Taganga spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility & live cameras

spearo.app / Colombia / Taganga
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◈Taganga · Colombia
5.3
visibility: 3 m
visibility~3m

Dayisover

Today — right on the edge.

Sources: Open-Meteo · Copernicus — high confidence · data 22:18

Sources & confidence

Sources
Open-Meteo · Copernicus
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.

Entry pointsNo-take zones

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.

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0 m

Surface

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

spearo.app
updated 22:18
Taganga — solo, off the rocks
Day is over
That is it for today — the day's windows have closed.
Tomorrow, best window 06:00–09:00
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.

Saturday · today2026-10-24
05:46–17:34 · full moon
▼ 02:00▲ 09:00▼ 17:00▲ 19:00 · 0.2 m
Hours (06→20)
06
09
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide0.24 m
Wave0.60 m
Wind5 km/h
Water30 °C
fish activity: moonset 04:12 · moderate · moon underfoot 10:20 · high · moonrise 16:25 · moderate · moon overhead 22:40 · high
Open the seafloor map with entry points →
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More spots

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🇨🇴Colombia

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Caribbean · Gulf

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Pacific (Colombia)

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spearo.app · a private marine instrument · Taganga · a planner, not a safety guaranteePrivacy
Today
Notify me
Map
Best window · next 3 days
gotomorrow · 06:00–09:00
you can see ~3 m ahead fish

ℹ️ Conservative visibility estimate kept

transparency nearby ~13 m · satellite, 2 days agosatellite estimate · may differ right at the shore

〜 tide is minor here bite times: 09:20–11:20 · 15:55–16:55

Tell me when it's on

Just your email — nothing else needed.

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

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−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.

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 →
Bahía de TagangaTaganga
borderline
swell on the quarter today
window
—

The village's sheltered bay, rock and sand 0–12 m; easy shore entry. Coords approx.

Google Maps
Playa GrandeTaganga
borderline
swell on the quarter today
window
—

Neighbouring cove to the north, rock and reef 0–14 m, high viz; outside the PNN. Coords approx.

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.

Download on theApp StoreGET IT ONGoogle Play
Google Play — QR code
point your camera
≈

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
  • lionfish
    Pterois volitans · 3–40 m · invasive — target
    ✅ The only clearly-legal speargun target (Res 0549/2022 Art.5 — invasive/exotic). Culling encouraged (Armada + CORALINA). Edible; venomous spines — careful.
  • snapper
    Lutjanus spp. · 3–30 m · ❓ consulta AUNAP
    ❓ The legality of spearing native species in Colombia is not confirmed in text (grey zone). Res 0549/2022 only authorises the speargun for invasives. Check AUNAP rules; in MPAs/Seaflower — banned.
  • king/Spanish mackerel
    Scomberomorus spp. · 1–25 m · ❓ consulta AUNAP
    ❓ The legality of spearing native species in Colombia is not confirmed in text (grey zone). Res 0549/2022 only authorises the speargun for invasives. Check AUNAP rules; in MPAs/Seaflower — banned.
  • jack / trevally
    Caranx spp. · 0–25 m · ❓ consulta AUNAP
    ❓ The legality of spearing native species in Colombia is not confirmed in text (grey zone). Res 0549/2022 only authorises the speargun for invasives. Check AUNAP rules; in MPAs/Seaflower — banned.
  • snook
    Centropomus undecimalis · 0–15 m · ❓ consulta AUNAP
    ❓ The legality of spearing native species in Colombia is not confirmed in text (grey zone). Res 0549/2022 only authorises the speargun for invasives. Check AUNAP rules; in MPAs/Seaflower — banned.
  • great barracuda
    Sphyraena barracuda · 0–25 m · ❓ consulta AUNAP
    ❓ Native species — grey zone (see AUNAP). Large individuals — ciguatera risk.
  • mahi-mahi
    Coryphaena hippurus · 0–30 m · ❓ consulta AUNAP
    ❓ The legality of spearing native species in Colombia is not confirmed in text (grey zone). Res 0549/2022 only authorises the speargun for invasives. Check AUNAP rules; in MPAs/Seaflower — banned.
  • Nassau grouper
    Epinephelus striatus · 3–35 m · ⚠️ release
    ⚠️ On Colombia's Red List (EN/CR). No formal ban, but please release it.
  • goliath grouper
    Epinephelus itajara · 1–30 m · ⚠️ release
    ⚠️ On Colombia's Red List (EN/CR). No formal ban, but please release it.
Law
  • ✓AUNAP sport-fishing permit (personal, non-commercial). KEY: the speargun is legal ONLY for exotic/introduced species → lionfish is the clearly legal target; for native species legality is a grey zone (consult AUNAP). Apnea, one band speargun, no night, no scuba.
  • ✓PNN Tayrona (next to Santa Marta) = no-take: fishing banned since 1959, and additionally closed in Feb 2026. Spearing there is prohibited.
  • ⛔ 🚫 Parrotfish (Scaridae) and surgeonfish — banned in San Andrés/Seaflower (CORALINA Res 369/2019). Don't shoot.
  • ⛔ 🚫 Sharks and rays — directed take banned (Res AUNAP 0744/2012, 190/2013, 01743/2017). Release.
  • ⛔ ⚠️ Goliath (E. itajara, CR) and Nassau grouper (E. striatus, EN) — Red List; release.
  • ⛔ Queen conch (Lobatus gigas) and spiny lobster (Panulirus) — closed season + size, by hand only, no speargun; conch export banned.
  • ⛔ 🚫 In (PNN Tayrona, Corales del Rosario, Malpelo, Gorgona, Utría, Old Providence) and across Seaflower, spearguns are BANNED for tourists.

