Sources:IPMA · NDBC · Copernicus — high confidence · data 01:37
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.
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 — 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
This verdict — in your pocket. Open the app for the week's window.
Android: the public release is in Google Play review — leave your email and we'll send beta access today.
point your camera
−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: 1152 spots across 189 stretches of coast — mainland Portugal, Madeira and the Azores.
Early morning before the afternoon wind; summer is often flatter and diveable, winter brings big swell.
tide
Low-to-mid tide opens the reef and the entry off the rock platform.
shelter
Sheltered from north wind (Cabo Espichel and the cliff block N/NW). Fully open to the west swell.
hazard
Entry/exit over flat rocks in the shorebreak is the main danger; on swell it slams onto the rocks and there are rips along the reef.
access
N377 toward Meco, then right onto the dirt road to the parking; walk the cliff path down to the small sand patch and rock platform.
First spearfishing-legal spot north of the park: reef bottom, a known spearo location (Roteiro da Arrábida). The Luiz Saldanha park begins to the south — spearfishing is BANNED inside it.
Early morning in calm; by afternoon nortada and waves churn and endanger the water.
tide
Low tide exposes the rocky reef ends, better for hunting.
shelter
Almost no shelter — a long open beach facing the west swell and the afternoon nortada head-on.
hazard
The Meco rip currents are NOTORIOUS — the dominant danger, with recurring drownings; there is almost always wave and shorebreak. Solo only on an obviously calm day.
access
From Aldeia do Meco via N377 to the Camping Meco lots; short walk over the dunes to the sand.
Mostly open sand (little for spearing); only worthwhile at the reef ends on a flat day. Otherwise a scout/fallback. Outside the park, legal.
Praia da Ribeira do CavaloArrábida / Marine Park (no-take)
closed
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind
window
Early morning — before the wild beach fills with tourists.
tide
Any tide; low water exposes the rocky islets.
shelter
South-facing cove, very sheltered from N/NW — hence the glassy, fish-rich water. Ideal for freediving/snorkel.
hazard
The main 'hazard' here is legal: the whole water is the Luiz Saldanha Marine Park, spearfishing BANNED park-wide (fines, gear seizure). Physically, the trail's final descent is near-vertical over slippery rock dust, below an unstable cliff that sheds loose blocks onto the beach.
access
~1 km trail from the dirt road past Sesimbra's Porto de Abrigo, descending between rocks; or by boat/kayak.
The prettiest, most fish-rich water by Sesimbra — but it is a NO-TAKE reserve. Listed as a WARNING: come here to dive without a gun. For spearfishing, go west of Cabo Espichel. ⚠️ The descent to the cove is dangerous: the final ~50 m are near-vertical over slippery fine dust on rock, and the fractured cliff drops loose blocks onto the beach — a real risk for a solo diver hauling gear.
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.
Android: the public release is in Google Play review — leave your email and we'll send beta access today.
point your camera
≈
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».
Sesimbra — Praia do Meco (Windy)Live Windy webcam — Praia do Meco (Sesimbra). Official keyless player, plays inline. Read the water and swell before you go.camera: windy ↗
✓Hand-gathering shellfish with NO gear — no licence; but if a speargun is on the dive, a spearfishing licence is required.
✓Night prohibited: spearfishing only in daylight (sunset→sunrise not allowed). Artificial light as a means of finding/attracting fish is banned — a torch for safety only.
✓Signalling buoy MANDATORY for spearfishing: buoy/float with an «Alfa» flag (red/orange/yellow, ≥8 L), no more than 30 m from the diver.
✓Spearfishing daily limit: fish + cephalopods — 15 kg (excluding the largest specimen). General rod-and-line recreational fishing — 10 kg.
Rules change. Before heading out, check with DGRM / ICNF / Capitania and the defeso table.
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. At Cabo Raso/Arriba a 0.5 m rise in swell makes a boulder exit impossible — getting pinned/unable to climb out is the main killer here.
Headland rip: at Cabo Raso there is 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.
Nortada (Jun–Sep): wind builds from midday — be out of the water by ~11:00; 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 · Sesimbra
Spearfishing in Sesimbra: spots, seasons and rules
Updated 2026-07-09 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher
Sesimbra is a legality-first spearfishing area. The town bay and Arrábida water are famously calm, but the Luiz Saldanha Marine Park bans spearfishing throughout the park. The local legal direction is west of Cabo Espichel: Praia da Foz, Praia das Bicas and Moinho de Baixo at Meco. Those spots are no longer sheltered bay water; they are west-coast entries with swell, rips and rock exits.
TL;DR
In Sesimbra, the calmest water is not automatically legal spearfishing water.
Spearfishing is banned throughout the Luiz Saldanha Marine Park; legal options sit west of Cabo Espichel.
Praia da Foz, Bicas and Meco are listed; Ribeira do Cavalo is a protected red warning.
Legal spearfishing spots near Sesimbra
Only yellow, non-red entries outside the park ban are listed. Check current boundaries before entering.
Spot
Type
Depth
Level
Access
Notes
Praia da Foz
West-coast reef and slab
Shallow to mid reef
Careful advanced
N377 toward Meco, dirt road to parking, then cliff path down
First legal spot north of the park. Needs small W/NW swell and a planned slab exit.
Praia das Bicas
Sand beach with reef ends
Shallow rocky ends
Intermediate to advanced
Clifftop parking and long staircase to the sand
Outside the park and associated with spearfishing, but exposed to west swell and a tiring stair exit.
Praia do Moinho de Baixo (Meco)
Open sand with reef ends
Shallow only at the rocky ends
Intermediate on flat days
From Aldeia do Meco toward Camping Meco lots, then across the dunes
Fallback only. Meco rips and open-beach shorebreak are the main hazards.
What decides a Sesimbra spearfishing day?
The legal boundary comes first. Spearfishing is banned throughout the Luiz Saldanha Marine Park, so Ribeira do Cavalo and the Arrábida side are not hunting spots. Legal shore entries west of Cabo Espichel need small W/NW swell, light or easterly wind and early timing before the nortada. Low to mid tide reveals reef; early flood helps the exit. The Meco webcam reference can help read the exposed coast.
FAQ
Can I spearfish in Sesimbra town bay?
Do not assume so. The town sits in the Luiz Saldanha Marine Park context, where spearfishing is banned park-wide.
Where are the legal options?
West of Cabo Espichel: Praia da Foz, Praia das Bicas and Moinho de Baixo at Meco.
Why exclude Ribeira do Cavalo?
It is protected park water and marked red, with a difficult trail and no legal hunting.
What is the main Meco hazard?
Rip currents and shorebreak on the open sand beach.
Which Portugal rules apply?
License from 16, breath-hold only, daylight only, flagged buoy within 30 m and national minimum sizes.
Portugal
Spain
Italy
Greece
France
Turkey
Croatia
Cyprus
Malta
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Venezuela
Ecuador
Mexico
Bahamas
Dominican Republic
Puerto Rico
Peru
Uruguay
Argentina
Australia
New Zealand
South Africa
United States
Philippines