San Vito lo Capo spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility & live cameras

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◈San Vito lo Capo · Italy
2.5
wave 2.5 m head-on
visibility~1m

Nottoday

Today — sit it out — wave, wind and surge pounding.

Sources: MeteoAlarm · buoys · Open-Meteo · Copernicus · Sentinel-2 — high confidence · data 21:16

Sources & confidence

Sources
MeteoAlarm · buoys · Open-Meteo · Copernicus · Sentinel-2
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.

01
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.
02
Wind & gusts
Speed and gusts, hour by hour — wind speed and an onshore push chop the surface and cut visibility.
03
Tide phase
Timing and range of the tide, calibrated per coast — big spring tides pull the verdict toward caution.
04
Water temperature
Sea-surface temperature — sharply cold water vetoes a green verdict.
05
Currents & outflow
Direction and drift of the current — it pushes you, and it drags turbid coastal water across where you dive.
06
Rain runoff & air clarity
Rain muddies the water inshore through land runoff, while fog and haze cut visibility at the surface.
07
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.

Entry pointsNo-take zonesLive cams

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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0 m

Surface

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

spearo.app
MeteoAlarm no dataupdated 21:16
San Vito lo Capo — solo, off the rocks
DON'T GO
don't go · wave 2.5 m (occasionally up to ~5.0 m)
wave 2.5 m head-onwind 22, gusts 45 km/hsurge pounding the rocksvisibility ~1 m
today, best window 06:00–09:00
fish · Visibility 1 m · Water 22.4°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.

Sunday · today2026-10-25
07:27–18:18 · full moon
▼ 02:00▲ 09:00▼ 15:00▲ 21:00 · 0.3 m
Hours (06→20)
06
09
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide-0.40 m
Wave1.46 m
Wind12 km/h
Water22 °C
fish activity: moonset 06:32 · moderate · moon underfoot 12:00 · high · moonrise 17:37 · moderate · moon overhead 00:00 · high
Conditions window06:00–09:00
don't go fish
Hs 2.50 m · roughperiod 7.8 s head-onwind 22→45surge 9.7viz 1 m
2.50 mrough · up to ~5.00 · 339° head-on
7.8 sswell moderate
22→45gusts 45 km/h
9.7pounding the rocks
0.25m/s
1 mrecent swell
22.4°C5 mm + hood
▲09:00tide turn near
Atmosphere36 kmovercast
moderatemoonset
  • wave 2.5 m (occasionally up to ~5.0 m)
  • steep wind-wave — choppy surface, careful on entry
  • dawn/dusk
confidence mediumtwilight
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spearo.app · a private marine instrument · San Vito lo Capo · a planner, not a safety guaranteePrivacy
Today
Notify me
Map
Best window · next 3 days
borderlineTuesday · 18:00–21:00
you can see ~3 m ahead fish

ℹ️ Conservative visibility estimate kept

Palermo buoy: wave 2.6 m · 1 h ago

transparency ~23 m · satellite, 2 days agosatellite estimate · may differ right at the shore

〜 tide is minor here

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−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: 3016 spots across 406 stretches of coast — mainland Portugal, Madeira and the Azores.

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−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 →
🔒 Cala Bue Marino (Macari)San Vito lo Capo
dangerous
Pro · subscribers
exposed head-on to the swell today (city-level)
window
—

The full spot briefing is part of the subscription: entry, bottom, hazards, tide window.

