Ōpunake spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras

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◈Ōpunake · New Zealand
2.6
🌫 Murky all week after the storm — the water isn't settling
visibility~2m

Nottoday

Today — sit it out — wave, wind and surge pounding. 🌫 Murky all week after the storm — the water isn't settling

Sources: MetService · Open-Meteo · Copernicus · Sentinel-2 — high confidence · data 16:58

Sources & confidence

Sources
MetService · Open-Meteo · Copernicus · Sentinel-2
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.

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.

Entry pointsNo-take zonesLive cams

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
MetService no dataThis information is made freely available by MetService. Despite this, MetService is not associated with, and does not endorse, spearo.app or have involvement in how this information is presentedupdated 16:58
Ōpunake — solo, off the rocks
DON'T GO
don't go · wave 1.9 m (occasionally up to ~3.9 m)
wave 1.9 m head-onwind 25, gusts 44 km/hsurge pounding the rocksvisibility ~2 m
today, best window 15:00–18:00
fish · Visibility 2 m · Water 15.6°C
confidence low · verdict for the selected day
Best window · next 3 days

Next 3 days — not divable: wave up to 3.8 m

🌫 Murky all week after the storm — the water isn't settling

↑ high tide 21:39 · slack water ~20:54–22:24 bite times: 11:10–13:10 · 18:24–19:24

Tell me when it's on

Just your email — nothing else needed.

Before entering, check the camera and the surge
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
06:23–19:53 · full moon
▼ 03:00▲ 09:00▼ 16:00▲ 22:00 · 3.1 m
Hours (06→20)
06
09
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide1.40 m
Wave1.94 m
Wind15 km/h
Water16 °C
fish activity: moon overhead 00:00 · high · moonset 05:23 · moderate · moon underfoot 12:10 · high · moonrise 18:54 · moderate
Conditions window15:00–18:00
don't go fish
Hs 1.94 m · roughperiod 12.7 s head-onwind 25→44surge 27viz 2 m
1.94 mrough · up to ~3.88 · 239° head-on
12.7 sswell building
25→44gusts 44 km/h
27pounding the rocks
0.14m/s
2 mrecent swell
15.6°Cthicker suit + hood
▲22:00tide turn near
Atmosphere46 kmprecip 0.1 mm
lowoff the lunar peaks
  • wave 1.9 m (occasionally up to ~3.9 m)
  • steep wind-wave — choppy surface, careful on entry
  • first hours of the flood — fish moving in
confidence lowday
Open the seafloor map with entry points →

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.

See all spots →
−20 m

The 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 →
Middleton Bay North ReefŌpunake
dangerous
Legal notice: Western Taranaki temporary closure: no shellfish (rock lobster excepted), seaweed, sea anemones, stingrays or conger eels may be taken here. · 2024-12-16 – 2026-12-15 (Pacific/Auckland) · Scope: all shellfish except rock lobster, all seaweed (except beach-cast), sea anemones, stingrays and conger eels · Fisheries (Western Taranaki Temporary Closure) Notice 2024 (MPI 1886), s 186A Fisheries Act 1996 (as of 2026-09-26)
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
—
Seabed depth of the selected area
no data (coarse grid)

Reef at the north end of Middleton Bay, Ōpunake: a sandy beach with rock reef at both ends and a ramp by the local boat and underwater club. Taranaki's reefs are known for crayfish and snapper. A temporary MPI closure on shellfish and seaweed applies.

Google Maps

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».

more: Warea — Taranaki coast (Replica Lighthouse 1) (Primo) — link-out · 28 km ↗
Open the seafloor map →
Reference

What's in season,
what the law says.

