Setúbal / Tróia spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras

Setúbal / Tróia · Portugal
5.3
wave 0.5 m head-on
visibility3m

Today — right on the edge — wave, wind and visibility.

Sources: IPMA · NDBC · Copernicus — high confidence · data 20:00

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

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
calmupdated 20:00
Setúbal / Tróia — solo, off the rocks
BORDERLINE
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site · wind-wave — choppy surface
wave 0.5 m head-onwind 18, gusts 35 km/hvisibility ~5 mwindow 18:00–21:00
today, best window 18:00–21:00
fish · Visibility 5 m · Water 18.2°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
06:29–20:55 · first quarter
▼ 03:00▲ 09:00▼ 15:00▲ 21:00 · 1.3 m
Hours (06→20)
18
Day's trends
Tide-0.02 m
Wave0.46 m
Wind12 km/h
Water18 °C
fish activity: moonset 00:42 · moderate · moon underfoot 08:00 · high · moonrise 15:17 · moderate · moon overhead 20:10 · high
Conditions window18:00–21:00
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site fish ·
Hs 0.52 mperiod 4.8 s head-onwind 18→35surge 0.3viz 3 m
0.52 mup to ~1.04 · 283° head-on
4.8 sswell moderate
18→35gusts 35 km/h
0.3weak surge
0.33m/s
3 mrecent swell
18.2°C5 mm + hood
▲21:00tide turn near
Atmosphere38 kmlandmarks visible
highmoon overhead
  • wind-wave — choppy surface
  • strong wind 18 km/h, gusts 35 — caution
  • flood toward high water
confidence mediumtwilight
Open the seafloor map with entry points

Your best window — with you. Forecast in your pocket.

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Android beta — QR code
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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: 1152 spots across 189 stretches of coast — mainland Portugal, Madeira and the Azores.

See all spots
−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
Tróia ocean beach (Atlantic side)Tróia peninsula, Atlantic side · Praia de Tróia-Mar (lado atlântico)
dangerous
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
Early morning in offshore calm, late spring–autumn. Almost always unworkable in winter.
tide
High tide (more water over the bars, less dumping shorebreak); avoid low tide.
shelter
Essentially unsheltered — open Atlantic sand coast; only lays down with a light E/NE offshore.
hazard
Powerful shorebreak and rip currents on open sand — the real killer here; plus boat traffic near the Tróia channel. Sandy bottom means little fish inshore.
access
Ferry/catamaran from Setúbal to Tróia, then on foot over the dunes to the ocean side; by car via the N253-1.

The only legal side by this town — but it is a sand barrier, not a reef. Scout from land only; fish hold near rare rock/oyster patches. ⚠️ Real beach but hazard is DISHONEST/inverted: Troia-Mar is a calm, sheltered, Blue Flag, family/kitesurf beach with low wave action (sources: 'shallow calm waters where everyone brings the kids') - NOT 'powerful shorebreak and rip currents, the real killer.' That hazard appears fabricated. Coords also wrong: real beach is at ~38.486,-8.908 (Google pin) / 38.491,-8.908 (praias.pt); claimed -8.898 is ~0.9 km too far WEST toward the estuary/marina tip. The 'lado atlantico' label is also dubious - several sources describe it facing the Arrabida across sheltered water.

Google Maps
Praia da FigueirinhaArrábida / Sado mouth
closed
swell on the quarter today
window
Not for hunting. Best viz on the flood and in calm; very busy in summer.
tide
High tide; at low water the sandbank emerges and currents pull toward the channel.
shelter
Sheltered by the Arrábida ridge from N/NW; faces the Sado mouth to the NNE, shielded from ocean swell but open to easterly wind.
hazard
The main danger is LEGAL: Luiz Saldanha Marine Park — spearfishing is fined and gear seized. Physically, tidal currents run across the sandbank into the Sado channel.
access
M379 Arrábida road, large car park by the beach, walk-in entry off the sand.

Eastern boundary of the marine park. Gorgeous reef alongside, but hunting is banned — listed as a WARNING, not a destination.

