Qatif — Tarout/Darin freediving & snorkelling forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras
Today — right on the edge — wave, wind and visibility.
Sources: Open-Meteo · Copernicus — high confidence · data 16:35
Sources & confidence
- Sources
- Open-Meteo · Copernicus
- 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.
- 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 — 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
Surface
Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.
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.
- wind 19 km/h
- murky water (visibility ~2 m)
- flood — water rising
The water column
Visibility and what drives it — post-storm clearing, river plume, temperature and the thermocline.
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: 3094 spots across 421 stretches of coast — mainland Portugal, Madeira and the Azores.
See all spotsThe seabed
Relief and bottom type, tides, and the depths of each spot.
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.
No verified spots here yet
The forecast is calculated for the shore next to the town.
Saudi Arabia: the fisheries ministry (MEWA) treats spearguns as prohibited fishing gear under the Agriculture Law (Royal Decree M/64) and seizes them on both coasts — spearfishing is not permitted; the forecast is for freediving and snorkelling. Farasan Islands, Jubail wildlife sanctuary and other reserves are protected. Grouper and parrotfish are closed on the Red Sea in April–May; shrimp seasons apply.
Surfacing
Cameras, map and reference — to hand as you come up.
Live cameras, map & reference
What's in season,
what the law says.
- no targets this month
Saudi Arabia: the fisheries ministry (MEWA) treats spearguns as prohibited fishing gear under the Agriculture Law (Royal Decree M/64) and seizes them on both coasts — spearfishing is not permitted; the forecast is for freediving and snorkelling. Farasan Islands, Jubail wildlife sanctuary and other reserves are protected. Grouper and parrotfish are closed on the Red Sea in April–May; shrimp seasons apply.
- 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 Qatif — Tarout/Darin
Where can I spearfish in Qatif — Tarout/Darin?
Island village with mangroves and a fishing harbour in shallow, turbid Tarout Bay. Check today's forecast above and pick a calm-sea day, always with a marker buoy.
When is the best season in Qatif — Tarout/Darin?
October–May; summer brings 40 °C+ heat, haze and 32–35 °C water. The shamal (Nov–Mar, Jun–Jul) stirs the shallow Gulf — the clearest water comes in calm spells of spring and autumn.
How cold is the water in Qatif — Tarout/Darin?
16–20 °C in winter, 32–35 °C in summer; visibility 2–6 m, up to 8–10 m on the reefs in calm spells.
Is Qatif — Tarout/Darin good for a beginner?
Easy–moderate: shallow and warm, but heat, shipping and murky water; spearfishing is not permitted (MEWA) — the forecast is for freediving and snorkelling.
Do I need a licence in Qatif — Tarout/Darin?
Qatif — Tarout/Darin: Saudi Arabia: the fisheries ministry (MEWA) treats spearguns as prohibited fishing gear under the Agriculture Law (Royal Decree M/64) and seizes them on both coasts — spearfishing is not permitted; the forecast is for freediving and snorkelling. Farasan Islands, Jubail wildlife sanctuary and other reserves are protected. Grouper and parrotfish are closed on the Red Sea in April–May; shrimp seasons apply.
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Spots in Saudi Arabia
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Arabian Gulf coast (Eastern Province)
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