Today — sit it out — wave, wind and surge pounding.
Sources:Open-Meteo · Copernicus · Sentinel-2 — high confidence · data 14:32
Sources & confidence
Sources
Open-Meteo · Copernicus · Sentinel-2
Method
spearo sea-state engine: consensus of up to 6 models + satellite clarity (ZSD) + buoy-bias checks
Freshness
Re-read every hour, per coast
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.
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 — where night spearfishing is banned by law the window is forced red; where it is legal (Australia outside NSW, New Zealand, South Africa) it is capped at yellow, never green.
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.
point your camera
0 m
Surface
Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.
spearo.app
updated 14:32
South West Rocks — solo, off the rocks
DON'T GO
don't go · wave 2.4 m (occasionally up to ~4.7 m)
wave 2.4 m head-onwind 27, gusts 54 km/hsurge pounding the rocksvisibility ~2 m
What's missing? Tell us what you'd like to see — new spots, species, data or features. We read everything.
Your best window — with you. Forecast in your pocket.
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: 3016 spots across 406 stretches of coast — mainland Portugal, Madeira and the Azores.
⚠ Warning: Within 200 m of Fish Rock a spear or spear gun may take ONLY trevally, kingfish and rainbow runner (Carangidae), mackerel and wahoo (Scombridae), marlin and sailfish, cobia, tailor, mahi mahi and eastern Australian salmon.
Legal notice: Within 200 m of Fish Rock a spear or spear gun may take ONLY trevally, kingfish and rainbow runner (Carangidae), mackerel and wahoo (Scombridae), marlin and sailfish, cobia, tailor, mahi mahi and eastern Australian salmon. · Scope: all waters within 200 m of the mean high water mark of Fish Rock (30°56.325′S 153°06.052′E) · Fisheries Management (General) Regulation 2019 (NSW), cl 23 (Fish Rock waters) (as of 2026-09-26)
⚠️ This point is inside the restricted zone “Fish Rock waters (200 m from MHWM of Fish Rock) — spear only pelagic species”: fishing there is regulated (season, gear, permit), not banned outright. Read the zone's rules before you go.
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
—
Seabed depth of the selected area
≈13–37 m (bathymetry NSW Marine LiDAR, 5 m)
Famous reef/cave ~2 km offshore — boat only. Grey-nurse critical habitat: NO spearfishing, look only.
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.
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».
Rules as of now — 25.10.2026 15:33 (Australia/Sydney)
In season now
yellowtail kingfish
Seriola lalandi · 3–35 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
min 65 cm · bag 5 a day
snapper
Chrysophrys auratus · 5–40 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
min 30 cm · bag 10 a day
dusky flathead
Platycephalus fuscus · 1–15 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
36–70 cm · bag 5 a day
luderick (blackfish)
Girella tricuspidata · 0–12 m · legal
min 27 cm · bag 10 a day
silver trevally
Pseudocaranx georgianus · 3–30 m · legal
min 30 cm · bag 10 a day
rock blackfish (black drummer)
Girella elevata · 0–12 m · legal
min 30 cm · bag 10 a day
Australian salmon
Arripis trutta · 0–15 m · legal
no minimum size · bag 5 a day
bastard trumpeter
Latridopsis forsteri · 5–30 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
min size: no data
striped trumpeter
Latris lineata · 15–50 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
min size: no data
banded morwong
Cheilodactylus spectabilis · 3–30 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
no minimum size · bag 5 a day
bluethroat wrasse
Notolabrus tetricus · 3–30 m · legal
min size: no data
mulloway (jewfish)
Argyrosomus japonicus · 2–25 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
min 70 cm · bag 1 a day
southern rock lobster (crayfish)
Jasus edwardsii · 2–20 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
min 11 cm (carapace) (♀ 10.5) · bag 3 a day · 🚫 no spear · ✋ by hand only — no snare, hook or other aid · 🤿 no breathing apparatus — breath-hold only
eastern rock lobster (green cray)
Sagmariasus verreauxi · 2–25 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
min 10.4 cm (carapace) · bag 3 a day · 🚫 no spear · ✋ by hand only — no snare, hook or other aid · 🤿 no breathing apparatus — breath-hold only
yellowfin bream
