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
Portimão / Praia da Rocha — solo, off the rocks
BORDERLINE
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.
Early morning for calm and clarity, before the afternoon sea breeze. Season June–October.
tide
Mid-to-high water: the arches and outer walls work best on a rising/full tide; low tide exposes tunnels and sharp rock.
shelter
South-facing cove; the rock headlands and arches break W swell and shelter from W/NW wind. Open to direct S swell.
conditions
On calm days with swell under ~0.8 m and light wind. Best visibility 7–14 m, June to October.
hazard
Rockfall from undercut limestone cliffs — don't linger under the walls. Entrapment in the arches/fissures if swell builds. Sharp rock at the entry.
access
Cliff stairways from the Três Castelos viewpoint (~120 steps); a rock tunnel links to Praia da Rocha. Enter off the sand, fin up at the water.
The best documented freedive site in Portimão: submerged limestone walls with sponges, moray, conger, grouper, octopus. Concessioned beach — spearfishing banned within 300 m in bathing season (Jun–Sep); off-season only and with a licence.
Mid-morning for visibility and before the sea breeze. Summer to early autumn.
tide
Mid water at the right-side reef; high water exposes fewer sharp rocks, low water reveals pools and the reef.
shelter
South-facing, sheltered by red cliffs; the headland to the west blocks W wind and swell. Rocks and the pinnacle on the right (west) side give cover.
conditions
On calm, low-swell days; clearest mid-morning. S swell on a rising tide turns it murky and dangerous near the rocks.
hazard
Submerged rocks across the swim zone, especially in front of the standalone pinnacle — getting slammed onto rock on the exit if swell runs. Rockfall from the unstable red cliffs.
access
Enter off the sand; best snorkelling is along the rocks on the right (west) side facing the sea. Parking and ramp from the Vau front.
Quieter than Rocha; the right-side rock reef holds fish. Concessioned beach — spearfishing banned within 300 m in bathing season; off-season only and with a licence.
Molhe Leste (molhe da Praia da Rocha)Arade river-mouth jetty
dangerous
⛔ Banned here
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind
window
Daylight only; night spearfishing is banned. Peak season = maximum boats, avoid.
tide
Strong tidal currents at the mouth; the ebb pulls into the channel. Slack water is essential.
shelter
650 m breakwater at the east end of Praia da Rocha, guarding the Arade mouth. The inner (river) side is calm, the ocean side is open to S swell.
conditions
Almost never worth it for spearing — constant vessel traffic. If scouting at all, only in dead calm and quiet-traffic windows.
hazard
Dominant danger is boat traffic — Ferragudo ferries, tour and fishing boats, cruise ships entering Portimão pass right by the jetty. Strong current at the mouth. Slippery, weed-covered breakwater blocks on the exit.
access
Walk out along the jetty from the east end of Praia da Rocha by the Santa Catarina fort; enter off the breakwater blocks. No beach ramp on the ocean side.
Popular for line-fishing off the jetty, NOT a spearing spot: concessioned beach alongside (300 m rule in season) and a busy shipping channel. Land scout only — a genuine red zone because of boats.
Early morning in calm; never at dusk (night spearfishing is illegal and dangerous).
tide
Weak slack tide. Avoid the Arade ebb current, which pulls toward the shipping channel.
shelter
Rocky cape on the east side of the Arade mouth, facing SSW. Sheltered from W wind by the cape itself, but fully open to S swell and surge.
conditions
Only in dead-calm, minimal-swell windows. Any S swell makes the rock entry lethal.
hazard
Heavy surge and shorebreak on the rocks, sinkholes/blowholes where the sea rushes under — entrapment risk. The busy Arade shipping channel is right there: ferries, cruise ships and fishing boats. High cliff, hard entry/exit.
access
From the dirt track by the Ponta do Altar lighthouse, scramble down to the rock shelf (no steps, no beach). Awkward rock entry.
A known cliff-fishing spot, not documented as a dive entry. Scout from land first in dead calm; stay well clear of the shipping channel. Outside the concession, but very treacherous solo.
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».
Alvor — Ria / Praia de Alvor (Windy)Live Windy webcam — Alvor (Ria/beach, next to Portimão). Official keyless player, plays inline. Read the water and swell before you go.camera: windy ↗
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.
Local guide · Portimão / Praia da Rocha
Spearfishing in Portimão / Praia da Rocha: spots, seasons and rules
Updated 2026-07-09 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher
Spearfishing in Portimão works the sheltered south coast of the Algarve, from Praia da Rocha across to the Três Castelos and Vau coves. Because the shore faces south, away from the prevailing westerly swell, the sea is usually calm and the water clearer than the Atlantic west coast, with 7 to 14 metres of visibility from June to October. The catch: these are concessioned beaches, where spearfishing is banned within 300 metres in the bathing season, and the only weather that reaches this coast is a south swell. A national licence is required, breath-hold only.
TL;DR
Documented shore entries: Praia dos Três Castelos, the best-known freedive site, and the quieter Praia do Vau, both south-facing rock coves. Both are concessioned beaches, so spearfishing is banned within 300 m in the bathing season (June to September) and opens off-season, with a licence.
Best window: a south swell under 0.8 m and light wind, with 7 to 14 m of visibility from June to October. The best shore-spearing month is the autumn, once the concession lifts and octopus peaks.