Open in the app →
Cala MancinaSan Vito lo Capo
dangerous
exposed head-on to the swell today (city-level)
window
At San Vito lo Capo it is worth losing ten minutes to check the local order rather than arguing about it later. With ten metres of water 560 m from the shore, the band where you meet the local orders is all of it right here. Under a high coast the light goes before the clock says it should. The last stretch, the 560 m out to ten metres of water, is the one you will swim tired: put it in the day's arithmetic.
tide
Swell from the east moves more water in ten minutes than the tide moves in six hours. The level moves by a few centimetres and opens or closes no passage at all. Water pushing you towards the east, that is towards the open sea, is the signal to come out. A surge pushed by Levante can raise the level more than the tide itself.
shelter
The coast here runs N–S and opens to the east: that is what decides which forecast to read. In a bay like this the shelter is a few tens of metres wide, tucked against the windward point rather than in the middle of the arc, and in a hard Levante not even that. Still water behind a shelter can hide current just outside it. A metre of long swell from the east is worth more than two metres of short chop raised inshore.
conditions
With twenty metres at 1100 m from the shore the session is organised in bands rather than in points. The outside water arrives when the wind from the west pushes it in; with an old sea it stays offshore for days. At San Vito lo Capo it pays to come out feeling you stopped early. By 560 m from the shore you already know whether it is worth going on.
hazard
In an inlet the murky water hides the bottom and whatever has ended up on it. The marker has to follow you even when you are working 560 m from the shore: 50 m from the vertical below it is the legal maximum. At San Vito lo Capo the conditions change faster than the forecast does. The safety rules hold on the easy days too.
access
In a cove you normally get in off the low shore at the head of the bay, where the water is calmer. The mark is right against the shore, 30 m from the coastline, and ten metres of water is about 560 m out. In a hard Levante the windward exit becomes unusable: check an alternative. At San Vito lo Capo the accesses change with the bathing season.

West cove, easy entry; sheltered from the Mistral, good to start.

Google Maps
Monte Cofano / Cala FirriatoSan Vito lo Capo
dangerous
exposed head-on to the swell today (city-level)
window
On a shore oriented at 328° the usable light ends before the legal hour, which stays the hour of the sun. In doubt, the order in force at San Vito lo Capo is asked of the Capitaneria and not of the neighbour in the car park. The bathing season narrows the options: out of season the stretch is whole again. The rules change from one municipality to the next more than you would think.
tide
At San Vito lo Capo the tidal cycle shows in the thread of current and not in the level of the water. Between the shore and five metres of water there are 380 m, and no tide shifts that line appreciably. If the current takes you past the 510 m of the ten-metre line, head straight back for land. With the shore 40 m from the mark, the alongshore current counts for more than any table.
shelter
The good sector is the one opposite the opening: from the southeast the water stays still even in a steady blow. In a cove only what comes through the mouth counts: if the mouth is looking at today's sea, no shelter inside will hold. At San Vito lo Capo the old rule holds: watch the sea for ten minutes, then decide. On this coast yesterday's blow weighs more than today's forecast.
conditions
In poor clarity at San Vito lo Capo it pays to work short and close to the bottom instead of heading out. On a medium slope the murky inshore strip usually ends well before 870 m. If the clarity drops under two metres, change area instead of insisting. Past 510 m from the shore it is the water that decides the day and not the willingness.
hazard
In a cove the risk is the false calm: from inside you cannot see that the sea outside has built. The 500 m from used beaches starts at the water's edge, which is 40 m from here: in summer it is the first calculation to make. Going back along the coast is nearly always safer than going back direct. With Maestrale strengthening the margin is spent without your noticing.
access
The mark sits about 40 m from the coastline: the useful water starts practically under the shore. At San Vito lo Capo the entry at the head of the cove is the one that holds up best even in a made-up sea. With swell on the entry, change the spot instead of insisting. Count the 380 m that separate you from the five-metre contour: they are the measure of the way back.

Walls on the east flank, sheltered from the Mistral; deep rock, dentex.

🔒 Punta Negra (San Vito)San Vito lo Capo
dangerous
Ultra · subscribers
exposed head-on to the swell today (city-level)
window
—

The full spot briefing is part of the subscription: entry, bottom, hazards, tide window.

Open in the app →
🔒 Punta del Saraceno (Cornino)San Vito lo Capo
dangerous
Pro · subscribers
exposed head-on to the swell today (city-level)
window
—

The full spot briefing is part of the subscription: entry, bottom, hazards, tide window.

