Sagres spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras

Sagres · Portugal
5.2
wave 1 m
visibility2m

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

Sources: IPMA · NDBC · Copernicus — high confidence · data 01:43

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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Android beta — QR code
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0 m

Surface

Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.

spearo.app
calmupdated 01:43
Sagres — solo, off the rocks
BORDERLINE
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site · wave 1.0 m + swell period 6 s
wave 1 mwind 25, gusts 47 km/hvisibility ~3 mwindow 06:00–21:00
today, best window 06:00–09:00
fish · Visibility 3 m · Water 17.5°C
confidence medium · verdict for the selected day
Before entering, check the camera and the surge
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.

Thursday · today2026-07-23
06:33–20:50 · first quarter
▼ 04:00▲ 10:00▼ 16:00▲ 23:00 · 1.1 m
Hours (06→20)
06
09
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide0.06 m
Wave1.00 m
Wind20 km/h
Water18 °C
fish activity: moonset 01:16 · moderate · moon underfoot 08:40 · high · moonrise 16:15 · moderate · moon overhead 21:00 · high
Conditions window06:00–09:00
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site fish ·
Hs 0.96 mperiod 6.4 swind 25→47surge 0.4viz 2 m
0.96 mup to ~1.92 · 315° at an angle
6.4 sswell moderate
25→47gusts 47 km/h
0.4weak surge
0.31m/s
2 mrecent swell
17.5°C5 mm + hood
▲10:00tide rising
Atmosphere20 kmovercast
highmoon underfoot
  • wave 1.0 m + swell period 6 s
  • steep wind-wave — choppy surface, careful on entry
  • flood — water rising
confidence mediumtwilight
Open the seafloor map with entry points

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

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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
−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
Praia da MaretaMareta bay, Sagres town
borderline
best candidate for today
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind
window
Early morning before the sea breeze and beach crowds; best season late spring to autumn for cleaner water. Mind the 200 m rule off the lifeguarded swimming zone in summer.
tide
Best on a higher or mid tide; at low water the submerged rocks on the flanks break the surface and the exit over them gets awkward.
shelter
South-facing bay walled by cliffs on both sides — it kills the dominant W/NW Atlantic swell and the NW wind. The most sheltered entry in Sagres, flat most of the year.
hazard
The dominant danger is current along the rocky flanks — forums and dive shops explicitly warn of strong current off the 'Telheiro restaurant' rocks — plus hidden rocks on the flank exits. Solo: flagged buoy mandatory, hug the rock line, not open water.
access
Walk in from Sagres centre via the N268, parking and steps down to the sand; gentle sandy entry in the middle, swim out to the rock structure on the left (Telheiro) or right.

Sagres' classic shore-spear entry: sand in the middle to get in, rock on the flanks for fish (sea bream, bass, octopus). Don't hunt inside the lifeguarded swimming zone.

Google Maps
Telheiro / west headland of MaretaWest headland of Mareta bay (Telheiro do Infante) · Telheiro / Ponta da Mareta (recife oeste)
borderline
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind
window
Early morning calm before the breeze. Late spring to autumn. This is fish structure (rocks, gullies, octopus), not a sand beach.
tide
Higher or mid tide — at low water the reef shallows out, with surge and an entrapment risk between the rocks.
shelter
Same south aspect as Mareta but the reef juts west toward the headland, so W swell wraps onto it more. Cliff-sheltered from the NW wind but less protected than the beach centre.
hazard
Dive operators flag strong current here and rocks/caves — solo risk is high: drift along the headland plus surge slamming the exit rocks as swell builds. Calm only, with a buoy, ideally with a buddy.
access
From the left (west) end of Praia da Mareta, below the Telheiro do Infante restaurant: drop to the sand and swim/scramble out to the reef. Shares Mareta's parking.

This is the reef 'in front of Telheiro' that dive guides and forums call the bay's best fish structure — rocks, caves, variety. Quiet, but more technical than the beach itself.

Google Maps
Praia do TonelWest-facing beach below Sagres fortress
dangerous
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
Only early morning on a rare swell-less day. Never solo in winter.
tide
Even small swell on the wrong tide turns the beach into a heavy closeout — pick a higher tide and a calm window, or don't enter at all.
shelter
Essentially unsheltered: faces due west and takes any Atlantic swell at full force. The side rocks give only slight shelter from N/E wind, never from the swell.
hazard
Serious danger: powerful closeout surf, strong rips and submerged rocks (especially on the right). Guides explicitly warn non-experts off swimming. For solo spearing this is a scout-from-land spot, not an entry, until you've seen it genuinely flat.
access
Steps from the car park by Sagres fortress down to the sand. Water straight off the beach, but the exit is governed by incoming surf.