Rules as of now — 25.10.2026 17:36 (Pacific/Auckland)

In season now
  • snapper (tāmure)
    Chrysophrys auratus · 3–40 m · legal
    min 27 cm · bag 10 a day · inside the combined limit 20
  • blue cod (rāwaru)
    Parapercis colias · 5–40 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
    min 33 cm · bag 2 a day · inside the combined limit 20 · Taranaki – Titahi Bay (FMA 8): 2 a day, min 33 cm. Titahi Bay – Cape Runaway (FMA 2): 20 a day, min 33 cm. Landed whole or gutted only. One of the sharpest boundaries in the country.
  • butterfish / greenbone (marari)
    Odax pullus · 2–20 m · legal
    min 35 cm · inside the combined limit 20
  • blue moki
    Latridopsis ciliaris · 5–40 m · legal
    min 40 cm · inside the combined limit 20
  • red moki (nanua)
    Cheilodactylus spectabilis · 3–25 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
    min 40 cm · inside the combined limit 20
  • tarakihi
    Nemadactylus macropterus · 10–60 m · legal
    min 25 cm · inside the combined limit 20 · Almost always sits below safe breath-hold depth — on this coast it is information, not a target.
Tangimoana
  • Hīmatangi Beach
  • Foxton Beach
  • Waitārere Beach
  • Kāpiti
  • Lower Hutt
  • Wellington
  • Mataikona
  • Ākitio
  • Castlepoint

    • Nelson & Marlborough Sounds

    • Pākawau
    • French Pass / Anaru
    • Collingwood
    • Ligar Bay
    • Parapara
    • Patons Rock
    • Anatori
    • Motueka
    • Picton
    • Havelock
    • Nelson
    • Māpua
    • Rārangi

    West Coast (South Island)

    • Karamea
    • Little Wanganui / Whanganui

    Hawke's Bay

    • Te Paerahi
    • Herbertville

    All 201 spots → · Region: Taranaki & Western NI · spearo.app — All countries

    transparency nearby ~9 m · satellite, 2 days agosatellite estimate · may differ right at the shore

    Middleton Headland South ReefŌpunake
    dangerous
    Legal notice: Western Taranaki temporary closure: no shellfish (rock lobster excepted), seaweed, sea anemones, stingrays or conger eels may be taken here. · 2024-12-16 – 2026-12-15 (Pacific/Auckland) · Scope: all shellfish except rock lobster, all seaweed (except beach-cast), sea anemones, stingrays and conger eels · Fisheries (Western Taranaki Temporary Closure) Notice 2024 (MPI 1886), s 186A Fisheries Act 1996 (as of 2026-09-26)
    exposed head-on to the swell today
    window
    —
    Seabed depth of the selected area
    no data (coarse grid)

    Reefs at the south end of Middleton Bay, off the headland that divides the bay from Ōpunake Beach. A walkway with a lookout crosses the headland above them. Shellfish and seaweed are under a temporary MPI closure along here.

    Google Maps
    Ōpunake Beach North-End RocksŌpunake
    dangerous
    Legal notice: Western Taranaki temporary closure: no shellfish (rock lobster excepted), seaweed, sea anemones, stingrays or conger eels may be taken here. · 2024-12-16 – 2026-12-15 (Pacific/Auckland) · Scope: all shellfish except rock lobster, all seaweed (except beach-cast), sea anemones, stingrays and conger eels · Fisheries (Western Taranaki Temporary Closure) Notice 2024 (MPI 1886), s 186A Fisheries Act 1996 (as of 2026-09-26)
    exposed head-on to the swell today
    window
    —
    Seabed depth of the selected area
    no data (coarse grid)

    Rocks at the north end of Ōpunake Beach, where rock pools open up at low tide. People fish from the beach and at the mouth of the Waiaua River. On this coast shellfish and seaweed are covered by a temporary MPI closure.

    Google Maps

    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.

