Bob Johnson ReefSarasota
borderlineexposed head-on to the swell today
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Deeper high-relief; big grouper.
Google MapsSarasota spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras
5.3
wave 0.7 m head-on
visibility3m
Today — right on the edge — wave, wind and noticeable surge.
Sources: IPMA · NDBC · Copernicus — high confidence · data 06:19
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
Surface
Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.
spearo.app
calmupdated 06:19
Sarasota — solo, off the rocks
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site · strong wind 21 km/h, gusts 26 — caution
wave 0.7 m head-onwind 21, gusts 26 km/hnoticeable surgevisibility ~4 m
today, best window 18:00–21:00
fish · Visibility 4 m · Water 30.8°C
confidence medium · verdict for the selected day
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.
Wednesday · today2026-07-22
06:48–20:24 · first quarter
▲ 05:00▼ 14:00▼ 20:00 · 0.5 m
Hours (06→20)
06
09
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide-0.13 m
Wave0.68 m
Wind12 km/h
Water31 °C
fish activity: moonset 01:05 · moderate · moon underfoot 08:00 · high · moonrise 14:58 · moderate · moon overhead 20:20 · high
Conditions window06:00–09:00
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site fish
Hs 0.94 mperiod 5.5 swind 17→32surge 3viz 3 m
0.94 mup to ~1.88 · 251° at an angle
5.5 sswell moderate
17→32gusts 32 km/h
3pounding the rocks
0.11m/s
3 mrecent swell
30.4°C5 mm + hood
▼14:00tide falling
Atmosphere14 kmlandmarks visible
highmoon underfoot
- wave 0.9 m + hitting the shore
- steep wind-wave — choppy surface, careful on entry
- ebb — weaker inshore
confidence hightwilight
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 spotsThe 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
Gary Service Reef M-1Sarasota
borderlineexposed head-on to the swell today
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Nearest offshore reef.
Google MapsM-4 SiteSarasota
borderlineexposed head-on to the swell today
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Mid-shelf complex.
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.
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».
Reference
What's in season,
what the law says.
In season now
- sheepshead
- mangrove/mutton snapper
- gag/red grouperSeason is state-set — check before you go.
- hogfish
- cobia
- flounder
Law
- ✓Florida: saltwater licence $17 res / $47 non-res; reef fish need the free State Reef Fish Angler (SRFS) designation. NC: CRFL; SC/GA: saltwater licence.
- ✓Distances (FL): 100 yd from beaches/piers/bridges, 100 ft from the above-water part of a jetty. banned in FL and SC; rebreathers are illegal for spearfishing in FL.
- ✓SC: gamefish (red drum/seatrout/cobia/tarpon/striped bass) hook-and-line only (§50-5-1700). GA: speargun doubtful in state water — real hunting on federal reefs.
- ⛔ 🚫 Do not spear (FL FAC 68B-20.005): snook, red drum, spotted seatrout, tarpon, bonefish, pompano, goliath/Nassau grouper, billfish, sharks, rays + ornamental reef families.
- ⛔ 🚫 Spiny lobster/stone crab — hand-take only (no puncturing). banned in FL and SC. Monroe County (Long Key north to the Miami-Dade line — incl. Key Largo): spearfishing banned; the lionfish licence exemption does NOT override it — hand-held nets only there.
US spearfishing law is state-by-state. License, spearable species, powerhead rules and distances vary; federal sanctuaries (Gray's Reef, the Keys, Flower Garden Banks) ban spearfishing. Always confirm with the state agency and local ordinances.
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.
Spearfishing in Sarasota: spots, seasons and rules
Spearfishing in Sarasota is a boat run to artificial reef and limestone structure. Gary Service Reef M-1 is the nearest offshore check, M-4 is the mid-shelf complex, and Bob Johnson Reef is the deeper high-relief choice. The city-center protected hit at Pansy Bayou is no-entry water, so it stays outside any harvest plan. Use Gulf reefs, not protected bay shortcuts.
TL;DR
- Sarasota is an offshore reef plan: Gary Service M-1, M-4 and Bob Johnson Reef step up by distance and relief.
- Pansy Bayou No Entry Zone is a hard protected-water warning, not a spearfishing option.
- East wind and low Gulf chop improve visibility; west and southwest energy from 215-300 degrees muddies the shelf.
- Florida license, SRFS designation, distance buffers and FWC prohibited species rules all apply.
Best spearfishing spots in Sarasota
The reef sequence is simple: M-1 for the quick test, M-4 for a middle run, Bob Johnson for deeper grouper-minded days. All depend on clean Gulf water, a clear legal target list and a boat crew that can stay over divers.
| Spot | Type | Depth | Level | Access | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gary Service Reef M-1 | Nearest offshore artificial reef | Shallow shelf structure | Intermediate | Boat access from Sarasota ramps | A first visibility check when east winds have settled the Gulf. |
| M-4 Site | Mid-shelf reef complex | Moderate offshore structure | Intermediate to advanced | Boat access offshore | Useful when nearshore water is sandy but the crew does not want the longest run. |
| Bob Johnson Reef | Deeper high-relief reef | Deeper artificial structure | Advanced boat dive | Longer offshore run | The grouper-minded option; seasons and depth discipline decide the day. |
When is Sarasota visibility best?
The rough sector is about 215-300 degrees, with west near 260 degrees stirring the shelf. Light east wind can flatten nearshore water and clean the reefs. NOAA station 42013 and local beach cams help separate good offshore days from brown-water beach days.
What is the Pansy Bayou issue?
Pansy Bayou No Entry Zone is marked as a hard protected hit near the city center. Do not stage, enter or hunt there. If a protected boundary is unclear, fail closed and keep the speargun unloaded.
What fish and rules matter?
Targets can include sheepshead, snapper, hogfish, cobia, flounder and grouper when seasons allow. Florida prohibits spearing snook, red drum, spotted seatrout, tarpon, bonefish, sharks, rays, billfish, goliath grouper, Nassau grouper, lobster and stone crab. SRFS is required for reef fish.
How should you pick between reefs?
Use M-1 as the condition check, not as proof that deeper reefs are safe. If M-1 is dirty or current-swept, M-4 and Bob Johnson are unlikely to become easier for the same crew.
FAQ
Can you spearfish in Pansy Bayou?
No. It is marked as a hard no-entry protected zone.
What is the nearest listed reef?
Gary Service Reef M-1.
Which NOAA station fits Sarasota?
NOAA NDBC station 42013.
Can I spear snook or redfish?
No. Florida prohibits spearing both.
When should I choose Bob Johnson Reef?
Only with clean offshore conditions, enough depth experience and open seasons.
Sources
Nearby towns
Coming soon
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