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.
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0 m
Surface
Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.
spearo.app
no dataupdated 03:36
Exposed coast — Bolonia – Valdevaqueros — solo, off the rocks
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best weather window · solo, stay careful, run the checklist · calm conditions: swell, wind and visibility all normal
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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.
Cala Arena (Cabo de Gracia)Exposed coast — Bolonia – Valdevaqueros
borderline
exposed head-on to the swell today (city-level)
window
The cove is angled so that it warms up early and the sun gets into the water soon, which makes the morning its moment. Summer and early autumn are when it is at its best; in winter the poniente shuts it for weeks at a time. Night is banned across Spain: you go in with light and come out with light.
tide
The tide is not big here either, around a metre and a half on springs because the Strait holds it back, but it changes the size of the cove. At low water the sand widens and the stone ribs at the edges come out, slippery with weed. You can get in at any state of tide, just watch your footing.
shelter
Cala Arena sits tucked behind the shoulder of Cabo de Gracia, and that ridge is what saves it: with an easterly levante the air passes overhead and inside the cove the water stays like a mirror. A poniente from W-SW, on the other hand, wraps in through the mouth and then the shoreline becomes a washing machine.
conditions
The cove floor is sand with rock ribs along the sides, so clarity goes quickly as soon as anything breaks on the shore. In exchange, on levante days this is usually the cleanest water on this stretch, because the ridge cuts the chop off it. Work the stone ribs and leave the sand in the middle alone.
hazard
This is an isolated cove: no lifeguard, nobody nearby and patchy phone coverage, so never come alone. The access track can be closed depending on the season. You are inside the Parque Natural del Estrecho, so check the zoning, and remember that night is banned everywhere in Spain.
access
You get there on the track off the road between Bolonia and Atlanterra: leave the car up top and walk down the path through the scrub, a few minutes on foot. You get in straight off the cove sand, no jumps and no scrambling. The exit is that same sand; with a running swell do not try the stone sides.
Rocky cove toward Zahara; mixed bottom, semi-sheltered from the easterly (E).
Go early: at Tarifa the wind gets up by mid-morning and what was a mirror at eight is a chop by noon. The good window runs from first light to midday, and night is banned everywhere in Spain. The best months are late summer through October.
tide
The Strait damps the tide: at Tarifa the range is barely a metre and a half on springs, small for the Atlantic. What rules here is the tidal stream, which sweeps around the point and drags you either toward Bolonia or offshore depending on the phase. Plan the drift before you get in.
shelter
Punta Camarinal, with its old watchtower, closes Bolonia bay from the west and faces southwest: the poniente from W-SW, above all around 260 degrees, comes straight in and breaks over the slabs. With an easterly levante the air falls off the Sierra de la Plata and the water by the point stays flat, though the gusts are hard.
conditions
On a normal day you see several metres over the rock once the sea has been flat for two or three days. What kills visibility here is the Bolonia sand: any westerly surf works it in between the stones and the water turns green. A hard levante clouds it within hours.
hazard
Current over the point, a wind that turns offshore and pushes you out, and boat traffic: the buoy is mandatory and you must not stray more than 25 m from it. You are inside the Parque Natural del Estrecho, so check the zoning before you get in. The Andalusian cap is 5 kg live weight or 4 kg gutted per licence per day.
access
You get there by the dirt track from the western end of Bolonia or from the Atlanterra side; park up top and walk down through the scrub. Get in from the sand pockets between the slabs, never by jumping off the rock of the point. And come out where you went in: with any swell the tip is unforgiving.
Punta Camarinal rocky ground next to Bolonia; rock drop-offs, sea bream and sea bass, exposed to the westerly (Poniente, W-SW).
