Today — sit it out — wave, wind and noticeable surge.
Sources & confidence
Compiled by the spearo sea-state engine
The verdict comes from seven water factors and hard safety gates — not ten tabs. Go or stay.
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.
Safety gates
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
Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.
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.
Visibility and what drives it — post-storm clearing, river plume, temperature and the thermocline.
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 spotsRelief and bottom type, tides, and the depths of each spot.
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.
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 mapSunken menhaden vessel and reef beside Frying Pan Tower on Frying Pan Shoals ~33 nm (~62 km) offshore; amberjack, gag grouper and black sea bass.
Google MapsNearshore Oak Island reef ~4.6 nm from Oak Island Light; sheepshead, black sea bass and flounder. ⚠️ State-water AR (~3 nm) may be no-spear — verify with NC DMF before hunting.
Google MapsReef balls and consolidated concrete ~1.3 nm off Oak Island (Yaupon Beach); sheepshead, black sea bass and flounder. ⚠️ State-water AR (<3 nm) may be no-spear — verify with NC DMF before hunting.
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.
Cameras, map and reference — to hand as you come up.
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».
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.
Spearfishing in Southport is a distance and legality decision. AR-425 and AR-420 near Oak Island hold sheepshead, black sea bass and flounder habitat, but both carry state-water spearing caution. The safer harvest framing is AR-400 Robert Bob Black Tower Reef near Frying Pan Tower, about 33 nautical miles offshore. That is a serious boat day, but it avoids selling uncertain nearshore reefs as open hunting water.
Nearshore reefs are useful for orientation only until NC DMF confirms the exact method. The listed hunting spot is far offshore and should be treated as an advanced trip with fuel, weather and pickup margins planned before leaving the inlet.
| Spot | Type | Depth | Level | Access | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AR-400 Robert Bob Black Tower Reef | Offshore tower and wreck reef | Far offshore reef on Frying Pan Shoals | Advanced boat dive | About 33 nm offshore | Menhaden vessel and reef near Frying Pan Tower, with amberjack, gag grouper and black sea bass potential when seasons allow. |
AR-425 sits about 1.3 nm off Yaupon Beach and AR-420 about 4.6 nm from Oak Island Light. Both notes warn that state-water artificial reefs may be no-spear or require DMF verification. Treat them as scout or hook-and-line sites until confirmed.
The bad sea sector is about 95-215 degrees, and NOAA station 41013 is the listed offshore check. Wait for settled weather and lower seas from that sector before planning a reef dive.
A Coastal Recreational Fishing License is required. Current DMF limits can close or restrict fish such as striped bass, red drum, tarpon and sharks by spear. Red drum may not be gigged, speared or gaffed, and several sharks and protected finfish are prohibited.
Call or check NC DMF for the exact reef, date and method before planning harvest. A reef holding legal-sized fish is not enough if the method or season is closed that day.
Do not assume so. Confirm directly with NC DMF before hunting.
A North Carolina Coastal Recreational Fishing License.
AR-400 Robert Bob Black Tower Reef, because nearshore reefs carry uncertainty.
Plan around the bad sea sector of about 95-215 degrees and check NOAA station 41013.
NOAA NDBC station 41013.
Leave your email — and the moment a window opens at Southport, we'll send the go / no-go verdict. Email is all we need.
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