Acanthopagrus australis · 0–6 m · legal
min 25 cm · bag 10 a day
black bream
Acanthopagrus butcheri · 0–6 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
min 25 cm · bag 10 a day
blacklip abalone
Haliotis rubra · 0–10 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
min 11.7 cm (shell) · bag 2 a day · 🤿 no breathing apparatus — breath-hold only
greenlip abalone
Haliotis laevigata · 2–15 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
min 11.7 cm (shell) · bag 2 a day · 🤿 no breathing apparatus — breath-hold only
southern calamari
Sepioteuthis australis · 1–12 m · legal
no minimum size · bag 20 a day
octopus
Octopus spp. · 0–10 m · legal
no minimum size · bag 10 a day
cuttlefish
Sepia spp. · 1–15 m · legal
no minimum size · bag 20 a day
King George whiting
Sillaginodes punctatus · 0–6 m · legal
no minimum size · bag 20 a day
tailor
Pomatomus saltatrix · 0–10 m · legal
min 30 cm · bag 10 a day
cobia (black kingfish)
Rachycentron canadum · 3–25 m · legal
no minimum size · bag 5 a day
Spanish mackerel
Scomberomorus commerson · 3–25 m · legal
min 75 cm · bag 5 a day
off season: eastern blue groper () · black cod (black rockcod) () · grey nurse shark ()
Law
•Spearfishing in Australia is governed by STATE law, not federal: the licence, the gear, the closed areas, the sizes and the all differ between NSW, QLD, VIC, SA, WA and TAS. Below is your state's pack; cross into the next state and the rules change at the border.
✓Federally listed threatened, migratory and marine species — white and whale sharks, sawfish, marine turtles and marine mammals among them — are protected in Commonwealth waters: killing, injuring or taking one there is an offence (Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999). In a state's own waters the same animals are protected by that state's list (see the protected-species panel). Never shoot, disturb or take them.
✓Marine park zoning applies ON TOP of the state's fishing rules: / Sanctuary / Preservation zones are full no-take, and on the Great Barrier Reef the marine park zoning sits on top of the Queensland rules. Check the boundaries on the managing agency's zone map before you enter the water (Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Zoning Plan 2003; NSW Marine Estate Management (Management Rules) Regulation).
✓Rock lobster may not be speared in NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania or Western Australia — it is taken by hand (WA also allows a hand snare or blunt crook). The Queensland and Northern Territory pages read on 26 Sep 2026 publish no such rule, so there it is not stated either way. Abalone may not be speared in Victoria or Tasmania. Spearfishing in inland fresh waters is banned in NSW, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. Sources: NSW Fisheries Management (General) Regulation; Fisheries Regulations 2019 (Vic); Fisheries Management (General) Regulations 2017 (SA); the state fisheries guides.
✓NSW: spearfishing requires the NSW Recreational Fishing Fee — AUD 7 (3 days), 14 (1 month), 35 (12 months), 85 (3 years) (NSW Fisheries Management (General) Regulation, Sch 6). A current pensioner concession card exempts you (cl 69); the other exemptions are set by the Fisheries Management Act 1994 (s 34C) — check with DPIRD.
✓NSW gear (per DPIRD): mask and snorkel yes, scuba to take fish no (scuba is only for scallops and sea urchins), hookah banned. A light used TOGETHER with a spear or speargun is banned, so night spearfishing with a torch is not allowed. and explosive devices are banned (NSW Fisheries Management (General) Regulation, cl 51–52).
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.
Local guide · South West Rocks
Spearfishing in South West Rocks: spots, seasons and rules
Updated 2026-09-05 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher
Spearfishing at South West Rocks is built around one piece of geography: Trial Bay opens to the north behind Smoky Cape, so it holds shape when the swell and the wind are hammering the open coast. Front Beach reef and Little Bay are the easy entries, Ladies Reef is the standard dive off the Horseshoe Bay headland, and Gaol Reef is worth a flat day rather than an average one. Fish Rock is closed to spearfishing because it is grey nurse habitat. Pay the NSW recreational fishing fee, read the spearfishing closure schedule and keep the beach rule in mind before choosing an entry.
