Puerto Madryn spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras

• amberjack (sea salmon)
  Seriola lalandi · 3–30 m · legal
  Chubut: free permit + Valdés cupo (2 fish >5 kg / 4 fish <5 kg). Respect it.
• grouper
  Acanthistius spp. · 3–30 m · legal
• yellowtail
  Seriola lalandi · 3–30 m · legal
• sea bass (chernia)
  Polyprion americanus · 8–40 m · legal
• flathead
  Percophis brasiliensis · 2–25 m · legal
• croaker
  Micropogonias furnieri · 1–20 m · ❓ consulta AUNAP
  ⚠️ Buenos Aires: spearfishing is NOT regulated (grey zone). No published size or quota — we do not promote «go and shoot» on natives until the province text is verified. Check first.

• ✓The licence is PROVINCIAL. In the Patagonian sea (Río Negro — Las Grutas; Chubut — Puerto Madryn) spearfishing is allowed: Chubut issues a FREE spearfishing licence. In Buenos Aires (Mar del Plata) you get the sport-fishing licence via Ciudadano Digital and spearfishing is regulated by Flora y Fauna.
• ✓The Patagonian Continental Sport-Fishing rules ban spearfishing ONLY in inland waters (rivers/lakes) — NOT the sea. Respect provincial sizes/quotas (grouper, salmón de mar, amberjack) and closed zones.

• ⛔ 🚫 All National Parks (Islote Lobos, Monte León, PN Tierra del Fuego; APN Res 199/2024) — spearfishing banned. Península Valdés / Puerto Pirámides — whale sanctuary: no-take.
• ⛔ ⚠️ Buenos Aires: spearfishing not regulated (grey zone) — do not hunt natives until the province text is verified. Río Negro Ley 5.706/2024: apnea only, no night.
• ⛔ Sea lions, penguins, cetaceans and seabirds — protected; do not disturb.

Rules are PROVINCIAL and vary. Before heading out, check with your province's authority (Chubut — free licence; Río Negro; Buenos Aires — Ciudadano Digital / Flora y Fauna); sea spearfishing is allowed, banned only in inland waters.

• 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.