Sagres' most famous surf break — by default not a hunting spot. Look first from the fortress clifftop; only enter if it's truly calm. Otherwise skip it and fish Mareta.

Google Maps
Praia do MartinhalBaleeira / Martinhal bay, east of town
closed
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind
window
Mornings before the wind (NW/W reliably picks up by afternoon). Summer for clarity and warmer water.
tide
Any tide, though a higher tide gives more water over the sand and easier reach to the rock edges. Very gentle entry.
shelter
The most sheltered water in Sagres: a wide E/SE-facing bay protected from the dominant NW wind and W swell. Often glassy, hence the snorkel, windsurf and SUP scene.
hazard
Water hazards are low — it's a family paddling beach. Real risks: boats and dive RIBs running to the islets and Baleeira harbour (fly a flagged buoy), and weever fish in the sand. Afternoon wind pushes you offshore.
access
Access and parking by the Martinhal resort east of town; gentle sandy walk-in from the beach. The Baleeira harbour mole is right next door — spearfishing is banned there (harbour entrance).

IMPORTANT: the Ilhotes do Martinhal are a marine reserve (Partial Protection I, no-take since 2011) — spearfishing is BANNED there; the beach itself is a bathing beach (200 m rule). Great for scouting/snorkel, but as a hunting spot it's essentially off-limits.

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.

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Android beta — QR code
point your camera
≈

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».

connecting to the stream…
● LIVE↗
Sagres — Praia do Martinhal (Windy)Live Windy webcam — Praia do Martinhal (Sagres). Official keyless player, plays inline. Read the water and swell before you go.camera: windy ↗
connecting to the stream…
● LIVE↗
Sagres — Porto da Baleeira (Windy)Live Windy webcam — Baleeira harbour (Sagres). Official keyless player, plays inline. Read the water and swell before you go.camera: windy ↗
connecting to the stream…
● LIVE↗
Sagres — Praia da Mareta (Windy)Live Windy webcam — Praia da Mareta (Sagres). Official keyless player, plays inline. Read the water and swell before you go.camera: windy ↗
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 · Sagres

Spearfishing in Sagres: spots, seasons and rules

Updated 2026-07-09 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher

Sagres is one of Portugal’s strongest spearfishing areas because the town has both west and south coasts. When west swell is running, Mareta often stays sheltered; when S or SE swell arrives, that bay can close quickly. For shore spearing, use Mareta as the practical entry and Telheiro as the more technical reef. Martinhal is calm but tied to protected no-take islets, and Tonel is a red/scout surf beach.

TL;DR

  • Sagres is about choosing the lee side between west and south exposures.
  • Mareta is the classic sheltered entry; Telheiro has better structure but more current and surge.
  • Martinhal is protected/no-take context, and Tonel is red/scout, so neither is recommended.

Best spearfishing spots in Sagres

Only non-red, non-scout entries are listed. Check local park rules before entering.

SpotTypeDepthLevelAccessNotes
Praia da MaretaSouth-facing bay with sand and rocky flanksShallow to mid rocky edgesIntermediateFrom Sagres centre via N268, parking and steps to the sandClassic shore entry. Good on W/NW swell; poor when S or SE swell enters the bay.
Telheiro / Ponta da MaretaReef on the west side of Mareta bayShallow to mid rock, cracks and gulliesCareful advancedLeft end of Mareta below Telheiro do Infante, then swim or scramble to the reefMore fish structure and fewer people, but stronger current and surge. Use a buoy and a clear exit plan.

How do Sagres conditions work?

Choose exposure first. Mareta and Telheiro face south and are sheltered from the dominant W/NW swell and nortada, so they can be glassy while the west coast is breaking. South or southeast swell is the bad setup for the bay. Go early, before wind and beach traffic. There are cameras for Mareta, Martinhal and Baleeira, useful for checking sea state and boat traffic.

FAQ

What is the best Sagres shore entry?

Mareta is the most practical. Telheiro has better structure but is more technical.

Can I spearfish Martinhal?

Do not treat it as a hunting recommendation. The islets are no-take and the beach has bathing conflicts.

Why exclude Tonel?

It is red/scout: exposed west surf, closeouts, rips and submerged rocks.

What swell is bad for Mareta?

South and southeast swell. West or northwest swell is usually blocked better by the bay shape.

Which Portugal rules apply?

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

Sources

Region: Algarve

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