TL;DR
Trial Bay faces north behind Smoky Cape, so the reef below the old gaol stays diveable when the open coast is blown out. It is the best of the shore dives here.
Fish Rock is a grey nurse aggregation about 2 km offshore: no spearfishing, look only. Grey nurse sharks are a protected species in NSW.
NSW rules are method rules. Snorkel only, no hookah, no light with a spear, no powerheads, lobster by hand only, and no spearfishing on ocean beaches except the last 20 m at each end.
The NSW recreational fishing fee applies to spearfishers, listed at 35 AUD for a year, and the spearfishing closure schedule is worth re-reading before every trip.
Where can you shore dive around South West Rocks?
Everything useful sits inside or beside Trial Bay, which is why the town dives when the rest of the mid-north coast cannot. Judge each entry by swell direction and the length of the swim out.
Spot
Type
Depth
Level
Access
Notes
Trial Bay — Front Beach
Sheltered reef below Trial Bay Gaol
Shallow bay reef
Easy, the pick of the shore dives
Walk-in entry
Snapper, bream and schooling kingfish are what people report here. NSW closes ocean beaches to spearfishing except the last 20 m at each end, so the reef corners are the ground, not the open sand.
Little Bay (Arakoon)
Protected cove with reef and boulders
2-6 m
Easy family entry
Walk-in from the cove
The calm-cove option east of Trial Bay when north in the swell makes Front Beach messy. Short swim, obvious exit.
NSW closed spearfishing places (per DPIRD): ocean beaches are closed except the last 20 m at each end; a long schedule of entrances, coastal lagoons and tidal waters is closed; marine parks and aquatic reserves add their own restrictions (Marine Estate Management Act 2014).
✓NSW sizes and seasons: a spearfisher has the same bag and as every other recreational fisher. Key ones: snapper 30 cm (bag 10), kingfish 65 cm (5), dusky flathead 36–70 cm slot (5), mulloway 70 cm (1), luderick 27 cm (10). Australian bass and perch are closed 1 May – 31 Aug in rivers and (Fisheries Management Act 1994; DPIRD bag and ).
•NSW weather: the BOM marine wind warning summary for the state — bom.gov.au/marine/lite/warning/IDN20400.shtml. Rules change: check DPIRD before every trip.
⛔ 🚫 NSW Listed Protected Fish Species register: Ballina angelfish, blue drummer (bluefish), eastern blue devil, elegant wrasse, goldspotted rockcod ( cod), Queensland groper, sandtiger (Herbst's nurse) shark and all Syngnathidae — pipefish, pipehorses, seahorses and seadragons.
⛔ 🚫 NSW, bag 0 / release only: wobbegong sharks, great and scalloped hammerheads (only the smooth hammerhead may be taken), blue drummer, Harrisson's and southern dogfish. Blue, brown and red groper may not be speared.
⛔ 🚫 Eastern blue groper (the NSW state fish) and black cod may not be speared. Grey nurse shark, white shark, seahorses, seadragons and pipefish are protected. Rock lobster may not be taken with a spear in NSW, VIC or TAS; abalone may not be speared in VIC or TAS.
⛔ 🚫 and Marine (VIC), Tasmanian marine reserves and NSW aquatic reserves — all fishing prohibited. Every inland (fresh) water is closed to spearfishing in all three states.
Rules change and vary BY STATE. Before heading out, check with your state's fisheries (NSW DPI, Fisheries QLD, VFA, DPIRD WA, PIRSA, NRE Tas, NT Fisheries) and the marine-park zoning map.
Ladies Reef
Circular reef off the Horseshoe Bay headland
6-12 m
Standard easy dive with little current
Easy shore access
Sheltered from most weather and a known night dive. Juvenile fish, nudibranchs, moray eels and cuttlefish are what divers report.