Open in the app →
🔒 Punta di SolantoSan Vito lo Capo
dangerous
Pro · subscribers
exposed head-on to the swell today (city-level)
window
—

The full spot briefing is part of the subscription: entry, bottom, hazards, tide window.

Open in the app →
🔒 Scoglio ScialandroSan Vito lo Capo
dangerous
Ultra · subscribers
exposed head-on to the swell today (city-level)
window
—

The full spot briefing is part of the subscription: entry, bottom, hazards, tide window.

Open in the app →
Secca del Faro / Punta San VitoSan Vito lo Capo
dangerous
exposed head-on to the swell today (city-level)
window
Between the shore and five metres of water there are 160 m: that is the stretch you want to cover in good light. At San Vito lo Capo the bathing season changes the usable distances far more than the sea ever does. A shore oriented at 117° loses the sun before sunset: take it into account for the last descent. Note the hour you will come out before you get in: from 30 m of shore the way back always looks shorter than it is.
tide
In a hard Scirocco the level rises more than any spring tide manages. With a range that small the entry rock sits at the same level at any hour. At San Vito lo Capo the local currents depend more on the shape of the bottom than on the hour. The way back, 160 m to the five-metre band, is decided beforehand and not on the way.
shelter
Gusts from the northwest ruffle the surface but raise no swell: it is the fetch towards the southeast that counts. In Scirocco the detached rocks break the swell but hand it back confused, and that crossed sea tires you more than a clean wave. At San Vito lo Capo whoever gets in first checks, whoever gets in out of habit is trusting yesterday. The 170 m that separate the shore from ten metres of water tell you how much sea it takes to ruin the day.
conditions
Getting twenty metres under you takes about 550 m of swimming, so it pays to get in already decided on where to go. The 10 m contour runs about 170 m from the shore and is the practical reference for this entry. If you cannot see the bottom, you do not know what is over your head on the way up. At San Vito lo Capo the inshore current shifts the murk within hours: waiting sometimes works better than moving.
hazard
The law asks for the marker in sight and a maximum radius of 50 m: it is also the only thing that makes you visible to anyone under way. In Scirocco the passage between the shoal and the coast becomes the most dangerous part of the route. At San Vito lo Capo the real risk is not the depth: it is the combination of tiredness and swell. The way back from 170 m out is longer than it looks once you are tired.
access
Towards the rock it pays to start from the nearest point of the coast, not from the most comfortable one. From here to the 5 m contour is about 160 m, and it pays to measure them on the way out so as not to find them long on the way back. At San Vito lo Capo the return is planned on the afternoon swell, not on the morning one. Park where it is allowed: a towed car ruins more than the day.

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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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…
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Trapani: Isole dello Stagnone - Duotone Pro CenterWindy webcam (Trapani: Isole dello Stagnone - Duotone Pro Center) — official webcams.windy.com player, plays inline. Read the water and surf before you go.camera: windy ↗Webcams provided by windy.com - add new webcam
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Reference

What's in season,
what the law says.