Google Maps
Portinho da ArrábidaArrábida cove
closed
swell on the quarter today
window
Not for hunting. Early morning before the crowds and boats; in summer car access is closed (shuttle only).
tide
For unarmed freediving — any phase; viz best on the flood and with no westerly wind.
shelter
Deeply sheltered cove under the Arrábida ridge, protected from N/NW and westerly swell; one of the calmest spots on the coast.
hazard
LEGALLY the core of the marine park, spearfishing heavily penalised. Physically, heavy boat and dive-charter traffic in the cove in summer.
access
Steep descent off the N379-1, entry from the beach/ramp; summer access on foot or shuttle only.

The benchmark Arrábida reef with a dive centre — but it is no-take. Listed to mark the ban, not as a hunting spot.

Google Maps

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.

Download on theApp StoreGET IT ONGoogle Play

Android: the public release is in Google Play review — leave your email and we'll send beta access today.

Android beta — QR code
point your camera
≈

Surfacing

Cameras, map and reference — to hand as you come up.

Live cameras, map & reference
Open the seafloor map →
Reference

What's in season,
what the law says.

In season now: Sea bass, White seabream, Gilthead bream, Salema, Meagre, Mullet · coming soon: Octopus (Sep)

In season now
  • Robalo (sea bass)
    <4 m · end of ebb → start of flood · dawn/dusk
    Prime target. Shy of light — pick early/twilight windows.
  • Sargo (white seabream)
    1–5 m · flood (rides the surf onto the reef) · dawn
    Dominant reef target. Visibility matters more than time of day.
  • Dourada (gilthead bream)
    1–4 m · flood over sand/weed · dawn
    Very skittish — static ambush.
  • Salema
    0–2 m · — · daytime
    Easiest target at 0–6 m. ⚠️ Do NOT eat the head/guts (ichthyosarcotoxism).
  • Tainha (mullet)
    0–2 m · — · —
    Extremely wary; murky water HINDERS it. Opportunistic, in calm coves.
  • Corvina (meagre)
    1–6 m (marginal) · — · twilight
    Near the Tagus mouth, NOT on the Guincho rocks. Adults mostly at 5–75 m. ⚠️ CLOSED 1–30 June (defeso).
  • Santola (spider crab)
    1–10 m · low water (reef shelf exposed) · calm morning (≤force 2)
    Carapace ≥12 cm. Peaks Jul–Aug. CLOSED 15.02–15.06. Limit 2 kg/day.
Law
🦀 spider crab open (season 16.06–14.02)
  • ✓Spearfishing licence required (16+), daily/monthly/annual (~€25/yr). Speargun = licence required.
  • ✓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.
  • ✓Invertebrates (including spider crab) — 2 kg/day total.
  • ✓Spider crab: min. carapace 12 cm; (closed season) 15.02–15.06 — applies to recreational gathering too.
  • ✓Min. sizes: robalo 36 cm, sargo 17 cm, dourada 19 cm, choupa 23 cm, corvina 42 cm; octopus 750 g.
  • ✓Grouper — fully protected, may not be taken.
  • ⛔ Grouper (Epinephelus) — fully protected, capture PROHIBITED.
  • ⛔ Seahorses (Hippocampus) — protected.

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 · Setúbal / Tróia

Spearfishing in Setúbal / Tróia: spots, seasons and rules

Updated 2026-07-09 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher

Spearfishing around Setúbal and Tróia works off the Sado estuary mouth, under the Arrábida ridge. The water is calm and clear, which earns it a beginner reputation, but the prettiest coves sit inside the Prof. Luiz Saldanha Marine Park, where spearfishing is banned. Legal hunting starts only west of Cabo Espichel, at Foz, Bicas and Meco. The Sado outflow lowers visibility, which opens on the ebb. A licence is required, freediving only.