Fish Rock
Reef and cave about 2 km offshore
Boat-dive depths
No spearfishing
Boat only
A grey nurse shark aggregation and critical habitat: no spearfishing, look only. Grey nurse sharks are protected in NSW.
When does South West Rocks work?
The bad sector runs from about 10 to 150 degrees and is worst near 90 degrees, and Trial Bay answers most of it by facing north behind Smoky Cape. A southerly that closes the open coast usually leaves the gaol reef and Little Bay workable, while anything with real east in it puts swell straight into the bay. Transport for NSW publishes live cameras at Trial Bay, on the Macleay River pole and on the Nambucca River bar. Read them as a surface and chop clue, not a visibility reading.
Where is spearfishing closed near South West Rocks?
Fish Rock is the obvious one: it is a grey nurse aggregation and critical habitat, so it is a look-only dive with no spearfishing. Grey nurse sharks also use the Smoky Cape stretch, and they are protected, so leave them alone wherever they turn up. Beyond that, NSW closes all inland waters and lists a schedule of estuary entrances, coastal lagoons and other tidal waters where a speargun may not be used. That schedule changes: DPIRD reduced the Crescent Head closure at Little Nobby Headland in October 2025. Read the current list, not a remembered one.
What can you spear legally around Trial Bay?
The reef here holds the usual NSW temperate mix, and the numbers come from the state table. Yellowtail kingfish is 65 cm with a bag of 5 in NSW, snapper is 30 cm with a bag of 10, and silver trevally is 30 cm with a bag of 10. Rock blackfish and luderick are shore-dive staples at 30 cm and 27 cm, both bag 10. Dusky flathead is a slot fish at 36 to 70 cm with a bag of 5, so measure the big ones. Mulloway is 70 cm and one fish per diver, and Australian salmon has no size limit and a bag of 5.
Which fish must you leave alone in NSW?
Eastern blue groper is the one that ends trips. It is bag 0, release only, and NSW names spear or speargun used to take blue, brown or red groper as a banned method; the line fishing prohibition was continued for a further three years from 1 March 2025. Black cod is protected, and NSW bans spearing any protected fish. Wobbegong sharks are release only, great and scalloped hammerheads are protected, and blue drummer, the cousin of the black drummer you may take, is bag 0. Grey nurse and white sharks are protected too.
What do NSW rules require of a spearfisher?
Spearfishers must pay the NSW recreational fishing fee and carry the receipt, which DPIRD lists at 7 AUD for 3 days, 14 AUD for a month, 35 AUD for a year and 85 AUD for 3 years, with exemptions including under-18s and pensioner concession card holders. You may snorkel while taking fish, but hookah is banned and scuba is allowed only for scallops and sea urchins. A light used with a spear or speargun is banned, so no night hunting under a torch. Powerheads and explosive devices are banned, rock lobster may be taken by bare or gloved hand only, and the code of practice asks for 50 m clearance from swimmers, snorkellers and other divers.
FAQ
Do you need a licence to spearfish at South West Rocks?
You need to pay the NSW recreational fishing fee and carry the receipt. DPIRD lists it at 35 AUD for a year, with shorter options and several exemptions.
Can you spearfish at Fish Rock?
No. Fish Rock is grey nurse shark critical habitat and a look-only dive, and grey nurse sharks are protected in NSW.
Which is the best shore dive at South West Rocks?
The reef below Trial Bay Gaol at Front Beach, with Little Bay as the calm-cove alternative and Ladies Reef as the standard easy dive.
Can you spear blue groper in NSW?
No. Blue, brown and red groper are bag 0 in NSW, and using a spear or speargun to take them is listed as a banned method.
Can you spearfish off a beach in NSW?
Not along the beach itself. Spearfishing on ocean beaches is banned except for the last 20 m at each end, which is why the reef corners and headlands are the ground here.
Is scuba allowed for spearfishing in NSW?
No. Snorkel is permitted for taking fish, hookah is banned, and scuba may be used only for scallops and sea urchins.