In season now
  • European seabass
    <4 m · — · dawn/dusk
    min. 25 cm · legal target
  • Gilthead seabream
    1–4 m · over sand/weed · dawn
    min. 20 cm · legal target
  • White seabream
    1–5 m · in the surf on the reef · dawn
    min. 23 cm · legal target
  • Two-banded seabream
    1–8 m · — · dawn
    min. 18 cm · legal target
  • Sharpsnout seabream
    2–10 m · — · dawn
    min. 18 cm · legal target
  • Annular seabream
    0–5 m · — · daytime
    min. 12 cm · legal target
  • Common dentex
    min. 15 cm · Sardinia 30 cm · legal target
  • Red porgy
    min. 18 cm · legal target
  • Common pandora
    min. 18 cm · Sardinia 20 cm · legal target
  • Axillary seabream
    min. 15 cm · Sardinia 18 cm · legal target
  • Blackspot seabream
    min. 33 cm · legal target
  • Striped seabream
    0–5 m · — · dawn
    min. 20 cm · legal target
  • Black seabream
    2–6 m · — · —
    min. 15 cm · legal target
  • Bogue
    min. 15 cm · legal target
  • Salema
    0–2 m · — · daytime
    min. 15 cm · legal target
  • Dusky grouper
    5–40 m · — · daytime
    min. 45 cm · RESTRICTED · max 1 grouper/day; BANNED in Sardegna & MPAs
  • Wreckfish
    min. 45 cm · RESTRICTED · max 1 grouper/day; BANNED in Sardegna & MPAs
  • Brown meagre
    2–15 m · — · twilight
    min. 20 cm · RESTRICTED · protected in several MPAs · (verify against the norm in force)
  • Greater amberjack
    min. 15 cm · Sardinia 60 cm · legal target · (verify against the norm in force)
  • Leerfish
    min. 15 cm · Sardinia 60 cm · legal target
  • Grey mullet
    0–2 m · — · —
    min. 20 cm · Sardinia 25 cm · legal target
  • Red scorpionfish
    3–20 m · — · daytime
    min. 15 cm · legal target
  • Moray eel
    1–15 m · — · twilight
    min. 25 cm · Sardinia 60 cm · legal target
  • European conger
    2–25 m · — · night
    min. 25 cm · Sardinia 50 cm · legal target
  • Wrasse
    min. 15 cm · legal target
  • Red mullet
    min. 11 cm · legal target
  • Atlantic bonito
    min. 25 cm · legal target
  • Common octopus
    1–6 m · — · twilight
    min. 450 g · legal target
  • Cuttlefish
    legal target · (verify against the norm in force)
Law
  • ✓NO paid licence, but a free MASAF REGISTRATION is mandatory (recreational sea-fishing declaration, online via SIAN/SPID, annual) — it is not a «licence».
  • ✓Free-diving only: scuba/rebreather/hookah BANNED (art. 128-bis DPR 1639/68). The 16+ rule comes from a different act — D.Lgs 4/2012, art. 6 c. 5; handing a speargun to an under-16 is an offence (art. 13-octies c. 3 b, as replaced by L. 75/2026).
  • ✓Night prohibited: spearfishing only from dawn to sunset (art. 129e DPR 1639/68).
  • ✓Distances (art. 129 DPR 1639/68): ≥500 m from beaches with bathers; ≥100 m from fixed gear/set nets and from vessels anchored outside ports.
  • ✓Buoy MANDATORY (art. 130 DPR 1639/68): float with a red flag bearing a white diagonal stripe, visible ≥300 m; the diver stays within 50 m of the buoy/support boat.
  • ✓The speargun may not be kept armed out of the water (art. 131 DPR 1639/68) — load only when submerged.
  • ✓The spearfisher may NOT gather corals, crustaceans or molluscs — the second paragraph of the same article (art. 128-bis DPR 1639/68; the same rule in D.M. 249/1987, art. 2). BUT cephalopods are EXCLUDED: octopus, cuttlefish and squid may be taken — the exception is kept in terms by the official guidance (circolare 6227201 of 23.07.1987). Mussels — up to 3 kg per person per day, but only with the Capo del Compartimento Marittimo's authorisation. The 5 kg daily cap counts EVERYTHING taken that day (D.Lgs 4/2012, art. 13-octies c. 4, as replaced by L. 75/2026).
  • ✓You MAY carry a speargun and a breathing apparatus on the same boat — but at most ONE cylinder of up to 10 L per vessel, and using it to fish is prohibited (art. 128-ter DPR 1639/68). While you are down, at least one person must stay aboard ready to intervene, and there must be a rope long enough to recover the diver.
  • ✓Sale of recreational catch is PROHIBITED (EU control regime, Reg. CE 1224/2009).
  • ✓The 5 kg/person daily cap IS in force and carries a fine: €500–3 000 up to 10 kg, €2 000–12 000 up to 50 kg, €12 000–50 000 above (D.Lgs 4/2012, art. 13-octies c. 4, as replaced by Law 21 Apr 2026 no. 75). Exception: a single fish heavier than 5 kg. Recovery-plan species and bluefin tuna: +1/3 (c. 5).
  • ✓Sicily (autonomous): on top of the national frame,
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. 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.
Local guide · San Vito lo Capo