The bay is a kite and wing capital and by the afternoon it is full of sails and lines, which is exactly why you want to be in the water at first light and out before midday. The thermal breeze fills in early in summer and stirs everything. Night is banned across Spain, so the window is dawn.
tide
The tide in this part of the Strait is modest, around a metre and a half on springs, but it shows a lot because the bottom is so gentle. At low water the ledges at the foot of Punta Paloma are uncovered and you walk in easily; at high water you swim from the sand. The current runs parallel to the beach.
shelter
The Valdevaqueros bay opens to the southwest and the poniente from W-SW pushes sea right up to the shore with nothing to stop it. An easterly levante drops over the big Punta Paloma dune and leaves the water by the beach like a plate, though it rips across the bay in gusts. The real shelter is at the foot of the Paloma headland.
conditions
Almost everything here is sand, so any swell turns the bay to milk and you need two or three flat days for it to settle. The rock patches at the foot of the headland hold visibility better than the middle of the sand flat. If there is a small wave breaking on the shore, better to leave the gun in the car.
hazard
The main risk is not the bottom but the people and the wind: kitesurfers with long lines crossing the water, and a levante that blows off the land and carries you offshore without you noticing. Keep the buoy visible and never more than 25 m from it. Andalusian licence from age 14, a cap of 5 kg live or 4 kg gutted, and a health declaration instead of liability insurance.
access
Park at the Valdevaqueros accesses or at the Punta Paloma one and walk over the dune sand to the foot of the headland. Entry is comfortable: you walk on sand and start swimming where the stone begins. With a running swell do not come out on the headland ledges, go back to the beach even if it is a hundred metres more.
Rocky ground among the sands; easy entry, exposed to the westerly, mind the wind.
Here the tide clock matters more than the sun: you look for slack water, ideally on a neap and first thing, before the wind fills in. Night is banned across Spain, so the outing runs from sunrise to sunset. Check the ferry timetable too before you plan the session.
tide
The tidal range here is small, about a metre and a half on springs, because the Strait holds it back. The Strait tidal stream, though, is the serious part: it reverses with the phase, can run faster than you swim and sets up eddies off the island head. Get in near slack and expect to drift.
shelter
The causeway joining the town to Tarifa island splits the sea in two: an easterly levante flattens the Los Lances side to the west, a westerly poniente calms the Playa Chica side to the east. You swap faces with the wind, but with either of them blowing hard the tip of the island is unworkable.
conditions
With a light poniente after a few calm days the water can surprise you: the Strait current itself brings clean water in from outside. A hard levante, on the other hand, turns everything green and murky within hours, and then it is not even worth driving down. Work the sheltered face.
hazard
This place is for experienced people only: the Strait is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world and the Tangier ferries run through it, so you have no business in the channel. Isla de las Palomas is a military zone with restricted access. Buoy mandatory, and the current gives no warning.
access
You get in off the sand, either at Los Lances or at Playa Chica depending on the wind, parking in town or at the beach accesses. Do not go up onto the causeway or the island: access is restricted. It is a long swim out to the rock, so always come out on the same beach and do not look for stone in a running swell.
Rocky ground by Tarifa island; rock bottom, strong Strait currents, advanced.
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.
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≈
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».
✓Spearfishing licence mandatory; the AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITY issues it (not the State) and it is valid in the exterior waters of the whole coast. Free-diving only — scuba is banned (, art. 3).
✓Spearfishing catch may not be sold or traded — it is non-commercial fishing ().
✓Night prohibited: spearfishing only in daylight (sunset to sunrise not allowed) — , art. 16.d.
✓Marker buoy MANDATORY: mark your position with a clearly visible buoy and stay within 25 m of it — , art. 15.
✓Never keep the speargun loaded out of the water — , art. 16.a.
✓Keep at least 300 m from professional fishing vessels that are working — , art. 12.b.
✓The state act (, art. 16) bans, for spearfishing: a loaded gun out of the water; explosive/electric points and lamps (hand torches excepted); underwater scooters; night — from sunset to sunrise. Plus art. 12 b), d), e): 300 m from professional fishing vessels, light as an attractant, poisons/explosives. A ban in a PARTICULAR reserve, port or beach comes from that place's OWN instrument (the reserve's order, the autonomous community's rules, the port authority) — see the no-take zones on the map and your community's rules.
✓Min. sizes by ( + + EU 2019/1241): sea bass 42 cm (rec.) / 36 cm / 25 cm Mediterranean / 22 cm Canaries; gilthead bream 20 cm and white seabream 23 cm in the Mediterranean (EU 2019/1241); grouper 45 cm. See your zone's species card.
