into the water: the CAPTURE gear on a spearfishing dive is the speargun, a shellfish knife, a gaff (puxeiro) and an arrelhada (, art. 3.º n.º 3). That is not a ban on everything else: art. 4.º n.º 1 expressly allows equipment for cold protection, for buoyancy, for protection or safety and for carrying the catch, and any other equipment that does not permit the direct capture of specimens. Bait and groundbait are PROHIBITED in spearfishing (art. 5.º n.º 3). You may not carry or keep a speargun and a breathing apparatus aboard at the same time, nor carry the gun ready to fire out of the water or in a zone where spearfishing is banned (art. 3.º n.º 6). On any recreational-fishing boat the whole crew wears a lifejacket (art. 4.º n.º 3).
✓Where recreational fishing is closed altogether (, art. 8.º n.º 1): in marked shipyard zones (no exception) and in aquaculture establishments — in the LATTER only, fishing is possible when the concession-holder or owner formally authorises it; the shipyard bar has no such carve-out; within 100 m of the mouth of any marked sewage outfall; over beach-concession waters, to the extent the POOC sets; and in other zones closed by the port or maritime authority. For spearfishing and boat fishing specifically (n.º 2) the navigation channels of port and river bars, the approach channels and the buoyed channels are closed. There is NO «300 m from the beach» rule on the mainland — that number comes from Madeira's own act; on the mainland the distance is set by the POOC and by the capitania's edital.
✓The border rivers Minho and Guadiana: spearfishing is BANNED along both international stretches — bilateral Portugal-Spain agreements, art. 9.º n.º 3 (Minho, RAR 34/2023, in force since 26-05-2023) and art. 6.º n.º 1 (Guadiana, RAR 173/2025, in force since 07-12-2025), both reading «É proibida a pesca submarina». On the Guadiana it is also a serious offence (art. 19.º), and a 100 m strip alongside the Sapal de Castro Marim reserve is closed separately (art. 5.º). The stretches run from the confluence with the Trancoso / the Chança down to the closing line at each mouth.
✓On the other Portuguese-Spanish border river stretches (outside the TIRM and the Guadiana maritime-jurisdiction zone) — Decreto 30/88, art. 6.º n.º 1: harpoons, gigs, tridents and any blunt instrument used to take fish are prohibited (al. e), as is «a pesca ou caça subaquática» with artificial light, and night fishing (al. g).
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