Spearfishing in San Vito lo Capo: spots, seasons and rules

Updated 2026-07-20 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher

Spearfishing in San Vito lo Capo turns on one wind. The town sits on a cape facing north, and the northwest Maestrale is what closes the coast, blowing across the arc from the west-northwest round to the northeast. On flat days you can work Punta San Vito by the lighthouse, open and deep, noted as outside the marine protected area. When the Maestrale fills in you drop into Cala Mancina, the sheltered west cove, or round to the east wall of Monte Cofano. Freediving only, on a free MASAF registration, with Sicily adding local tightening.

TL;DR

  • San Vito lo Capo sits at the tip of a north-facing cape, so the northwest Maestrale is the wind that shuts the coast down. The exposed sector runs from west-northwest through north to northeast.
  • You read the three shore spots against that wind: Punta San Vito by the lighthouse for calm days, Cala Mancina as the sheltered west cove to start in, and the east flank of Monte Cofano when the Maestrale is up.
  • Italy needs no paid licence, only a free MASAF registration: freediving from 16, daylight only, a buoy within 50 m, 500 m off bathing beaches. Sicily can tighten seasons and distances locally, so check first.

Best spearfishing spots in San Vito lo Capo

All three are shore entries, none inside a protected zone. The data carries no per-spot severity rating, so read each on the day: the lighthouse point is exposed, open into the Maestrale and only for a calm morning; Cala Mancina is the sheltered cove to learn on; Monte Cofano is deep rock in the lee of the northwest wind.

SpotTypeDepthLevelAccessNotes
Secca del Faro / Punta San VitoOpen point by the lighthouseOpen, deep ground off the pointIntermediate; wants a calm dayShore entry at the north tip by the lighthouseSarago and dentex over open rock, and the point is noted as sitting outside the marine protected area. It is the exposed one, facing straight into the Maestrale sector, so it fishes on the flat mornings and closes fast when the northwest gets up.
Cala MancinaWest-facing coveEasy cove entryEasy; the place to start
Amantea
  • Belvedere Marittimo
  • Cetraro
  • Diamante
  • Paola
  • Scalea
  • Soverato

    • Sardinia

    • Villasimius
    • Arbatax
    • Cagliari

    Campania

    • Acciaroli
    • Palinuro
    • Ischia
    • Marina di Camerota
    • Procida
    • Agropoli
    • Bacoli
    • Amalfi / Conca dei Marini
    • Naples
    • Cetara

    Lazio

    • Ponza

    All 113 spots → · spearo.app — All countries

    Google Maps

    North tip by the lighthouse; sea bream, dentex, open and deep. Not in the MPA.

    Google Maps
    di Porto ordinances apply per stretch of coast (seasonal/distance tightening) — check locally.
    • ⛔ Date mussels (Lithophaga lithophaga) — TOTAL BAN: fishing, possession, transport, sale (D.M. 16/10/1998; EU-protected). Never touch.
    • ⛔ Sturgeon (Acipenser sturio / naccarii) — capture BANNED (D.M. 3/5/89, D.M. 11/6/07).
    • ⛔ Dusky grouper (Epinephelus marginatus) — 45 cm, max 1 grouper/day (art.142 D.P.R.1639/68, amended by L.154/2016); fully BANNED in Sardegna & ALL .
    • ⛔ Bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) — MASAF RecFishing authorization only: season 16 Jun–14 Oct, 1 fish/outing, min 30 kg / 115 cm.
    • ⛔ Swordfish (Xiphias gladius) — min 100 cm; seasonal closures, RecFishing declaration required.

