Spanish Wells · Bahamas

5.4

wave 0.4 m

visibility5m

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

Sources: IPMA · NDBC · Copernicus — high confidence · data 14:41

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.

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

0 m

Surface

Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.

spearo.app

calmupdated 14:41

Spanish Wells — solo, off the rocks

BORDERLINE

caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site · wind 21 km/h

wave 0.4 mwind 21, gusts 25 km/hvisibility ~7 mwindow 12:00–21:00

today, best window 12:00–15:00

fish · Visibility 7 m · Water 30.9°C

confidence low · 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

06:28–19:57 · first quarter

▲ 02:00▼ 08:00▲ 15:00▼ 21:00 · 0.8 m

Hours (06→20)

Day's trends

Tide0.18 m

Wave0.52 m

Wind20 km/h

Water31 °C

fish activity: moonset 00:44 · moderate · moon underfoot 07:30 · high · moonrise 14:30 · moderate · moon overhead 20:00 · high

Conditions window12:00–15:00

caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site fish

Hs 0.42 mperiod 4.7 swind 21→25surge 0.1viz 5 m

0.42 mup to ~0.84 · 96° at an angle

4.7 sswell moderate

21→25gusts 25 km/h

0.1weak surge

0.08m/s

5 mrecent swell

30.9°C5 mm + hood

▲15:00tide turn near

Atmosphere23 kmlandmarks visible

moderatemoonrise

wind 21 km/h
flood toward high water

confidence lowday

Open the seafloor map with entry points

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

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

−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

Current CutSpanish Wells

borderline

swell on the quarter today

window
tide
shelter
hazard
access

Famous drift channel, ~18 m — 10-knot tide, NOT a hunting spot except at slack. Info point.

Google Maps

Egg Island Cut reef (NW-tip)Spanish Wells

borderline

swell on the quarter today

window
tide
shelter
hazard
access

Drop-off wall, 2–7 m — legal (outside reserves). Hogfish, grouper, snapper. Family-Island rule: stay >200 yd from any shore.

Google Maps

Spanish Wells reefsSpanish Wells

borderline

swell on the quarter today

window
tide
shelter
hazard
access

Productive reefs 9–18 m around St. George's Cay — legal (>200 yd), snapper, grouper, hogfish. Coords approximate.

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.

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

≈

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

Nassau grouper
5–30 m · on the current by structure · daytime
⚠️ Closed 1 Dec–28 Feb (spawning, S.I. 71/2015). Off-season min 3 lb; head/tail/skin intact on landing.
yellowtail snapper
3–25 m · on the current by structure · dusk/night
Small midwater snapper over the reef; comes up on a drift, shoot at dusk. Warm months.
lionfish
3–40 m · on the current by structure · daytime
Invasive — culling ENCOURAGED year-round. Tucks under ledges / in reef shade and lets you get close. Venomous spines — handle with care; excellent eating.

off season: black grouper (Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr) · mutton snapper (Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May) · hogfish (Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun) · mahi-mahi / dolphinfish (Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun) · cero mackerel (Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr)

Law

✓🚫 Spearguns are BANNED nationwide — only a or , breath-hold only (scuba/compressor banned). No spearfishing within 1 mile of New Providence, 1 mile of Freeport's south coast, or 200 yards of any Out-Island shore ().
✓Foreign visitors need a sport-fishing permit (or must fish from a licensed charter); catch is for personal use only — selling it is banned (bahamas.com/fishing-faq).

⛔ 🚫 Speargun banned everywhere — / only, breath-hold only (no air). Spear needs a written endorsement on the permit. Spearfishing competitions are banned.
⛔ 🚫 Crawfish (season 1 Aug–31 Mar) and queen conch — hand/hook only, NO spear. Turtles and sharks — full ban (Shark Sanctuary). Corals — no-take.

Rules change. Before heading out, check with the Bahamas Department of Marine Resources and the Fisheries Resources Act; spearguns are banned — sling/pole spear only.

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.

FAQ — spearfishing in Spanish Wells

Where can I spearfish in Spanish Wells?

Spanish Wells has rock entry points such as Spanish Wells reefs, Current Cut and Egg Island Cut reef (NW-tip). Spanish Wells (St. George's Cay) is the crawfish capital — the country's biggest lobster fleet, so proven productive banks all. Below you'll find each spot (access, shelter and hazards) and today's forecast.

When is the best season in Spanish Wells?

Best in summer (May–Sep). Rich Spanish Wells banks; Current Cut is a strong drift — only at slack tide.

How cold is the water in Spanish Wells?

Warm: ~28–30 °C in summer (lycra/2 mm), ~22–24 °C in winter (3 mm). 15–30 m clarity; Current Cut runs a strong tide.

Is Spanish Wells good for a beginner?

Intermediate: rich banks, but Current Cut runs a strong drift — only at slack.

Do I need a licence in Spanish Wells?

In Spanish Wells the speargun is BANNED across all Bahamian waters (Fisheries Resources Act, CH.244) — only a Hawaiian sling or pole spear is legal, breath-hold only (no scuba or air of any kind), and the spear must be endorsed in writing on your fishing permit. Don't hunt within 1 mile of New Providence or the south shore of Grand Bahama, or within 200 yards of any Family Island; spearfishing competitions are banned. A shore guest without a boat is a gray area, so take a sportsfishing permit with a spear endorsement on entry. Nassau grouper is closed 1 Dec–28 Feb, crawfish 1 Apr–31 Jul; turtles and sharks are fully protected. See the guide.

Full guide: nassau & Freeport: why hunting is offshore →

Coming soon