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

• mahi-mahimin 80 cm
  Coryphaena hippurus · 0–30 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
  ⚠️ Closed 1 Jul–7 Oct. Minimum size 80 cm (TL) — the only regulated size in Ecuador.
• wahoo
  Acanthocybium solandri · 0–30 m · legal
• yellowfin tuna
  Thunnus albacares · 0–40 m · legal
• Pacific sierra
  Scomberomorus sierra · 0–20 m · legal
• almaco jack
  Seriola rivoliana · 5–35 m · legal
• snapper
  Lutjanus argentiventris · 3–30 m · legal
• croaker
  Cynoscion spp. · 2–25 m · legal
• snook
  Centropomus spp. · 0–15 m · legal
• grouper
  Epinephelus / Mycteroperca spp. · 5–40 m · legal
  No national minimum size (verified:false). Slow-growing — set an ethical limit.
• sand/rock bass
  Paralabrax spp. · 2–25 m · legal
• pompano
  Trachinotus spp. · 0–15 m · legal
• barracuda
  Sphyraena spp. · 0–25 m · legal
• roosterfish
  Nematistius pectoralis · 0–15 m · legal
  Usually catch-and-release sport. No national size.

• ✓Authority: Viceministerio de Acuacultura y Pesca (Ministry of Production). Coastal recreational spearfishing is lightly regulated, but mind closed seasons and sizes.
• ✓Dorado (mahi): closed 1 Jul–7 Oct and 80 cm (LT) minimum — the only regulated size in Ecuador. PN Machalilla and the Galápagos Marine Reserve are no-take.

• ⛔ 🚫 Plan de Acción Tiburones: 9 sharks (white, whale, hammerhead ×4, oceanic, basking, bonnethead), manta (Manta birostris) and sawfish (Pristis pristis) — take/sale BANNED. Finning («aleteo») banned.
• ⛔ Sea turtles and marine mammals — no-take.
• ⛔ 🚫 Galápagos Marine Reserve and Machalilla NP (Isla de la Plata/Salango) — marine-resource extraction banned; hunting banned. REMAPE (El Pelado, Ayangue) — core reserve, hunting restricted.

Rules change. Before heading out, check with the Viceministerio de Acuacultura y Pesca (Ministry of Production); respect the dorado closure (1 Jul–7 Oct, 80 cm) and the no-take zones (PN Machalilla, Galápagos).

• 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.