Póvoa de Varzim spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras

Póvoa de Varzim · Portugal
5.3
wave 0.5 m head-on
visibility4m

Today — right on the edge — wave, wind and visibility.

Sources: IPMA · NDBC · Copernicus — high confidence · data 13:11

Sources & confidence

Sources
IPMA · NDBC buoys · Copernicus Marine
Method
Model consensus, read per window
Freshness
Re-read every hour, per coast

Compiled by the spearo sea-state engine

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.

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.
Wind & gusts
Speed and gusts, hour by hour — wind speed and an onshore push chop the surface and cut visibility.
Tide phase
Timing and range of the tide, calibrated per coast — big spring tides pull the verdict toward caution.
Water temperature
Sea-surface temperature — sharply cold water vetoes a green verdict.
Currents & outflow
Direction and drift of the current — it pushes you, and it drags turbid coastal water across where you dive.
Rain runoff & air clarity
Rain muddies the water inshore through land runoff, while fog and haze cut visibility at the surface.
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 — forced red; the window is closed after dark.

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 13:11
Póvoa de Varzim — solo, off the rocks
BORDERLINE
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site · northerly wind picks up after midday
wave 0.5 m head-onwind 12 km/hvisibility ~6 mwindow 12:00–21:00
today, best window 15:00–18:00
fish · Visibility 6 m · Water 21.9°C
confidence medium · verdict for the selected day
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.

Wednesday · today2026-07-22
06:20–21:02 · first quarter
▼ 03:00▲ 09:00▼ 16:00▲ 22:00 · 1.4 m
Hours (06→20)
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide0.12 m
Wave0.46 m
Wind3 km/h
Water22 °C
fish activity: moonset 00:35 · moderate · moon underfoot 08:00 · high · moonrise 15:25 · moderate · moon overhead 20:10 · high
Conditions window12:00–15:00
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site fish ·
Hs 0.50 mperiod 5.2 s head-onwind 11→22surge 0.7viz 4 m
0.50 mup to ~1.00 · 321° head-on
5.2 sswell moderate
11→22gusts 22 km/h
0.7weak surge
0.06m/s
4 mrecent swell
21.4°C5 mm + hood
▼16:00tide falling
Atmosphere31 kmovercast
moderatemoonrise
  • northerly wind picks up after midday
  • ebb — weaker inshore
confidence mediumday
Open the seafloor map with entry points

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

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Android beta — QR code
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: 1152 spots across 189 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
Cabo de Santo André / Praia de Dois CabosAver-o-Mar
dangerous
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
Daylight only, in the calmest window (usually early morning). Cold Costa Verde water — best viz late spring to autumn.
tide
Low water exposes the most reef structure of the cape but also worsens the shorebreak and entrapment risk against the rocks; mid-tide on the flood is safer for the exit.
shelter
Essentially none: the granitic-gneiss cape is the most prominent, exposed structure on the coast and catches swell from every westerly direction. The tiny Dois Cabos beach is wedged between the large rocks of the cape.
hazard
Entrapment against the cape rocks as swell builds and strong currents around the prominent point — a lethal scenario solo. A rising set cuts off the rock exit. Scout from land first.
access
On foot along the coastal marginal between Quião and Fragosinho to the cape rocks; enter off the tiny Dois Cabos beach between the large rocks. No easy exit — plan your retreat.

The best hard-bottom structure for sargo/robalo in the whole area, but also the most dangerous; the exact entry point is undocumented — scout from land first.

Google Maps
Praia VerdeCity centre / Póvoa de Varzim
closed
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
Early morning only, before bathers and traffic — this is a busy urban beach. Best viz late spring to autumn. Daylight only.
tide
Low-to-mid tide exposes the centre and south rocks and the embedded old ruins — structure that holds fish; watch the exit rocks at low water.
shelter
Rock formations in the centre and south of the beach give some structure and break the wave in places, but this is an open urban seafront with no real shelter from NW swell.
hazard
Busy Blue-Flag swimming beach: in summer hunting in the bathing zone is banned and a genuine conflict with swimmers; plus shorebreak onto the centre/south rocks and embedded ruins as swell builds.
access
Access from Avenida Vasco da Gama or Avenida dos Banhos, right in the town centre; enter off the sand toward the centre/south rocks.

Urban beach — handy for a scout and breath-hold training, but secondary as a hunting entry; in summer avoid the bathing zone and stay outside 50 m of swimmers.

Google Maps
Praia do QuiãoAver-o-Mar
closed
best candidate for today
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
Early morning before the thermal wind builds; best viz late spring to autumn (cold Costa Verde water). Daylight only — night spearfishing is banned.
tide
Low-to-mid tide opens up the rock clusters and reef; the rich tide-pool life is exposed at low water. Avoid a low-tide bottom with swell against the exit rocks.
shelter
Rock clusters break the swell into four small coves of calmer water and give some lee from a southerly wind behind the outcrops. There is no real shelter from the dominant NW Atlantic swell on this open coast.
hazard
Rip currents along the rock fingers and shorebreak onto the exit rocks as swell builds are the dominant danger; on this cold, open Atlantic it is easy to overcommit. Time entries and exits to the lull between sets.
access
Drop in via Rua da Praia do Quião or Rua do Sargaceiro; park by the beach and enter off the sand between rock fingers into a calmer cove.

The wildest, least-crowded stretch of the Póvoa coast, south of Cabo de Santo André; traditional seaweed harvesting. Stay outside 50 m of the supervised swimming zone (summer: Jun 15 – Sep 15).

