Coral GardensSliema
borderlinein the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Rocky reef to 16 m with gorgonians and overhangs; bream, wrasse and cuttlefish, urban entry.
Google MapsSliema spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras
5.3
wave 0.6 m
visibility4m
Today — right on the edge — wave, wind and visibility.
Sources: IPMA · NDBC · Copernicus — high confidence · data 18:25
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 18:25
Sliema — solo, off the rocks
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site · steep wind-wave — choppy surface, careful on entry
wave 0.6 mwind 22, gusts 52 km/hvisibility ~5 mwindow 18:00–21:00
today, best window 18:00–21:00
fish · Visibility 5 m · Water 29.5°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
06:02–20:14 · first quarter
▼ 02:00▲ 10:00▲ 14:00▼ 16:00▼ 18:00▲ 23:00 · 0.1 m
Hours (06→20)
18
Day's trends
Tide-0.34 m
Wave0.60 m
Wind5 km/h
Water29 °C
fish activity: moonset 00:12 · moderate · moon underfoot 07:20 · high · moonrise 14:33 · moderate · moon overhead 19:40 · high
Conditions window18:00–21:00
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site fish
Hs 0.60 mperiod 3.2 swind 22→52surge 0.1viz 4 m
0.60 mup to ~1.20 · 262° at an angle
3.2 sswell moderate
22→52gusts 52 km/h
0.1weak surge
0.14m/s
4 mrecent swell
29.5°C5 mm + hood
▲23:00tide turn near
Atmosphere33 kmlandmarks visible
highmoon overhead
- steep wind-wave — choppy surface, careful on entry
- strong wind 22 km/h, gusts 52 — caution
- dawn/dusk
confidence mediumtwilight
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
Exiles ReefSliema
borderlinein the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Urban shore reef to 15 m off the Exiles rocks; bream and octopus, watch for swimmers in summer bathing zones.
Google MapsFortizza ReefSliema
borderlinein the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Reef and low wall to 14 m along the Sliema front; convenient shore dive, moderate viz after storms.
Google MapsQui Si SanaSliema
borderlinein the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Shallow reef to 8 m off the lido; easy training ground, best outside the summer swimmer zone.
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
- dusky grouperĊerna (dusky grouper): no licence needed, but it is highly vulnerable — please release it. Scuba and night spearfishing are banned.
- bluefin tunaBluefin tuna: permit only (ICCAT/BCD quota). Do not take without authorisation — heavy fines.
- white seabream
- gilthead seabream
- common dentex
- common dolphinfish
Law
- ✓No licence is required for shore or breath-hold spearfishing. Using an aqualung (scuba) and night spearfishing are both banned (EU Reg. 1967/2006 & 2019/1241).
- •Each year Transport Malta closes designated swimmer/bathing zones to spearfishing for the season (roughly summer to mid-October) — stay well clear of buoyed bathing areas and check the current notice to mariners.
- ✓Dusky grouper (ċerna) is a species of national concern — releasing it is advised. Bluefin tuna may be taken only with a special authorisation (ICCAT/BCD).
- ⛔ Fan mussel (Pinna nobilis) — strictly protected, taking/disturbing prohibited (mass die-off from a pathogen).
- ⛔ Date mussel (Lithophaga lithophaga) — harvesting strictly banned (destroys the reef).
- ⛔ Seahorses (Hippocampus), loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) and monk seal (Monachus monachus) — protected, taking/disturbing prohibited.
Rules change and the seasonal bathing-zone closures are set yearly by Transport Malta. Before heading out, check with the Department of Fisheries & Aquaculture (servizz.gov.mt) and the current notice to mariners; stay well clear of buoyed bathing areas.
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 Sliema: spots, seasons and rules
Spearfishing in Sliema is mostly a legal-space problem, not a remote-reef hunt. The listed marks are all convenient urban shore reefs: Exiles Reef, Fortizza Reef, Coral Gardens and Qui Si Sana. That convenience is exactly the risk. Exiles and Qui Si Sana explicitly carry swimmer-zone warnings, and the whole Sliema front is exposed to heavy bathing use when Transport Malta's annual designated-zone notices are in force. Malta requires no recreational licence for shore or breath-hold spearfishing. Scuba and night spearfishing are banned, designated bathing zones must be avoided, ċerna should be released, and bluefin tuna is special-authorisation only.
TL;DR
- Sliema is the urban Malta version: Exiles, Fortizza, Coral Gardens and Qui Si Sana are shore reefs, but swimmers and bathing zones drive the plan.
- No recreational licence is required for shore or breath-hold spearfishing in Malta, but scuba and night spearfishing are banned.
