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
yellowupdated 14:45
Palamós — solo, off the rocks
Day is over
That is it for today — the day's windows have closed.
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.
From midnight on 1 May until the end of summer the camí de cala Estreta is closed to motor traffic as a fire precaution — you walk in. Which means that in summer you are on site before anyone else anyway. Water is 20.5 C in June and 23 C in September. Nights are out, sunrise to sunset only.
tide
The tidal swing is twenty centimetres and changes nothing in your planning. Water clarity does: this stretch flushes faster than the sandy bays next door and comes back to normal about a day after a blow. Over the Furió itself, with settled wind, you feel a weak drift — keep the buoy in sight.
shelter
Two wild coves inside the Castell-Cap Roig nature area, both facing east and southeast. The only shelter is the rock wall to the north: with Tramuntana the water under it stays still. Easterly swell walks in unopposed, and in narrow Estreta it also bounces off the walls — with Llevant there is simply nothing to do here.
conditions
The good day is Tramuntana or flat calm: 15-25 metres, and more still around the isolated pinnacle of Furió de Cala Estreta. With an easterly from 45 to 150 degrees both entries are shut: going in over rock in a surge is the straight road to injury. Dentón and sargo hold on the Furió, and that is where you head.
hazard
The nearest ban is Ses Negres, between Cap Negre and Pa de Pessic at Begur, 9-12 km northeast, between sa Riera and Aiguafreda: Ordre of 3 March 1993, 80 hectares, both fishing and diving prohibited. Here itself: a rock entry, no phone signal and nobody around out of season — do not come alone.
access
From the Castell paid car park along the camí de ronda north: a kilometre and a half, some twenty-five minutes on foot; the Castell-Cap Roig nature area barrier sits on the dirt track and shuts on 1 May. Entry at Estreta is over rocks, at Senià slightly easier. Seven to ten minutes swim from shore to the Furió.
Rocky coves toward Palafrugell; rich grounds, exposed to E swell.
Get there early: by ten the walkers coming over from Platja de Castell arrive, and the cove is so small you notice every one of them. Water is 13 C in February and 24.5 C in August, the warmest on this stretch. Catalan sizes: sargo from 25 cm, dorada from 30, dentón from 40. Night hunting is banned.
tide
The tide on this coast is about twenty centimetres — there is nothing to plan around it. Plan around the swell: the cove is narrow and an easterly wave bounces off the rock shoulders, so even a small surge throws you about inside. There is no permanent current; drift comes only from wind and leftover swell.
shelter
A tiny cove some sixty metres long, facing southeast, with the old fishermen's houses on the rock — they are listed heritage. The rocky shoulders cut the north wind, so with Tramuntana it is quiet inside. With Llevant and Xaloc, the 90 to 150 degree sector, the sea comes in whole and slams the shingle entry.
conditions
Come with a north or northwesterly: 12-20 metres off the rocky shoulders, less over the shingle itself. With an easterly near 95 degrees the cove shuts completely — entering through surge over coarse stone is dangerous and the silt hangs like a wall. You work the rock ridges at either end, not the cove.
hazard
The little houses above the cove are protected heritage: do not spread gear over them and leave no litter. In the water: coarse slippery shingle at the entry, urchins in the cracks and a wave that with Llevant pins you to the rock. Load the gun underwater only, the buoy is compulsory and tanks are banned.
access
You cannot drive in: you walk either from the Gori pinewood or from Platja de Castell, about 2.9 km from the centre of Palamós and half an hour along the camí de ronda. The drop to the water is short, entry over coarse shingle. Three to five minutes swim to the rock ridges at either end of the cove.
Rocky cove south of Palamós; drop-offs and boulders, sea bream and gilthead, exposed to the easterly.
Best hours run from sunrise to eight: after that the beach comes alive all year round, since it is the closest one to town. Water is 14.9 C in December and 20.1 C in October. Under Catalan rules the daily cap is 10 kg of fish, 5 kg of cephalopods and 150 urchins per licence. Night hunting is banned.
tide
Tide can be ignored here entirely. Something else counts: the big fishing port of Palamós is next door, trawlers come and go on schedule and stir particles up, and the sandy bottom of La Fosca holds them for a long time. After rain the water inshore stays brown for a day or two, with nothing to carry it away.
shelter
The town beach of La Fosca opens southeast and south, and the rocky end at Cap de Castell with its islet only covers it from the northeast. With Tramuntana it is flat here; with Gregal the wind bends round the cape and ripples the surface; and with Llevant the wave runs straight onto the sand and there is nowhere to work.
conditions
Come with a north or northwesterly: 10-18 metres by the islet and the rocky end, less over the sand. With east and southeast from 90 to 135 degrees the place goes murky within an hour — plenty of sand, a gently sloping bottom. Only one thing makes sense here: the rock at Cap de Castell, not the beach section.
hazard
Palamós harbour is a working fishing port, and that is the main risk: keep 300 metres from professional boats and no less than 100 from anyone's gear and cages. In summer there are swimmers on the beach — 250 metres from the bathing zone. Never load the gun out of the water, and the buoy must be visible from a boat's wheelhouse.
access
A little over two kilometres of tarmac from the centre of Palamós; beach parking is paid in season and fills up in the morning. Entry off the sand is easy, no scramble. Ten minutes northeast along the shore to the rocky end and the islet at Cap de Castell, or the same swimming along the rock.
