Day Island WallTacoma (The Narrows)
borderline- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Current-undercut wall; wolf-eel dens, lingcod, cabezon, rockfish (MA11 release-only). Slack water only — current over 2.4 kt is hazardous.
Google MapsTacoma (The Narrows) spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras
5.5
wave 0 m head-on
visibility6m
Today — right on the edge — wave, wind and visibility.
Sources: IPMA · NDBC · Copernicus — high confidence · data 16:43
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 16:43
Tacoma (The Narrows) — solo, off the rocks
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site · northerly wind picks up after midday
wave 0 m head-onwind 8 km/hvisibility ~9 mwindow 15:00–21:00
today, best window 18:00–21:00
fish · Visibility 9 m · Water —
confidence high · 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
05:37–20:55 · first quarter
Hours (06→20)
15
18
Day's trends
Tide0.00 m
Wave0.00 m
Wind14 km/h
Water0 °C
fish activity: moonset 00:01 · moderate · moon underfoot 07:50 · high · moonrise 15:41 · moderate · moon overhead 20:00 · high
Conditions window15:00–18:00
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site fish
Hs 0.00 mperiod 0 swind 12→16surge 0viz 7 m
0.00 mup to ~0.00
0 sswell moderate
12→16gusts 16 km/h
0weak surge
—m/s
7 moffshore wind — blows the murk out, clearer
—no data
—
Atmosphere52 kmlandmarks visible
moderatemoonrise
- northerly wind picks up after midday
- visibility ~7 m
confidence highday
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
Fox Island East WallTacoma (The Narrows)
borderline- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Two-tier undercut wall; octopus, wolf eel, lingcod, cabezon, sculpin. Slack only; rockfish release-only.
Google MapsFox Island West WallTacoma (The Narrows)
borderline- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Carr Inlet wall; lingcod, cabezon, rockfish. Slack only; rockfish release-only.
Google MapsTitlow Beach Marine PreserveTacoma (The Narrows)
closed- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Famous shore dive park — PROTECTED no-take marine preserve (WAC 220-302-110, spearfishing banned), viewing only.
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
Open the seafloor map →What's in season,
Reference
What's in season,
what the law says.
In season now
- lingcod
- rockfishRockfish: no yelloweye retention; bag and sub-limits vary by marine area.
- cabezon
- greenling
- salmonSalmon and sturgeon NOT by spear (WA) — hook-and-line only.
Law
- ✓OR: fishing licence + the new Ocean Endorsement (2026, $9/yr). WA: licence + Catch Record Card for certain species (halibut).
- ✓Salmon and sturgeon NOT by spear (WA) — hook-and-line only.
- ✓Lingcod/rockfish/cabezon/halibut allowed; the diver must swim/float, bang sticks banned. No yelloweye retention.
- ⛔ 🚫 Salmon and sturgeon — NOT by spear (hook-and-line only). Yelloweye rockfish: no retention in any WA marine area.
- ⛔ 🚫 Oregon Marine Reserves and Puget Sound conservation areas — take restricted/prohibited; check the specific site.
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.
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 Tacoma (The Narrows): spots, seasons and rules
Spearfishing around Tacoma is cold, vertical and current-driven. The useful structure is Day Island Wall, Fox Island East Wall and Fox Island West Wall, all marked as slack-only dives. Lingcod, cabezon, greenling and sculpin are the practical finfish names when seasons allow. Rockfish in the Marine Area 11 notes are release-only, and Titlow Beach Marine Preserve is no-take. This is a buddy-team dive, not a casual beach swim.
TL;DR
- Tacoma spearfishing means Puget Sound Narrows walls: Day Island and Fox Island are slack-water dives.
- Titlow Beach Marine Preserve is no-take and is excluded from the harvest table.
- Washington requires a fishing license; salmon and sturgeon are not spear targets, and yelloweye rockfish has no retention.
- Day Island is hazardous above 2.4 kt, so current timing matters more than the ocean swell report.
Best spearfishing spots in Tacoma
The table is a wall list. Dive slack, leave before the exchange builds, and keep Titlow out of the harvest plan. If a current table and the water in front of you disagree, believe the water and do not enter.
| Spot | Type | Depth | Level | Access | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day Island Wall | Current-undercut wall | Wall and ledges | Advanced | Boat or shore-supported slack dive | Lingcod and cabezon habitat. Current over 2.4 kt is hazardous; rockfish are release-only in MA11 notes. |
| Fox Island East Wall | Two-tier undercut wall | Wall ledges | Advanced slack-water dive | Boat-supported Fox Island approach | Octopus and wolf eel are viewing wildlife; target only clearly legal finfish. |
| Fox Island West Wall | Carr Inlet wall | Wall and broken rock | Advanced slack-water dive | Boat-supported Carr Inlet approach | A lingcod and cabezon wall where timing is the dive. |
Why is slack water mandatory?
The Narrows accelerates water around walls and points. Day Island is flagged as hazardous above 2.4 kt, and the Fox Island walls are marked slack-only. Enter late and you can lose the wall, the float and the pickup line.
What Washington rules shape the catch?
A fishing license is required, with catch-record handling for some species such as halibut. Salmon and sturgeon are not by spear. Lingcod, cabezon and greenling may be legal when area seasons allow, but yelloweye rockfish has no retention and MA11 rockfish are release-only.
What about Titlow Beach?
Titlow Beach Marine Preserve is marked protected no-take, with spearfishing banned. Use it only for lawful observation or training. NOAA station 46041 gives regional ocean weather, but Tacoma still needs a current table and local visibility check.
How should a wall dive be ended?
End before the current builds, not when the stringer is full. Keep the float clear of boat traffic and surface with enough time to drift safely back to the pickup point.
FAQ
Can you spearfish at Titlow Beach?
No. It is protected no-take water.
What is the main Day Island hazard?
Current over 2.4 kt is flagged as hazardous.
Can I spear salmon in Washington?
No. Salmon and sturgeon are not by spear.
Which NOAA station is listed?
NOAA NDBC station 46041.
Are rockfish keepers in Tacoma?
The local MA11 notes say rockfish are release-only.
Sources
Nearby towns
Coming soon
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