- Transport Malta closes designated swimmer and bathing zones by annual notice, roughly through the summer season into mid-October. Do not use fixed dates or a casual distance shortcut.
- Sargu, octopus, cuttlefish and bream are realistic urban targets; ċerna should be released and bluefin tuna needs special authorisation.
Where can you spearfish near Sliema?
The Sliema marks are easy to reach and easy to misuse. They sit along an urban waterfront with lidos, swimmers, storms that affect visibility, and annual bathing-zone closures. No formal safety rating is supplied, so the table stays with the actual habitat notes: shallow or mid-depth reef, low wall, overhangs, gorgonians and urban entry. For Sliema, the first question is often not whether there are fish, but whether the water is outside the current swimmer closure and clear of bathers.
| Spot | Type | Depth | Level | Access | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exiles Reef | Urban shore reef off Exiles rocks | To 15 m | Urban reef, swimmer-zone caution | Exiles rocks | Bream and octopus are listed. Summer bathing zones and swimmers are the main constraint. |
| Fortizza Reef | Reef and low wall along the Sliema front | To 14 m | Convenient shore dive, weather-sensitive viz | Sliema seafront | The note calls it convenient from shore, with moderate visibility after storms. Do not read convenience as legal clearance near bathers. |
| Coral Gardens | Rocky reef with gorgonians and overhangs | To 16 m | Urban entry with structure | Sliema urban shore | Bream, wrasse and cuttlefish are listed. The structure is useful, but the shore is still urban and exposed to swimmers and boats. |
| Qui Si Sana | Shallow reef off the lido | To 8 m | Training ground only outside swimmer zones | Qui Si Sana lido area | The local note calls it an easy training ground, best outside the summer swimmer zone. That caveat is the whole point. |
Can you spearfish near Sliema's bathing zones (100m from swimmers)?
Do not reduce Sliema to a simple 100 m shortcut. Transport Malta closes designated swimmer and bathing zones to spearfishing by annual notice, roughly for the summer season into mid-October. Sliema is exactly where that bites: Exiles, Qui Si Sana and the seafront lidos draw swimmers into the same shallow reef band. Check the current notice to mariners, stay outside buoyed bathing areas, and move away if the entry is active with swimmers.
What fish can you spearfish near Sliema?
The Sliema spot notes name bream, octopus, wrasse and cuttlefish. The national Malta list also includes sargu, awrata, dentici and lampuka. Ċerna, dusky grouper, is a species of national concern and release is advised; it should not be treated as a normal urban trophy. Bluefin tuna is not a casual pelagic bonus either: it may be taken only with special authorisation under the relevant quota regime.
When is the best season to spearfish around Sliema?
No best month is supplied for Sliema. The practical season is controlled by two forces: urban bathing notices and east-facing exposure. The physics record points to an east or north-east problem sector, and Fortizza is described as having only moderate visibility after storms. In the busiest bathing period, the easier the entry looks, the more likely it is to be inside or next to a designated swimmer zone.
Do you need a licence to spearfish in Malta and Gozo?
No recreational licence is required for shore or breath-hold spearfishing in Malta. The restrictions are behavioural and spatial. Spearfishing with scuba or an aqualung is banned, and night spearfishing is banned. Protected species such as fan mussel, date mussel, seahorses, loggerhead turtle and monk seal must not be taken or disturbed. Transport Malta's annual swimmer-zone notices decide which bathing areas are off-limits for the season.
FAQ
Where can you spearfish near Sliema?
The listed shore marks are Exiles Reef, Fortizza Reef, Coral Gardens and Qui Si Sana, all subject to urban swimmers, bathing-zone notices and sea state.
Can you spearfish near Sliema's bathing zones (100m from swimmers)?
Do not rely on a simple distance shortcut. Stay out of designated or buoyed bathing zones closed by Transport Malta's annual notices and avoid active swimmer areas.
What fish can you spearfish near Sliema?
Bream, octopus, wrasse and cuttlefish are listed locally. Ċerna, dusky grouper, should be released, and bluefin tuna needs special authorisation.
When is the best season to spearfish around Sliema?
No month is specified. Choose by current bathing-zone notice, swimmer pressure, storms and east or north-east exposure.
Do you need a licence to spearfish in Malta and Gozo?
No. Shore and breath-hold spearfishing do not require a recreational licence in Malta or Gozo.
Is scuba spearfishing allowed in Malta?
No. Spearfishing with scuba or an aqualung is banned.
Is night spearfishing allowed in Malta?
No. Night spearfishing is banned.
How far from swimmers must you stay when spearfishing in Malta?
Use the current Transport Malta notice and buoyed bathing areas as the control. Annual designated swimmer-zone closures are off-limits during the notified season.
Sources
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