Islet and rocky ground at La Fosca; easy entry off the sand, semi-exposed.
The car park charges from 1 May to the end of summer and is free only for cars registered to Palamós residents — arrive at opening or before. Water is 16.8 C in May and 23 C in September. Autumn is the best window: nobody around and visibility that holds. Night hunting is banned nationwide.
tide
Sea level here is twenty centimetres — forget it. Sand and dunes are what count: after an easterly sea the bay holds a milky layer for two or three days, while the cape itself clears within a day. There is no current on this stretch to carry the murk away, so what you wait for is the weather, not the flow.
shelter
The wide sandy bay of Castell faces southeast, and its northern corner is closed off by Cap de Planes. The cape is the shelter: with Tramuntana and with northeasterlies the water behind it stays still. When Llevant blows from the east or Xaloc from the southeast, the bay has not one quiet corner left.
conditions
Worth it with a northerly: 15-25 metres on the rock of Cap de Planes, while the sandy head of the bay is always murkier. With the 45 to 150 degree sector the place is shut — the gently sloping sand lifts first and visibility falls to two metres even in a small sea. Work the cape, not the beach.
hazard
Behind the beach lie an Iberian settlement and protected dunes: stay on the paths and do not park on the sand. In the water, tanks are banned for spearfishing everywhere in Spain, and by the cape depth builds fast, so the pull to go deeper is strong. In summer there are swimmers and the 250 metre rule applies.
access
Turn off the Palamós-Palafrugell road, then a dirt track to the paid car park above the bay and five minutes on foot to the sand. Entry is gentle, straight off the beach. Cap de Planes is fifteen minutes north along the camí de ronda, or about a kilometre by water — walking gets you there faster.
Rocky ground at Cap de Planes; rock and Posidonia, moderately exposed to the E.
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.
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».
Sin prohibición estatal de captura (NO está en el Catálogo Español, RD 139/2011). Cataluña: 50 cm, máx. 2 ejemplares/día — Resolució ARP/3310/2025.
common octopus
Octopus vulgaris · Mediterranean · 1 kg
Talla por PESO: mín. 1 kg (RD 560/1995, todos los anexos). No coger hembras con huevos. Cataluña: veda del pulpo de roca aprox. jul–sep, por zonas — Resolució ARP/3310/2025.
Law
✓Spearfishing licence mandatory; the AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITY issues it (not the State) and it is valid in the exterior waters of the whole coast. Free-diving only — scuba is banned (, art. 3).
✓Spearfishing catch may not be sold or traded — it is non-commercial fishing ().
✓Night prohibited: spearfishing only in daylight (sunset to sunrise not allowed) — , art. 16.d.
✓Marker buoy MANDATORY: mark your position with a clearly visible buoy and stay within 25 m of it — , art. 15.
✓Never keep the speargun loaded out of the water — , art. 16.a.
✓Keep at least 300 m from professional fishing vessels that are working — , art. 12.b.
✓The state act (, art. 16) bans, for spearfishing: a loaded gun out of the water; explosive/electric points and lamps (hand torches excepted); underwater scooters; night — from sunset to sunrise. Plus art. 12 b), d), e): 300 m from professional fishing vessels, light as an attractant, poisons/explosives. A ban in a PARTICULAR reserve, port or beach comes from that place's OWN instrument (the reserve's order, the autonomous community's rules, the port authority) — see the no-take zones on the map and your community's rules.
✓Min. sizes by ( + + EU 2019/1241): sea bass 42 cm (rec.) / 36 cm / 25 cm Mediterranean / 22 cm Canaries; gilthead bream 20 cm and white seabream 23 cm in the Mediterranean (EU 2019/1241); grouper 45 cm. See your zone's species card.
✓Only species in Annex I of may be taken; keeping, landing or transporting undersized specimens is prohibited.
✓The licence needs a medical fitness certificate for free-diving and civil-liability insurance (or a federative licence, which includes it). Mandatory in the Basque Country/Murcia/Asturias/Galicia; the federative licence covers it in Galicia/Balearics/Cantabria; the Canaries and Andalusia do NOT require it for the individual licence (a responsible health declaration). Minimum age generally 16 (14 in Andalusia).