The clearest water is offshore, on the reefs and around the Ocean Revival wreck park, and it is boat-based. Near the Arade river mouth clarity drops and boat traffic is constant.
National rules: licence required, breath-hold only, a signalling buoy within 30 m, minimum sizes (white seabream 17 cm, gilthead 19 cm, sea bass 36 cm), and grouper fully protected.
Best spearfishing spots in Portimão and Praia da Rocha
The two documented entries are south-facing rock coves, sheltered from westerly wind and swell by the headlands and cliffs. Both are concessioned beaches: in the bathing season spearfishing is banned within 300 metres, so shore hunting is off-season only and with a licence. The red spots at the Arade river mouth, Ponta do Altar and the Molhe Leste breakwater, are left out. They carry heavy surge and blowholes on the rock, current at the mouth, and constant traffic from Ferragudo ferries, fishing boats and cruise ships, so they are a land scout only in dead calm.
✓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).
Rules change. Before heading out, check with DGRM / ICNF / Capitania and the defeso table.
Shallow, along the submerged walls
Intermediate; off-season only for spearing
Cliff stairways from the Três Castelos viewpoint, about 120 steps; a rock tunnel links to Praia da Rocha. Enter off the sand.
The best documented freedive site in Portimão: submerged limestone walls with sponges, morays, conger and octopus. Concessioned beach, with spearfishing banned within 300 m in the bathing season (June to September); off-season only and with a licence. Watch for rockfall from the undercut cliffs and entrapment in the arches if the swell builds.
Praia do Vau
Cove sheltered by red cliffs, reef on the right
Shallow, over the reef on the right side
Intermediate, quieter than Rocha
Enter off the sand; the best ground is along the rocks on the right (west) side facing the sea. Parking and a ramp at the Vau front.
Quieter than Praia da Rocha, and the right-side rock reef holds fish. Also concessioned, banned within 300 m in the bathing season; off-season only and with a licence. Submerged rocks sit across the swim zone, worst in front of the standalone pinnacle, and they are dangerous on the exit if a south swell runs.
When is the best time to spearfish in the Algarve?
Autumn is the best time to hunt from shore in Portimão. This coast faces south, unlike the Atlantic west coast, and it is not an upwelling coast, so the water warms and clears through the summer: 7 to 14 metres of visibility from June to October. The snag is the bathing season. From June to September spearfishing is banned within 300 metres of the concessioned beaches, which are exactly the best coves. The free window opens in October, when the concession lifts, octopus peaks, and seabream and gilthead are still on the reef. The one direction this coast is open to is a south swell; on a south swell and a rising tide the coves cloud over and the rock exits turn dangerous.
What fish can you spearfish in Portimão?
The species and minimum sizes are national, the same across mainland Portugal. On the shallow south-coast reef you mostly find white seabream (minimum 17 cm, April to September), gilthead bream (19 cm, very skittish, taken static over sand or weed) and black seabream (23 cm), with sea bass (36 cm) in the shallows at dawn and dusk. Octopus, capped by a minimum weight of 750 g, peaks in autumn. Salema is there all year in the first few metres, but do not eat the head or guts. Grouper is fully protected and may not be taken, and so are seahorses. Spider crab has a closed season from 15 February to 15 June.
How is the water visibility in Praia da Rocha?
Visibility comes down to the south swell, the tide and how close you are to the Arade river mouth. Because the coast is sheltered, it is usually calm and clear in summer, 7 to 14 metres in the coves, but river outflow and busy beaches cloud the water by the town. The clearest water is offshore, on the reefs and around the Ocean Revival wreck park, where the spearfishing is boat-based. On a south swell and a rising tide the water shuts down fast, worst at Vau in front of the rocks. Check the live forecast and the Praia da Rocha cameras before you go.
FAQ
Where can you spearfish in Portimão?
The documented shore entries are Praia dos Três Castelos and Praia do Vau, two south-facing rock coves. Both are concessioned, so spearfishing is banned within 300 metres in the bathing season and only opens off-season, with a licence. In the bathing season the best spearfishing is boat-based, out on the offshore reefs and around the Ocean Revival wreck park.
Do I need a license to spearfish in Portimão?
Yes. The spearfishing licence is national, required from age 16, and costs about 25 euros a year, with daily and monthly options. Spearfishing is allowed on breath-hold only. Check the current rules with the DGRM before you go.
Do tourists need a spearfishing license in Portugal?
Yes. There is no tourist exemption; visitors need the same national licence as residents, and it covers the whole coast. It can be arranged online through the DGRM. A signalling buoy is mandatory and must stay within 30 metres of you.
How far from the beach can you spearfish in Portugal?
At concessioned beaches, spearfishing is banned within 300 metres during the bathing season, which in the Algarve runs mainly from June to September. Outside the season it opens, with a licence. At all times the signalling buoy must stay within 30 metres of the diver.
Is night spearfishing allowed in Portugal?
No. Spearfishing is allowed in daylight only, between sunrise and sunset. Using an artificial light to find or attract fish is banned; a torch is for safety only.
What is the minimum size for gilthead bream in Portugal?
Gilthead bream has a minimum size of 19 cm in Portugal. On the same coast, white seabream is 17 cm, black seabream 23 cm, sea bass 36 cm and meagre 42 cm; octopus is capped by weight at 750 g. These are national figures.
Portugal
Spain