Port Hedland spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras

spearo.app / Australia / Port Hedland
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◈Port Hedland · Australia
5.3
visibility: 3 m
visibility~3m

Dayisover

Today — right on the edge.

Sources: Open-Meteo · Copernicus · Sentinel-2 — high confidence · data 19:22

Sources & confidence

Sources
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 zones

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
updated 19:22
Port Hedland — solo, off the rocks
Day is over
That is it for today — the day's windows have closed.
Tomorrow, best window 15:00–18:00
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
05:28–18:11 · full moon
▼ 04:00▲ 10:00▼ 16:00▲ 22:00 · 5.1 m
Hours (06→20)
06
09
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide2.89 m
Wave0.60 m
Wind15 km/h
Water28 °C
fish activity: moonset 04:25 · moderate · moon underfoot 10:50 · high · moonrise 17:23 · moderate · moon overhead 23:10 · high
Open the seafloor map with entry points →
Coming soon

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Leave your email — and the moment a window opens at Port Hedland, we'll send the go / no-go verdict. Email is all we need.

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Nearby towns

  • Wickham
  • Karratha
  • Dampier
  • Bidyadanga
  • Onslow

WA North (Ningaloo–Kimberley)

  • Port Smith
  • Broome
  • Exmouth (Ningaloo)
  • Coral Bay
  • La-Djardarr Bay
  • Maddarr
  • Djarindjin-Lombadina
  • Lombadina
  • Park Hill?
  • Derby
  • Ardyaloon

WA Mid-West (Geraldton–Kalbarri)

  • Carnarvon
  • Denham
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spearo.app · a private marine instrument · Port Hedland · a planner, not a safety guaranteePrivacy
Today
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Map

Box jellyfish occur in WA waters from Exmouth north (DBCA, SLSQ). WA publishes no official stinger-season dates; if you are unsure about the safety of an activity, DBCA advises asking the local Parks and Wildlife office. Source: DBCA (WA) · SLSQ

Saltwater crocodile country: estuarine crocodiles can be in any water here, including the sea off the beach. Check recent sighting reports before you get in. Source: DBCA (WA)

Best window · next 3 days
borderlinetomorrow · 15:00–18:00
you can see ~3 m ahead fish

↑ high tide 21:59 · slack water ~21:14–22:44 bite times: 09:50–11:50 · 16:53–17:53

Tell me when it's on

Just your email — nothing else needed.

Your best window — with you. Forecast in your pocket.

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point your camera
−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

No verified spots here yet

The forecast is calculated for the shore next to the town.

No no-take zone of ours lies within 25 km of this town: the layer draws none here. That is the absence of a drawn closure, not a permission — ask DPIRD Fisheries and DBCA Marine Parks before you get in. Box jellyfish and Irukandji occur on this coast (their range reaches south to Exmouth): read the water before you get in.

One morning glance — and you know.

Download on theApp StoreGET IT ONGoogle Play
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point your camera
≈

Surfacing

Cameras, map and reference — to hand as you come up.

Live cameras, map & reference
Open the seafloor map →
Reference

What's in season,
what the law says.

Rules as of now — 25.10.2026 21:33 (Australia/Perth)