  • red / spiny rock lobster (kōura)
    Jasus edwardsii · 3–30 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
    tail width ≥ 54 mm (♀ 60 mm) · bag 6 a day · 🚫 no spear · 🚫 possessing a speared one is an offence · ✋ by hand or hand-operated loop (spring-loaded loops banned) · The six is spiny and packhorse combined, of which at most 3 packhorse. · Measure tail WIDTH: male 54 mm, female 60 mm; berried, soft-shell and unmeasurable ones go straight back. (Fisheries (Amateur Fishing) Regulations 2013, reg. 29(2), reg. 46; MPI 7281.)
  • pāua (blackfoot abalone)
    Haliotis iris · 0–10 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
    min 85 mm (shell) · bag 5 a day · ✋ by hand · tool: pāua knife (blunt; MPI: never use sharp objects) · Inside the Taranaki pāua fishery area the minimum is 85 mm, not 125 mm. · 🚫 Pāua is free-diving only: with underwater breathing apparatus you may neither take nor possess it — having a tank in the vehicle or on the boat while holding pāua is already an offence (Fisheries (Amateur Fishing) Regulations 2013, reg. 48). A snorkel does not count as apparatus. · ⚠️ Before taking any shellfish check the NZ Food Safety biotoxin warnings — they change constantly and are separate from the fishing rules.
  • kina (sea urchin)
    Evechinus chloroticus · 1–15 m · legal
    no minimum size · bag 50 a day · ⚠️ Before taking any shellfish check the NZ Food Safety biotoxin warnings — they change constantly and are separate from the fishing rules.
  • trumpeter (kohikohi)
    Latris lineata · 10–60 m · legal
    min 35 cm · inside the combined limit 20 · Almost always sits below safe breath-hold depth — on this coast it is information, not a target.
  • hāpuku / bass (groper)
    Polyprion oxygeneios · 30–120 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
    no minimum size · bag 2 a day · inside the combined limit 20 · No more than 3 per fisher accumulated over more than one day. · Almost always sits below safe breath-hold depth — on this coast it is information, not a target.
  • leatherjacket (kōkiri)
    Meuschenia scaber · 3–30 m · legal
    no minimum size · inside the combined limit 20
  • scallop (tipa)
    Pecten novaezelandiae · 5–30 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
    min 100 mm (shell) · bag 20 a day · closed 15 Feb – 14 Jul · Season 15 Jul – 14 Feb; must be landed in the shell. · ⚠️ Before taking any shellfish check the NZ Food Safety biotoxin warnings — they change constantly and are separate from the fishing rules.
    • Law
    • ✓There is no in New Zealand: MPI states plainly that you do not need one to fish in the sea — only fresh water needs a licence. The rules are REGIONAL, though: MPI divides the country into seven fishing areas with their own sizes and limits, and the Kaikōura Marine Area has rules of its own on top. Buying, selling or swapping recreationally caught seafood is an offence under the Fisheries Act 1996.
    • ✓Three species may not be taken with a SPEAR anywhere in the country: rock lobster, salmon and trout. For rock lobster it is an express rule — using a spear to take one, and possessing a speared lobster, are both prohibited, with a fine up to NZ$10,000 (Fisheries (Amateur Fishing) Regulations 2013, reg. 29(2)). Salmon and trout are freshwater sports fish managed by Fish & Game.
    • ✓AN IMPORTANT CORRECTION to a common belief: no nationwide scuba ban for spearfishing was found in the MPI rules. The only breathing-apparatus prohibition is for PĀUA: it may be neither taken nor possessed while you have apparatus, even if the tank is merely in the car or on the boat (Fisheries (Amateur Fishing) Regulations 2013, reg. 48). A snorkel is not apparatus, and what forbids rock lobster is the SPEAR, not the tank. An absence of prohibition is not a permission: ask MPI before you go.
    • ✓: MPI describes spearfishing as catching fish with rubber-powered spearguns and slings or compressed-gas pneumatic spearguns, and its rules say neither yes nor no about or explosive tips. Treat the question as UNRESOLVED and do not carry a as permitted gear. No time-of-day restriction was found in the MPI rules or in the Fisheries (Amateur Fishing) Regulations 2013.
    • ✓How to measure and where to check: a finfish is measured from the tip of the nose to the end of the middle ray of the tail fin — the 'V' of the tail, not its tips (Fisheries (Amateur Fishing) Regulations 2013). Rock lobster is measured by tail WIDTH; pāua along the flat face of the shell in a straight line, not over the curve. Rules change often: MPI asks you to check them each time before you go fishing, for example in the NZ Fishing Rules app. Poaching: 0800 4 POACHER.
    • ✓Central: combined finfish daily limit 20, snapper 10 at 27 cm. Blue cod is split in two: 8 (Taranaki – Titahi Bay) 2 a day, 2 (Titahi Bay – Cape Runaway) 20 a day, min 33 cm. Pāua 5 a day at 125 mm — but 85 mm inside the Taranaki pāua fishery area. Rock lobster south of the Wairoa: 6 combined, max 3 packhorse. Waimārama is closed to blackfoot pāua until 22 December 2026, and Pukerua Bay is hand-held lines only (MPI; Fisheries (Recreational Management Controls) Notice No. 1 2026).
    • •Weather: MetService coastal forecasts and gale warnings — metservice.com/marine/coastal, areas: portland, castlepoint, cook, stephens, raglan. Fishing rules change: check MPI or the NZ Fishing Rules app before every trip.
    • ⛔ 🚫 Absolutely protected under the Wildlife Act 1953: white, basking, whale, oceanic whitetip and smalltooth sandtiger sharks, oceanic manta and spinetail devil rays, giant grouper and spotted black grouper, plus black corals, gorgonians, stony corals and hydrocorals. Marine mammals sit under the Marine Mammals Protection Act 1978. Penalty up to NZ$250,000 and six months.
    • ⛔ 🚫 Marine reserves (Marine Reserves Act 1971) are total no-take by any method, spearfishing included; so are areas protected under the Conservation Act 1987. and run on their own bylaws, and a is a temporary closure under the Fisheries Act 1996 with a real fine as well as a tapu. Check local bylaws and current before you go — they change several times a year.
    • ⛔ 🚫 Pukerua Bay is closed to everything but hand-held lines — which kills spearfishing there. Waimārama (Hawke's Bay) is closed to blackfoot pāua until 22 December 2026, supporting the of Ngāi Hapū o Waimārama. Six marine reserves — Kāpiti (eastern and western), Tapuae, Taputeranga, Te Angiangi and Te Tapuwae o Rongokako — are closed to all fishing.