Rules change. Before heading out, get the AUNAP sport-fishing permit; with a speargun the lionfish is the only clearly legal target — for natives consult AUNAP. PNN Tayrona is no-take.

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 · Taganga

Spearfishing in Taganga: spots, seasons and rules

Updated 2026-07-09 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher

Taganga works best when the spot choice follows the rule map. Taganga is Colombia's spearfishing hub: a fishing cove 15 min from Santa Marta, with apnea operators. Treat the names below as orientation only. The AUNAP permit, freediving, one band speargun and no night hunting are the baseline; snapper or grouper have no clear green light. The honest guide is simple: lionfish yes, native species only if the authority confirms the current rule.

TL;DR

  • Taganga: fishing village bay, freediving operators and Tayrona close by.
  • Northwest swell is the worst case here, though the cove gives some shelter; wind still decides, and upwelling clears and cools together.
  • The AUNAP permit, freediving, one band speargun and no night hunting are the baseline; snapper or grouper have no clear green light.

Where to look first in Taganga

These are practical orientation marks. Playa Grande and the village bay only fish well when a northwest sea is small and the wind stays down. If zoning is unclear, scout without take.

SpotTypeDepthLevelAccessNotes
Playa Grandereef0-14mIntermediateshore entry, only in small seasNeighbouring cove to the north, rock and reef 0-14 m. Keep the session short.
Bahía de Tagangamixed bottom0-12mIntermediateshore entry, only in small seasThe village's sheltered bay, rock and sand 0-12 m; easy. Keep the session short.

How do season and rules combine in Taganga?

December to March upwelling cools and clears the water, while the park remains off limits for shooting. Conditions still beat the calendar: The worst sea is from NW; there is some shelter, but wind still decides; upwelling can clear and cool the water at the same time. Keep it breath-hold and treat unconfirmed protected water as closed. Taganga is Colombia's breath-hold hub for a reason: it sits fifteen minutes from Santa Marta, has a sheltered village bay and quick access to local operators. Bahia de Taganga mixes rock and sand in 0-12 m with easy shore entry; Playa Grande adds 0-14 m reef and high visibility outside the PNN. From December to March, Santa Marta-Tayrona upwelling clears and cools the water while adding wind. Twenty minutes by boat, Tayrona rules begin, so park limits get confirmed before gear is loaded. The sheltered bay still needs a visible float around boat traffic.

Bahía Solano
  • El Valle
  • Nuquí
  • Juanchaco
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    FAQ

    Does Taganga require an AUNAP check?

    Yes. Carry the AUNAP sport authorization and keep it non-commercial.

    Can native fish be speared in Colombia?

    Do not assume native fish are open. Lionfish control is the clean case.

    What protected areas affect Taganga?

    Tayrona, Rosario, Seaflower and other listed MPAs are treated as closed if zoning cannot be confirmed.

    Can you spearfish at night in Colombia?

    Use daytime apnea. Night spearfishing is not a green-light activity.

    What conditions make Taganga worth trying?

    The bay offers partial shelter, but a northwest sea and the wind still call the day; upwelling can leave it clearer and colder.

    Sources

    • AUNAP, Autoridad Nacional de Acuicultura y Pesca
    • Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia
    • CORALINA, autoridad ambiental de San Andrés y Providencia

    Nearby towns

    • Dive spots near Santa Marta
    • Cartagena spearfishing guide
    • Cabo de la Vela: forecast and spots
    • Capurganá spearfishing guide
    • Dive spots near San Andrés
    Data partners
    dive centres that send us real visibility readings
    Águas VivasMilfontes · Sagres