    Rules change. Before heading out, check with MASAF (registration) and the Guardia Costiera / Capitaneria di Porto; Sicily and Sardegna add regional tightening.

    Shore entry into the cove on the west side
    Sheltered from the Maestrale, so it holds when the point is blown out. A gentle entry and the softest option here, where a careful solo diver gets a feel for the coast.
    Monte Cofano / Cala FirriatoRock walls on a headlandDeep rock wallsIntermediate; deeper groundShore entry on the east flank of Monte CofanoThe east side of the Monte Cofano headland sits out of the northwest wind, the other bolt-hole in a Maestrale. Deep rock for dentex.

    When is the sea right for spearfishing in San Vito lo Capo?

    Watch the Maestrale. The cape faces north, so the trouble comes off a sector running from west-northwest through north to northeast, the northwest being the worst of it. When that wind lies down the open lighthouse point comes into play; when it fills in, Cala Mancina and the east wall of Monte Cofano stay workable in the lee. Tides here are Mediterranean and small, so water clarity and sea state count for far more than the tide table. There is no local buoy, so read the swell yourself before you drop in.

    What can you catch around San Vito lo Capo?

    Sarago is the everyday fish on the shallow reef: the big white sarago at 23 cm, the two-banded and sharpsnout kinds at 18 cm. Dentex is the prize on the deeper rock off the point and under Monte Cofano, 15 cm as the national floor, though divers let it grow past that. Gilthead sits at 20 cm, sea bass at 25 cm, octopus at 450 g. One Italian quirk trips people: taking crabs and shellfish by hand is barred for spearos, and only octopus and cuttlefish are yours. Dusky grouper is capped at one a day and 45 cm, and off the table inside any protected area.

    What are the rules for spearfishing in San Vito lo Capo?

    Italy does not sell a spearfishing licence. What you need is the free MASAF registration, filed online, so calling it a paid licence is wrong. It is freediving only from age 16, no scuba or rebreather, dawn to sunset. The buoy is mandatory, a red flag with a white diagonal that shows at 300 m, and you stay within 50 m of it. Keep 500 m off beaches with bathers and 100 m from set nets and anchored boats, and never carry the gun loaded out of the water. Sicily is autonomous, so the local Capitaneria di Porto can close stretches or tighten distances by season. Leave the date mussels in the rock, since taking them is banned outright.

    FAQ

    Where can you spearfish in San Vito lo Capo?

    Punta San Vito by the lighthouse on calm days, Cala Mancina the sheltered west cove to start in, and the east flank of Monte Cofano for deeper rock when the Maestrale blows.

    When is the best time to go?

    Whenever the Maestrale drops. The coast is open across the west-northwest to northeast arc, and that northwest wind closes it. Tides are small, so you read the sea state.

    Do you need a licence to spearfish in Italy?

    Not a paid one. You need the free MASAF registration, filed online via SIAN with SPID. Freediving only, no under-16s, daylight only, with a signalling buoy.

    What is the minimum size for sarago and dentex?

    White sarago is 23 cm, the two-banded and sharpsnout saraghi 18 cm, and common dentex 15 cm nationally, though Sardinia sets 30 cm. Gilthead is 20 cm, sea bass 25 cm, octopus 450 g.

    Is spearfishing different in Sicily?

    The national frame is the same, but Sicily is autonomous and its Capitaneria di Porto issues coast ordinances that can tighten seasons or distances. Check the local notices before you go.

    Sources

    • MASAF, recreational sea-fishing declaration
    • MASAF, Presidential Decree 2 October 1968 no. 1639
    • EUR-Lex, Council Regulation (EC) no. 1224/2009

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