Today — right on the edge — wave, wind and visibility.
Sources & confidence
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.
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.
Safety gates
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
Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.
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.
Leave your email — and the moment a window opens at San Felipe, we'll send the go / no-go verdict. Email is all we need.
Every covered town has its own live forecast, cameras and entry points. Choose where you're diving.
What's missing? Tell us what you'd like to see — new spots, species, data or features. We read everything.
Visibility and what drives it — post-storm clearing, river plume, temperature and the thermocline.
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: 1391 spots across 205 stretches of coast — mainland Portugal, Madeira and the Azores.
See all spotsRelief and bottom type, tides, and the depths of each spot.
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.
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 mapOpen water 10–13 km south of San Felipe, listed at 3–10 m, by boat — no source confirms a reef here. ⚠️ The point sits ~1 km off the SW corner of the vaquita refuge, which is under permanent navy patrol. Do not go any closer.
Google MapsVolcanic village 76 km south of San Felipe, known for its tidal hot-spring pools; rock right at the edge, 3–15 m, on foot or by panga. It falls outside every protected polygon of the Upper Gulf. Coords approx.
Google MapsBeach and sandbar coast ~20 km south of San Felipe, reached by the coast road, 3–12 m. What runs the show is the Upper Gulf's extreme tidal range — pools form between the bars. Rock is sparse. Coords approx.
Google MapsSOLO 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.
Cameras, map and reference — to hand as you come up.
Spearfishing in San Felipe should be planned south of the protected Upper Gulf core. The area has large 6-7 m tides, so the safe window is slack water, not the middle of the tide change. Listed options are rocky reefs south of San Felipe in 3-10 m, Puertecitos in 3-15 m and Punta Estrella in 3-12 m, all outside reserves here. The Upper Gulf Reserve and vaquita refuge to the north are treated as no-shoot, and totoaba is never a target. Mexico requires a CONAPESCA/SADER permit, apnea only and five fish per day.
First rule out the protected core, then pick shallow rock south of town and time it around slack water.
| Spot | Type | Depth | Level | Access | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reefs south of San Felipe | Rocky reefs outside the Upper Gulf core | 3-10 m | Intermediate; boat-based | Boat south of town | Shallow does not mean easy; current timing and exit plan matter. |
| Puertecitos | Rocky reef | 3-15 m | Intermediate | Confirm shore or local boat access | Legal outside reserves, with cabrilla, pez fuerte, barracuda and grouper listed. |
| Punta Estrella | Rocky reef | 3-12 m | Intermediate | South of San Felipe, confirm entry | Huachinango, grouper and snapper are noted. Avoid the tide change if current is running. |
Slack water is the main condition. The area has tides up to 6-7 m and strong current at the turn. Use tide tables, wind and direct observation because there is no nearby buoy nearby. If the boundary of the protected core is uncertain, do not shoot.
SpainRules change. Before heading out, check with CONAPESCA/SADER (E5CINCO permit), CONANP (no-take marine ANPs) and NOM-059; apnea only.
Yes. Mexico requires an individual recreational sport-fishing permit.
No. Treat the Upper Gulf and vaquita core as no-shoot.
Around slack water; tide changes can create strong current.
No. Spearfishing is apnea only.
This guide uses the national five-fish daily limit.
Portugal