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.
Local guide · Palamós
Spearfishing in Palamós: spots, seasons and rules
Updated 2026-07-09 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher
Palamós is a rocky Costa Brava shore-entry setup with one clear rule: easterly sea controls the day. La Fosca / Illa del Castell is the easiest entry from sand. Cala S'Alguer, Cap de Planes and Cala Estreta are richer rocky options but more exposed to Llevant and east swell. The legal frame is Catalonia plus Mediterranean species sizes.
TL;DR
Start with La Fosca if you need the easiest access and a quick visibility check.
Avoid Llevant and east swell, especially for Cala S'Alguer and Cala Estreta.
Use the Catalan underwater recreational licence and follow Mediterranean minimum sizes.
Best legal spearfishing spots near Palamós
These shore-entry zones should only be used with settled sea, a visible buoy and confirmed local limits.
Spot
Type
Depth
Level
Access
Notes
La Fosca / Illa del Castell
Islet and rocky ground at La Fosca
Low rock and sand
Careful beginner
Easy shore entry
Easy sand entry to islet and rocky ground. Small east swell. Catalan licence required.
Platja de Castell
Rocky ground at Cap de Planes
Rock and Posidonia edges
Intermediate
Shore entry with a clear exit route
Rock and Posidonia at Cap de Planes. Moderate east exposure. Mediterranean sizes apply.
Cala S'Alguer
Rocky cove south of Palamós
Rock ledges and drop-offs
Intermediate
From the cove, away from bathing areas
Rocky cove with boulders, sargo and gilthead. Avoid Llevant. No protected species.
Cala Estreta / Cala Senià
Rocky coves toward Palafrugell
Shore rock in shallow water
Intermediate
From the cove, away from bathing areas
Rich rocky coves toward Palafrugell. Exposed to east swell. Check reserve limits.
Conditions and season essentials
The local coast faces east. The bad sector is 45 to 150 degrees, with the worst direction around 95 degrees, so northeast, east and southeast sea can all make the rocky entries uncomfortable. No NDBC buoy is listed, but the Marina Palamós webcams show the harbour mouth and the view toward Illes Formigues. La Fosca is the easier semi-exposed sand entry. Platja de Castell has rock and Posidonia. Cala S'Alguer holds boulders and bream but dislikes Llevant. Cala Estreta / Cala Senià has richer ground and stronger exposure to east swell.
✓There is no fixed national catch cap (, art. 5 delegates it to the communities); the standard is 5 kg/person/day, with 1 specimen allowed not to count (Canaries — Decreto 182/2004, art. 38.3; Murcia; Galicia; Basque Country). Protected species have per-piece quotas.
✓Only a harpoon is allowed — hand-held or mechanically propelled, with one or several points (, art. 14.1). Carrying spearfishing gear and underwater breathing equipment aboard AT THE SAME TIME is prohibited (art. 14.2) — an offence in itself, even if you dived on a breath hold.
✓Spain is not one jurisdiction. The licence is issued by a coastal autonomous community, and you must comply with the rules of the administration on whose littoral you are in the water: «debiendo cumplir la normativa establecida por la administración en cuyo litoral se realice la actividad» (, art. 13). Interior waters — inside the straight baselines: bays, coves, rías, the whole coastal strip — are the community's competence; exterior waters are the State's. So the age, the days of the week, the distances and the are found in your community's act, not in the state one.
✓Catalonia: the «Llicència de pesca recreativa subaquàtica» (recreational spearfishing) is issued by the Generalitat de Catalunya — applied for at tramits.gencat.cat.
✓Bans: Illes Medes, Ses Negres (Begur), parts of Cap de Creus — spearfishing banned (see zones).
✓Catalonia (Decret 109/1995): the daily cap per licence is 10 kg of fish, 5 kg of cephalopods and 150 sea urchins (art. 25.1); the excess weight of one big specimen does not count (art. 25.2), and for tuna and swordfish there are no kilos at all — the cap is 2 pieces a day (art. 25.3). Sunrise to sunset only (art. 15), on a breath hold, with a hand spear or a mechanically propelled gun that may be loaded ONLY under water (art. 16). Keep 100 m from set gear, marine farms, anglers' rods and professional vessels, and at least 250 m from bathing zones measured along the shore (art. 17); lamps, torches, powder- or gas-propelled guns and explosive points are banned (art. 18); a surface buoy is mandatory (art. 19). Only fish, cephalopods and sea urchins may be taken (art. 24.1), and the triton (Charonia lampa — así lo imprime el decreto), the fan mussel (Pinna nobilis) and the date mussel (Lithophaga lithophaga) may not be collected at all (art. 24.2).
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