In season now
  • Spanish mackerel
    Scomberomorus commerson · 3–30 m · legal
    min 90 cm · bag 3 a day (shared group bag) · Inside the statewide 3-fish large-pelagic mixed bag. · ⚠️ Ciguatera area: QLD Health advises against eating large tropical reef predators, avoiding head, roe and liver, and eating no more than 300 g of an unfamiliar warm-water fish.
  • giant trevally (GT)
    Caranx ignobilis · 2–25 m · legal
    no minimum size · bag 3 a day (shared group bag) · ⚠️ Ciguatera area: QLD Health advises against eating large tropical reef predators, avoiding head, roe and liver, and eating no more than 300 g of an unfamiliar warm-water fish.
  • spangled emperor
    Lethrinus nebulosus · 2–30 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
    min 40 cm · bag 4 a day · ⚠️ Ciguatera area: QLD Health advises against eating large tropical reef predators, avoiding head, roe and liver, and eating no more than 300 g of an unfamiliar warm-water fish.
  • red emperor
    Lutjanus sebae · 15–45 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
    min 45 cm · bag 2 a day · ⚠️ Ciguatera area: QLD Health advises against eating large tropical reef predators, avoiding head, roe and liver, and eating no more than 300 g of an unfamiliar warm-water fish.
  • mangrove jack
    Lutjanus argentimaculatus · 1–20 m · legal
    min 30 cm · bag 2 a day · ⚠️ Ciguatera area: QLD Health advises against eating large tropical reef predators, avoiding head, roe and liver, and eating no more than 300 g of an unfamiliar warm-water fish.
  • stripey seaperch (Spanish flag)
    Lutjanus carponotatus · 2–25 m · legal
    min 30 cm · bag 4 a day · ⚠️ Ciguatera area: QLD Health advises against eating large tropical reef predators, avoiding head, roe and liver, and eating no more than 300 g of an unfamiliar warm-water fish.
  • cobia (black kingfish)
    Rachycentron canadum · 3–30 m · legal
    min 75 cm · bag 3 a day (shared group bag) · Inside the statewide 3-fish large-pelagic mixed bag. · ⚠️ Ciguatera area: QLD Health advises against eating large tropical reef predators, avoiding head, roe and liver, and eating no more than 300 g of an unfamiliar warm-water fish.
  • queenfish
    Scomberoides commersonnianus · 1–20 m · legal
    no minimum size · bag 8 a day · ⚠️ Ciguatera area: QLD Health advises against eating large tropical reef predators, avoiding head, roe and liver, and eating no more than 300 g of an unfamiliar warm-water fish.
  • coral trout
    Plectropomus spp. · 3–35 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
    min 45 cm · bag 1 a day · 🚫 In Ningaloo Marine Park rockcod and wrasse (tuskfish and baldchin groper included) may NOT be speared anywhere in the park, and between Tantabiddi Well and Winderabandi Point spearfishing is banned outright (DPIRD). · ⚠️ Ciguatera area: QLD Health advises against eating large tropical reef predators, avoiding head, roe and liver, and eating no more than 300 g of an unfamiliar warm-water fish.
  • blackspot tuskfish
    Choerodon schoenleinii · 3–30 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
    min 40 cm · bag 2 a day · 🚫 In Ningaloo Marine Park rockcod and wrasse (tuskfish and baldchin groper included) may NOT be speared anywhere in the park, and between Tantabiddi Well and Winderabandi Point spearfishing is banned outright (DPIRD). · ⚠️ Ciguatera area: QLD Health advises against eating large tropical reef predators, avoiding head, roe and liver, and eating no more than 300 g of an unfamiliar warm-water fish.
  • estuary cod (goldspotted rockcod)
    Epinephelus coioides · 1–25 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
    min 40 cm · bag 4 a day · 🚫 In Ningaloo Marine Park rockcod and wrasse (tuskfish and baldchin groper included) may NOT be speared anywhere in the park, and between Tantabiddi Well and Winderabandi Point spearfishing is banned outright (DPIRD). · ⚠️ Ciguatera area: QLD Health advises against eating large tropical reef predators, avoiding head, roe and liver, and eating no more than 300 g of an unfamiliar warm-water fish.
  • baldchin groper
    Choerodon rubescens · 8–40 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
    no minimum size · bag 2 a day · 🚫 In Ningaloo Marine Park rockcod and wrasse (tuskfish and baldchin groper included) may NOT be speared anywhere in the park, and between Tantabiddi Well and Winderabandi Point spearfishing is banned outright (DPIRD). · ⚠️ Ciguatera area: QLD Health advises against eating large tropical reef predators, avoiding head, roe and liver, and eating no more than 300 g of an unfamiliar warm-water fish.
off season: potato rockcod (potato cod) () · humphead Maori wrasse () · whale shark ()
Law
  • •Spearfishing in Australia is governed by STATE law, not federal: the licence, the gear, the closed areas, the sizes and the all differ between NSW, QLD, VIC, SA, WA and TAS. Below is your state's pack; cross into the next state and the rules change at the border.
  • ✓Federally listed threatened, migratory and marine species — white and whale sharks, sawfish, marine turtles and marine mammals among them — are protected in Commonwealth waters: killing, injuring or taking one there is an offence (Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999). In a state's own waters the same animals are protected by that state's list (see the protected-species panel). Never shoot, disturb or take them.
  • ✓Marine park zoning applies ON TOP of the state's fishing rules: / Sanctuary / Preservation zones are full no-take, and on the Great Barrier Reef the marine park zoning sits on top of the Queensland rules. Check the boundaries on the managing agency's zone map before you enter the water (Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Zoning Plan 2003; NSW Marine Estate Management (Management Rules) Regulation).
  • ✓Rock lobster may not be speared in NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania or Western Australia — it is taken by hand (WA also allows a hand snare or blunt crook). The Queensland and Northern Territory pages read on 26 Sep 2026 publish no such rule, so there it is not stated either way. Abalone may not be speared in Victoria or Tasmania. Spearfishing in inland fresh waters is banned in NSW, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. Sources: NSW Fisheries Management (General) Regulation; Fisheries Regulations 2019 (Vic); Fisheries Management (General) Regulations 2017 (SA); the state fisheries guides.
  • ✓WA: no licence is needed for shore-based fishing, but from a powered boat a Recreational Fishing from Boat Licence is required — AUD 40 a year; separate rock lobster and abalone licences at AUD 50. Half fee for under-16s, Seniors Card holders and listed pensioners; a licence runs 12 months from issue (Fish Resources Management Act 1994).
  • ✓WA gear and places (per DPIRD, 2026 guide): spearfishing is allowed in ocean waters except some , around dive wrecks, and from a boat during the West Coast demersal closure. All inland waters are closed; a hand spear in an is only for estuarine cobbler. In Ningaloo and Shark Bay Marine Parks spearfishing on compressed air is prohibited. A
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 Port Hedland

Where can I spearfish in Port Hedland?