TL;DR

  • Spearfishing is banned throughout the ENTIRE Prof. Luiz Saldanha Marine Park along the Arrábida, not just the full-protection cores. It is legal only west of Cabo Espichel: Foz, Bicas and Meco.
  • The calm Arrábida coves, Figueirinha and Portinho, are excellent for freediving and snorkelling, but spearfishing there is fined and gear is seized.
  • The Atlantic sand of Tróia is a barrier beach, little fish inshore and visibility that clouds fast; it is a scout from land, not a hunting spot. The Sado outflow lowers visibility, which opens on the ebb.
  • National rules: licence required from age 16, freediving only, a signalling buoy within 30 m of the diver, minimum sizes and a 15 kg daily limit.

Can you spearfish in the Arrábida marine park?

No. Spearfishing is banned throughout the entire Prof. Luiz Saldanha Marine Park, not only in the full-protection cores. Wardens fine you and seize the gear. Beaches like Figueirinha, on the eastern boundary, and Portinho da Arrábida, the benchmark reef with a dive centre, are no-take: you may freedive and snorkel, but not hunt. The water stays clear almost year-round, which draws crowds and is why the Arrábida keeps surfacing in beginner searches. To hunt within the law you must leave the park: only west of Cabo Espichel, at Foz, Bicas and Meco.

Where can you spearfish in Setúbal and Tróia?

By the town, everything that holds fish is reef inside the marine park, where spearfishing is banned, so there is no legal hunting spot next to Setúbal. The ocean-facing Atlantic sand of the Tróia peninsula is a sand barrier, not a reef: it holds little fish inshore, the sandy bottom clouds fast, and it is a scout from land at best. The Sado mouth and spit are sheltered from ocean swell, but the estuary outflow cuts visibility; the best water comes on the ebb. For real reef within the law, head west of Cabo Espichel, to Foz, Bicas and Meco on the Sesimbra side, open oceanic coast unlike the calm park coves.

What fish can you spearfish in the Arrábida?

On reef you mostly take white seabream, black seabream, gilthead and sea bass, with salema all year, but species and minimum sizes are national, the same along the whole coast. White seabream (17 cm minimum) and black seabream (23 cm) come through spring and summer; gilthead (19 cm) and sea bass (36 cm) fish better in the warmer months, over rock and sand on the flood and at first light. Salema (18 cm) is the easiest target from 0 to 6 m, but never eat the head or guts. Octopus (750 g minimum, regulated by weight) peaks in autumn, and meagre (42 cm) is closed nationwide in June. Grouper is fully protected and may not be taken.

SpeciesMinimum sizeSeason
Sea bass36 cmJune to October
White seabream17 cmApril to September
Gilthead bream19 cmMay to September
Black seabream23 cmJanuary to May
Salema18 cmAll year
Meagre42 cmClosed in June
Octopus750 gSeptember to November
Spider crab12 cm carapaceClosed 15 Feb to 15 Jun
Mullet20 cmAll year

FAQ

Is the Arrábida good for beginner spearfishing?

The water is calm and clear, so it looks ideal, but spearfishing is banned across the whole Prof. Luiz Saldanha Marine Park. The Arrábida is a place to learn freediving and snorkelling, not to start spearfishing. A beginner who wants to hunt must go where it is legal, west of Cabo Espichel, at Foz, Bicas or Meco, open coast far harder than the sheltered coves.

Do I need a licence to spearfish in Setúbal?

Yes. A recreational spearfishing licence is required from age 16, daily, monthly or annually, around 25 euros a year. Spearfishing is allowed in daylight and on a single breath only; scuba is banned.

Is scuba spearfishing allowed in Portugal?

No. Spearfishing is freediving only. Using a speargun on scuba or any surface-supplied air is prohibited nationwide.

Is night spearfishing allowed in Portugal?

No. Spearfishing is permitted in daylight only, from sunrise to sunset. Using artificial light to find or attract fish is banned; a torch is for safety only.

What is the catch limit for spearfishing in Portugal?

The daily limit is 15 kg of fish and cephalopods combined, not counting your single largest specimen. Invertebrates, including spider crab, are capped at 2 kg per day.

How far from the beach can you spearfish in Portugal?

The national rules set no single distance from the shore. What matters is staying out of summer bathing zones and no-take areas like the marine park, and keeping your signalling buoy within 30 m. Check local limits with the Capitania.

Sources

Region: Setúbal · Arrábida

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