Google Maps
Praia do Fragosinho (Farol)Aver-o-Mar
closed
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
Early morning before the wind and before the fishing boats head out; best viz late spring to autumn. Daylight only.
tide
Mid-tide — the rocky flanks work as shelter and the sand entry stays clean; at a big low the end rocks are exposed. Entering on the flood is calmer.
shelter
Two rocky flanks form a cove (the old Portinho da Fragosa) with notably calmer water — the best natural shelter on this coast. From a direct NW swell the flanks only partly protect.
hazard
Active fishing-boat traffic through the cove mouth (a historic fishing portinho) — fly a dive float and never surface in the channel. Plus shorebreak onto the rocky flanks as swell builds.
access
Drop in via Avenida dos Pescadores or Rua do Agro Velho; park in the northern section and enter off the sand inside the cove between the rocky flanks.

The most sheltered entry in the area and therefore the best plan B; in summer it is a supervised beach (Jun 15 – Sep 15), stay outside 50 m of the swimming zone and watch for boats.

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.

One morning glance — and you know.

Download on theApp StoreGET IT ONGoogle Play

Android: the public release is in Google Play review — leave your email and we'll send beta access today.

Android beta — QR code
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.

In season now: Sea bass, White seabream, Gilthead bream, Salema, Meagre, Mullet · coming soon: Octopus (Sep)

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).
  • Tainha (mullet)
    0–2 m · — · —
    Extremely wary; murky water HINDERS it. Opportunistic, in calm coves.
  • Corvina (meagre)
    1–6 m (marginal) · — · twilight
    Near the Tagus mouth, NOT on the Guincho rocks. Adults mostly at 5–75 m. ⚠️ CLOSED 1–30 June (defeso).
  • 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 (16+), daily/monthly/annual (~€25/yr). Speargun = licence required.
  • ✓Hand-gathering shellfish with NO gear — no licence; but if a speargun is on the dive, a spearfishing licence is required.
  • ✓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.
  • ✓Signalling buoy MANDATORY for spearfishing: buoy/float with an «Alfa» flag (red/orange/yellow, ≥8 L), no more than 30 m from the diver.
  • ✓Spearfishing daily limit: fish + cephalopods — 15 kg (excluding the largest specimen). General rod-and-line recreational fishing — 10 kg.
  • ✓Invertebrates (including spider crab) — 2 kg/day total.
  • ✓Spider crab: min. carapace 12 cm; (closed season) 15.02–15.06 — applies to recreational gathering too.
  • ✓Min. sizes: robalo 36 cm, sargo 17 cm, dourada 19 cm, choupa 23 cm, corvina 42 cm; octopus 750 g.
  • ✓Grouper — fully protected, may not be taken.
  • ⛔ Grouper (Epinephelus) — fully protected, capture PROHIBITED.
  • ⛔ Seahorses (Hippocampus) — protected.

Rules change. Before heading out, check with DGRM / ICNF / Capitania and the defeso table.

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 · Póvoa de Varzim

Spearfishing in Póvoa de Varzim: spots, seasons and rules

Updated 2026-07-09 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher

Spearfishing in Póvoa de Varzim is about the rocky fingers north of the marina, not the whole urban beach front. Praia do Quião is the best listed entry, with small coves and rock structure. Fragosinho is the more sheltered fallback by the old fishing cove. Praia Verde is useful for early scouting or training, but crowded. Cabo de Santo André has strong structure, yet it is red/scout and not a recommendation.

TL;DR

  • Póvoa de Varzim is exposed west-facing coast with sand, rock fields and swell-dependent visibility.
  • Quião is the strongest listed entry; Fragosinho is the sheltered plan B; Praia Verde is urban and secondary.
  • Cabo de Santo André is red/scout, so it is excluded despite its hard-bottom structure.

Best spearfishing spots in Póvoa de Varzim

Only yellow, non-scout entries are listed. All need small clean swell and distance from bathing zones.

SpotTypeDepthLevelAccessNotes
Praia do QuiãoRock fingers and small covesShallow to mid rocky fingersIntermediate to advancedRua da Praia do Quião or Rua do Sargaceiro, parking by the beachWildest and least crowded listed entry. Good for sargo and bass on small swell, with exits timed between sets.
Praia do Fragosinho (Farol)Cove between rocky flanksShallow to mid at the mouth and sidesIntermediateAvenida dos Pescadores or Rua do Agro Velho, enter from the sand inside the coveMost sheltered local fallback. Watch fishing boats through the cove mouth and shorebreak on the flanks.
Praia VerdeUrban beach with rock outcropsShallow centre and south rocksIntermediate in calm waterAvenida Vasco da Gama or Avenida dos Banhos, enter from sand toward the rocksSecondary hunting entry, useful for early scouting. Avoid the bathing zone completely in summer.

When are Póvoa conditions worth it?

Aim for late spring to autumn, early morning, light wind and clean swell below about 1 m. Quião needs the small coves to settle; Fragosinho can be more forgiving because of its rocky flanks; Praia Verde only makes sense when the beach is quiet. Low to mid tide reveals rock, but exits get sharper if sets are running. Cabo de Santo André is excluded because red/scout means rock entrapment, current around the point and no easy retreat.

FAQ

What is the best Póvoa de Varzim entry?

Praia do Quião, because it has the best recommended rock fingers and lower crowding.

Is Fragosinho safer?

It is more sheltered, but fishing boats and shorebreak on the rocky sides remain serious concerns.

Why exclude Cabo de Santo André?

It is marked red/scout, with exposed rock, strong current around the point and difficult exits.

What improves visibility?

A prolonged calm spell, small swell and early timing. After rough seas, the west-facing coast turns murky.

Do Portugal rules apply?

Yes. License from 16, breath-hold only, daylight only, flagged buoy within 30 m and minimum sizes.

Sources

Region: North

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