Port Hedland's shore is calcarenite and mangrove with very large tides, and the port's waters take up the town front. Check today's forecast above and pick a calm-sea day, always with a marker buoy.

When is the best season in Port Hedland?

Apr–Oct (dry, cooler) — clear Ningaloo; avoid the wet/cyclone season and crocs to the north.

How cold is the water in Port Hedland?

24–30 °C — 2–3 mm; warm Ningaloo; crocs to the north.

Is Port Hedland good for a beginner?

Moderate on the offshore Ningaloo; the north has crocs and macro tide (hard).

Do I need a licence in Port Hedland?

Port Hedland is in WA. No licence from the shore in Western Australia — but fishing from a boat needs the RFBL, and the WA dhufish sits under a demersal closure to spring 2027. Spearfishing on scuba is banned everywhere, rock lobster may never be speared, and marine-park sanctuary/green zones are no-take. See the guide for the state-by-state detail.

Full guide: spearfishing in Australia →
  • Nanga
  • Useless Loop
  • Kalbarri
  • Gregory
  • Horrocks
  • Geraldton (Abrolhos)
  • Port Denison
  • Leeman
  • Green Head
  • Jurien Bay
  • WA South-West (Perth–Capes)

    • Cervantes
    • Grey
    • Wedge
    • Lancelin
    • Ledge Point
    • Guilderton
    • Two Rocks
    • Yanchep
    • Perth (Cottesloe/Trigg)
    • Rottnest Island
    • Rockingham / Cockburn
    • Mandurah
    • Preston Beach

    Northern Territory

    • Fossil Head
    • Old Mission
    • Kuy
    • Nadirri

    All 461 spots → · Region: WA North (Ningaloo–Kimberley) · spearo.app — All countries

    is not on the list of permitted gear, and explosives or noxious substances may not be carried on a boat (Fish Resources Management Act 1994; DPIRD recreational fishing guide 2026).
  • ✓WA, the key shore-versus-boat difference: the demersal closure in the West Coast bioregion (Kalbarri/Zuytdorp – Augusta/Black Point) runs to spring 2027 and bites on BOAT-based fishing, boat spearing included; shore-entry spearfishing stays open. The exception is the dhufish, which may not be speared from land at all. The South Coast bioregion (Albany, Esperance) is outside the closure (Fish Resources Management Act 1994).
  • ✓WA sizes and seasons: pink snapper 50 cm (Lancelin – Black Point) or 41 cm (Lancelin – Zuytdorp), bag 2; western blue groper 50 cm (1); coral trout 45 cm (1); spangled emperor 40 cm; WA salmon 30 cm (4) and tailor 30 cm (8) inside the 16-fish nearshore bag. Closures: Cockburn and Warnbro Sounds 1 Aug – 31 Jan, the Abrolhos baldchin groper closure 1 Oct – 31 Dec, and three separate Shark Bay pink snapper windows (Fish Resources Management Act 1994).
  • •WA weather: the BOM marine wind warning summary for the state — bom.gov.au/marine/lite/warning/IDW20100.shtml. Rules change: check DPIRD before every trip.
    • ⛔ 🚫 Western Australia also protects all rays and skates in the Hamelin Bay Protection Area, the black and smooth stingrays (Bathytoshia) in the South Coast and West Coast bioregions, coral and live rock, and seven native freshwater fishes (fresh water is closed to spearfishing anyway).
    • ⛔ 🚫 Fully protected in Western Australia: whale shark, white shark, grey nurse shark, speartooth shark, all sawfish, potato rockcod, Queensland groper and humphead Maori wrasse. Coral and live rock may not be taken.
    • ⛔ 🚫 Ningaloo Marine Park: between Tantabiddi Well and Winderabandi Point spearfishing is banned outright, and rockcod and wrasse may not be speared anywhere in the park. In Ningaloo and Shark Bay spearfishing on compressed air is prohibited (DPIRD).

    Rules change and vary BY STATE. Before heading out, check with your state's fisheries (NSW DPI, Fisheries QLD, VFA, DPIRD WA, PIRSA, NRE Tas, NT Fisheries) and the marine-park zoning map.

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