Today — right on the edge.
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
Leave your email — and the moment a window opens at Port Aransas, we'll send the go / no-go verdict. Email is all we need.
What's missing? Tell us what you'd like to see — new spots, species, data or features. We read everything.
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.
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: 3016 spots across 406 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 mapNearshore TPWD reef pad of concrete pyramids in 18-20 m, roughly 6 nm out of Aransas Pass - the shortest offshore run from Port A. Sheepshead and mangrove snapper year-round, red snapper through the summer. Cobia shows up on the pads but Texas allows it on rod only, never on a spear.
Google MapsCameras, map and reference — to hand as you come up.
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».
All 367 spots → · Region: Texas · spearo.app — All countries
transparency ~3 m · satellite, 2 days agosatellite estimate · may differ right at the shore
buoy Port Aransas, TX: 25.5° · wave 1.3 m/6 s · 1 h ago
Nearshore and, by Texas standards, shallow reef in 17 m — freedivable with training. Red snapper and triggerfish; cleaner water than inshore, especially in autumn.
Three WWII Liberty ships sunk together in 30 m off Mustang Island. Big snapper and amberjack; a scuba dive, and the best water in the region.
Google MapsYou can walk into the water at Avenue G; the town of Port Aransas is 1.2 km away. Texas GLO lists the site as a beach. The pin sits at 27.822 N / 97.058 W on the chart. Maximum depth is around 2.0 m. Open water shows only over a narrow sector, to the south-east.
Google MapsHorace Caldwell Pier gives shore access 1.0 km from Port Aransas. Marker position: 27.827° N, 97.052° W. The marked spot lies about 70 m from the waterline. Depths reach about 2.0 m. Gulf tides here run on a daily cycle and the range is small.
Google MapsThe north (San Jose Island) jetty of Aransas Pass, granite blocks falling into 4-9 m and the most-dived shore-and-boat spearfishing rock in Texas. Sheepshead, mangrove snapper, spadefish and black drum - red drum, spotted seatrout, snook and tarpon are off-limits to spear in Texas.
Google MapsIconic granite jetty at Aransas Pass in 6 m — the best-known shore structure in Texas. Sheepshead and flounder; dive the slack, because the pass is violent.
Google MapsYou can walk into the water at Sand Castle Drive; the town of Port Aransas is 2.0 km away. The marked spot lies about 60 m from the waterline. The deepest water here is close to 2.0 m. Open water shows only over a narrow sector, to the south-east.
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.
US spearfishing law is state-by-state. License, spearable species, powerhead rules and distances vary; federal sanctuaries (Gray's Reef, the Keys, Flower Garden Banks) ban spearfishing. Always confirm with the state agency and local ordinances.
Spearfishing in Port Aransas is a legal-device puzzle wrapped around good structure. The granite South Jetty is the iconic freedive line, while MU-770L Lonestar Reef and MU-802 Mustang Island Liberty Ship Reef add boat options. The target list is narrow in Texas state water: think nongame fish such as sheepshead and flounder. Game fish, including red drum, spotted seatrout and cobia, are not spear targets. That single rule prevents most costly mistakes.
The South Jetty is convenient but crowded and current-prone. Offshore reefs reduce shore conflict but need a boat, clean water and the same nongame-only discipline. Treat every redfish, trout or cobia sighting as hook-and-line water, not a spear chance.
| Spot | Type | Depth | Level | Access | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port Aransas South Jetty | Granite jetty | Shallow rock edge | Intermediate | Shore entry from the jetty area | Classic local freedive water. Give anglers space and target nongame fish only. |
| MU-770L Lonestar Reef | Nearshore artificial reef | Shallow reef structure | Intermediate boat dive | Boat access off Mustang Island | A practical easy-run reef when Gulf water is clean and legal targets are identified. |
| MU-802 Mustang Island Liberty Ship Reef | Liberty ship reef | Deeper offshore structure | Advanced boat dive | Boat access offshore | Three World War II Liberty ships create larger structure; plan current, depth and pickup carefully. |
Watch the 85-175 degree sector, especially southeast energy near 125 degrees. Several calm days and a friendly tide are more valuable than sun. NOAA station 42092 sits near the Aransas Pass channel entrance and gives a close wave reference.
The key TPWD rule is nongame only for spear. Sheepshead and flounder are the practical names in the supplied list. Red snapper has separate season complexity, and cobia, red drum and spotted seatrout are game fish for legal hook-and-line methods.
Enter only where you can exit without being rolled into granite. Keep a float visible, avoid anglers, and leave if water turns brown. If a fish is not clearly nongame and open, do not shoot it. That includes impressive gamefish cruising the rocks.
Lonestar and the Liberty ships remove shore casting conflict but add boat handling, depth and navigation work. They do not loosen Texas target rules, so the same nongame filter follows you offshore.
No. Red drum is a Texas game fish.
Nongame fish such as sheepshead and flounder, subject to current rules.
NOAA NDBC station 42092.
Yes. Use a Texas fishing license with saltwater endorsement.
No. It is an offshore boat dive.