    Rules change and are regional. Before heading out, check with MPI (regional fishing rules / the NZ Fishing Rules app), DOC (marine reserves) and local notices (rāhui/mātaitai).

    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 Ōpunake

    Where can I spearfish in Ōpunake?

    Ōpunake has rock entry points such as Middleton Bay North Reef, Middleton Headland South Reef and Ōpunake Beach North-End Rocks. Ōpunake faces south-west, and swell from the south-south-east round to the west-north-west closes it. Below you'll find each spot (access, shelter and hazards) and today's forecast.

    When is the best season in Ōpunake?

    Summer (Dec–Apr) — black-sand reef; the western swell dictates, short windows.

    How cold is the water in Ōpunake?

    Summer 16–20 °C — 5 mm suit; black-sand reef.

    Is Ōpunake good for a beginner?

    Hard: black-sand reef, western swell — short windows.

    Do I need a licence in Ōpunake?

    No — New Zealand has no recreational sea-fishing licence, so anyone may spearfish at Ōpunake; MPI's size, bag and gear rules still apply and they are set per MPI fishing area: Ōpunake is in the Central area, where the combined finfish daily limit is 20. Pāua is free-dive only — having underwater breathing apparatus while taking pāua is banned nationwide — crayfish (rock lobster) may be taken only by hand or a hand-held loop, never speared — MPI's rules set no scuba ban for crayfish; spearfishing is banned inside every marine reserve, and mātaitai, taiāpure and rāhui must be respected. See the guide.

    Full guide: spearfishing in New Zealand →
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