✓Only species in Annex I of may be taken; keeping, landing or transporting undersized specimens is prohibited.
✓The licence needs a medical fitness certificate for free-diving and civil-liability insurance (or a federative licence, which includes it). Mandatory in the Basque Country/Murcia/Asturias/Galicia; the federative licence covers it in Galicia/Balearics/Cantabria; the Canaries and Andalusia do NOT require it for the individual licence (a responsible health declaration). Minimum age generally 16 (14 in Andalusia).
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 Tarifa
Where can I spearfish in Tarifa?
Tarifa has rock entry points such as Punta Camarinal (Bolonia), Isla de Tarifa (Los Lances) and Valdevaqueros / Punta Paloma. Tarifa is where the Atlantic meets the Strait, and the wind rules. Below you'll find each spot (access, shelter and hazards) and today's forecast.
When is the best season in Tarifa?
Mostly summer. Atlantic tides return here (real range) and the day is decided by the wind — levante or poniente; near the Guadalquivir mouth the water turns murkier. Best on a poniente, small-sea day.
How cold is the water in Tarifa?
Atlantic: ~15–22 °C. A 5 mm suit for most of the season, 3 mm only at peak summer. Near the Guadalquivir mouth and over sand, visibility drops.
Is Tarifa good for a beginner?
Needs care: Atlantic tides with current, wind-driven days and poor visibility near river mouths. Best on a poniente, small-sea day; reading the tide helps a lot.
Do I need a licence in Tarifa?
Yes — in Tarifa you need a recreational sea-fishing licence (issued by the autonomous community); breath-hold only (no scuba), with a marker buoy and no night diving. See the guide.
✓There is no fixed national catch cap (, art. 5 delegates it to the communities); the standard is 5 kg/person/day, with 1 specimen allowed not to count (Canaries — Decreto 182/2004, art. 38.3; Murcia; Galicia; Basque Country). Protected species have per-piece quotas.
✓Only a harpoon is allowed — hand-held or mechanically propelled, with one or several points (, art. 14.1). Carrying spearfishing gear and underwater breathing equipment aboard AT THE SAME TIME is prohibited (art. 14.2) — an offence in itself, even if you dived on a breath hold.
✓Spain is not one jurisdiction. The licence is issued by a coastal autonomous community, and you must comply with the rules of the administration on whose littoral you are in the water: «debiendo cumplir la normativa establecida por la administración en cuyo litoral se realice la actividad» (, art. 13). Interior waters — inside the straight baselines: bays, coves, rías, the whole coastal strip — are the community's competence; exterior waters are the State's. So the age, the days of the week, the distances and the are found in your community's act, not in the state one.
•Andalusia: spearfishing licence; requires a medical certificate (NO civil-liability insurance — a responsible health declaration replaces it, ); applied for at the Junta de Andalucía. Confirm the exact procedure page at juntadeandalucia.es.
✓Andalusia: minimum licence age (incl. spearfishing/class 4) — 14; under-14s only surface modalities accompanied by an adult (Decreto 205/2023, art. 4.2/4.3). No civil-liability insurance: a responsible health declaration (, Annex IV).
✓Bans: RMIP Cabo de Gata-Níjar and Alborán island — spearfishing banned (see zones).
✓Andalusia: licence from age 14 (Decreto 205/2023, art. 4.2), minors accompanied (art. 5.3). The cap is 5 kg live weight or 4 kg gutted per licence per day (art. 9.1). Selling the catch (art. 12.a), powder or gas guns (art. 12.l), autonomous equipment and underwater scooters (art. 12.m) are prohibited. Buoy red or orange with the «Alfa» flag (art. 20.2); keep 250 m from people on the beach, bathing places, busy areas, port areas and navigation channels, and the same from set gear and professional vessels (art. 20.3). Allowed every day of the year, but only from sunrise to sunset (art. 22).
⛔ Seahorses (Hippocampus) — protected (RPE).
Rules change and are REGIONAL. Before heading out, check with the competent autonomous community (licence) and the min-size table in force.
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