Today — sit it out — wave, wind and noticeable surge.
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 São Sebastião, 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 mapSheltered rocky shore with good visibility and a shoal about 50 m perpendicular to it, 3–12 m; rays, flounder and turtles. Strong currents outside the shelter and boat traffic.
Google MapsBig-boulder rocky shore with caves, holes and passages, 7–18 m; sheltered from E and SE. Groupers, porgy and lobster.
Google MapsThe full spot briefing is part of the subscription: entry, bottom, hazards, tide window.
Open in the appThe full spot briefing is part of the subscription: entry, bottom, hazards, tide window.
Open in the appThe full spot briefing is part of the subscription: entry, bottom, hazards, tide window.
Open in the appThe full spot briefing is part of the subscription: entry, bottom, hazards, tide window.
Open in the appRocky corners of a steep-shelving beach, 0–15 m, from shore; heavy shorebreak and surf swell — calm sea only. Coords approx.
Google MapsCove with rocky points at both ends, 0–15 m, from shore; steep-shelving beach with rip currents when the swell builds. Clear water on calm days. 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.
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».
São Sebastião has one trap: the channel facing Ilhabela looks sheltered, but it carries ships, ferries and Petrobras oil-terminal traffic. Spearfishing belongs on the outer headlands, including Maresias, Toque-Toque Pequeno and Boiçucanga. The stated local band is 8 to 20 m visibility and 20 to 26 °C water, best in summer. Grouper, sand perch and snook are the local targets, subject to sizes and closed seasons. MERO TOTAL MORATORIUM applies nationwide. Use the gov.br recreational licence, with an exemption only for accompanied under-18s and men 65+/women 60+, and keep spearfishing apnea-only.
Distance from the navigation channel is the main filter. Choose outer rocks, not channel water, and keep the float visible to fast boats.
| Spot | Type | Depth | Level | Access | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maresias headland | Open-sea granite rock | Shallow to moderate | Intermediate | Shore entry outside swimmer areas | A summer clear-water option, but east swell and rough rock exits should cancel the dive. |
| Toque-Toque Pequeno | Outer rocky point | Shallow to moderate | Intermediate | Shore entry with a planned return route | Use it as an outer-coast dive, not a channel crossing. Boat visibility matters. |
Summer is the stated better season, with water around 20 to 26 °C and outer-headland visibility from 8 to 20 m. The ferry-line camera can hint at wind and channel traffic, but the rock entry decides the dive. East or northeast sea on the stones is a stop signal. Nationally, the licence is required, scuba spearing is banned, and goliath grouper remains fully off-limits. Treat uncertain protected limits or boat routes as no-hunt conditions.
SpainRules change and vary by state. Before heading out, check on gov.br (recreational licence, MPA) and the state closed seasons/sizes; apnea only, goliath grouper is banned.
Yes. Use the gov.br recreational fishing licence service. The fee is waived only for accompanied under-18s and men 65+/women 60+.
The safe plan is no. Heavy ship, ferry and oil-terminal traffic make outer headlands the right choice.
Outer headlands are stated at 8 to 20 m visibility.
Not as a first solo dive. It is a rock-entry site that depends on small sea.
No. Goliath grouper, or mero, is under total moratorium.
Portugal
