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
calmupdated 11:46
Tavira — solo, off the rocks
BORDERLINE
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site · wind 20 km/h, gusts to 39 — caution
What's missing? Tell us what you'd like to see — new spots, species, data or features. We read everything.
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: 1391 spots across 205 stretches of coast — mainland Portugal, Madeira and the Azores.
Tavira bar — east jetty (Ilha de Cabanas), ocean sideTavira bar · Barra de Tavira — molhe nascente (Ilha de Cabanas), lado oceânico
borderline
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind
window
Dawn calm, before the sea breeze builds. Summer to early autumn, water 20–24 °C. Daylight only — spearfishing is banned from sunset to sunrise.
tide
Same bar, same rule: the inlet is ebb-dominated, and the flood is the slower, longer half of the cycle. Dive the slack or the flood; a spring ebb runs seaward over the delta at speeds no diver swims against — models give over 3 m/s.
shelter
Same open S/SSE coast, no natural shelter — the jetty wall is all there is. The outer face gives a partial lee from the W/SW swell that wraps around the bar, and when the wind is wrong on the west jetty this is usually the workable side. Nothing here stops the levante.
conditions
Same window as the west jetty: swell under about 0.5 m, light offshore at dawn, ~4.3 m of sand beneath you. It is the fallback of the pair — take whichever face is out of the wind that morning. The levante ends it either way, chop and suspended sand.
hazard
Read the legal line first: every jetty and groyne north of the two jetty heads lies inside the Ria Formosa, where spearfishing is banned under Portaria 560/90. Only the ocean side of the heads is legal water — do not work your way inward along the structure, and stay out of the bar navigation channel. Then the ebb jet, and boat traffic through the bar: flagged buoy at all times.
access
From Cabanas de Tavira: ferry across to Ilha de Cabanas, then walk west along the island to the jetty; or arrive by boat. Enter off the sand and swim to the outer face, clear of the channel line. Check the last ferry back before you get in — the island has no road.
Outer face of the east jetty of the same bar. Every jetty and groyne north of the jetty heads lies inside the Ria Formosa, where spearfishing is banned. ~4.3 m.
Tavira bar — west jetty (Ilha de Tavira), ocean sideTavira bar · Barra de Tavira — molhe poente (Ilha de Tavira), lado oceânico
borderline
best candidate for today
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind
window
Dawn, in the calm before the sea breeze builds through the day. Summer to early autumn — water 20–24 °C, the warmest on the Portuguese coast. Daylight only: spearfishing is banned from sunset to sunrise.
tide
This is the safety-critical field here. The Tavira inlet is ebb-dominated like the rest of the Ria Formosa — at the Faro-Olhão inlet on a neap the flood runs ~0.4 m/s against an ebb of ~0.8 m/s, and models give over 3 m/s depth-averaged on a spring ebb. Dive the slack or the flood, never a spring ebb: the ebb jet fires seaward over the delta and carries a diver offshore.
shelter
No natural shelter — this is the ocean front of a barrier island facing S/SSE. The only cover is the jetty wall itself: it takes the edge off the W/SW swell that runs along the coast, and the whole coast sits in the lee of Cabo de São Vicente, so the swell here is the smallest on the mainland. Nothing shelters this face from the levante, the easterly that blows straight down the shore.
conditions
The window is swell under about 0.5 m with a light offshore at dawn — the jetty is the only hard structure for kilometres of sand, so it holds the fish. The levante shuts it down: short steep chop and sand in suspension. There is ~4.4 m of sand under you, so visibility goes as soon as there is swell or a running tide.
hazard
The ebb first: a spring ebb jet through this bar takes you offshore, and there is nothing to hold on to on a sand bottom. Then the law — spearfishing is banned in the bar navigation channel, and everything north of the jetty heads is inside the Ria Formosa, banned under Portaria 560/90; work the outer face only. Then boat traffic in and out of the bar: fly a flagged buoy, and plan the return ferry — you are on an island with no other way home.
access
Ferry from Tavira (Quatro Águas) to Ilha de Tavira, then walk east along the island to the jetty; or come by boat. Enter off the sand and swim out to the head, ~250 m, staying clear of the channel line. Check the last ferry back before you get in the water.
Ocean (SE) face of the west jetty, ~250 m off the head, clear of the bar channel. Ilha de Tavira beach is listed in the pesqueiros register. ~4.4 m.
Ilha de Tavira — west stretch (ocean front)Ilha de Tavira, west stretch · Ilha de Tavira — troço poente (frente oceânica)
borderline
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind
window
Early morning, calm before the breeze. Summer to early autumn. Daylight only — and budget daylight for the long walk in and out as well.
tide
Slack or flood, as everywhere in this system: the Ria Formosa is ebb-dominated and on a spring ebb the stream drains seaward through the inlets. Higher water also gives the better visibility over the sand.
shelter
No shelter — the empty middle of Ilha de Tavira, ocean front at S/SSE, no settlement and no ferry landing nearby. All you have is the lee of Cabo de São Vicente, which keeps the swell smaller than on the west coast; the levante runs along the shore unobstructed.
conditions
~5.1 m of sand, deeper than the beach points, but it only works on a flat day: swell under ~0.5 m and no levante. No direct spearfishing report exists for this stretch — treat it as a scouting dive, not as a plan for the day.
hazard
Remoteness is the main hazard: ~8.5 km from town, no settlement and no ferry landing nearby, so there is no help and no quick way out — do not do this one solo. On uniform sand in cloudy water you lose your bearings: flagged buoy and a fixed shore mark. Behind you is the Ria Formosa, where spearfishing is banned.
access
Either a long walk west along Ilha de Tavira from the nearest landing, or by boat — there is no ferry landing near this stretch. Sand entry. Plan the return before you start: the island has no road.
West stretch of the Ilha de Tavira ocean front, ~8.5 km from town. No direct spearfishing report. ~5.1 m.
Praia da Terra Estreita — ocean frontIlha de Tavira, Santa Luzia · Praia da Terra Estreita (Santa Luzia) — frente oceânica
borderline
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind
window
Early morning, calm before the breeze. Summer to early autumn, water 20–24 °C. Daylight only — spearfishing from sunset to sunrise is banned.
tide
Best on higher water and slack: more water over the sand and the least stream. The whole system is ebb-dominated — if you drift toward the inlet, do it on the flood, never on a spring ebb.
shelter
No natural shelter — the ocean side of Ilha de Tavira opposite Santa Luzia, open to S/SSE. All you have is the lee of Cabo de São Vicente, which keeps the swell smaller than on the west coast. It is quieter than Barril or the island beach by town, but quiet buys you no shelter.
conditions
The deepest of the Tavira beach points at ~5.2 m — a bit more water to work with, so it holds up better than the two- and three-metre beaches either side. The window is swell under ~0.5 m and no levante. Sand bottom: as soon as swell arrives or the tide runs, the sand lifts and visibility goes.
hazard
Nothing to hold on to and nothing to navigate by: on a sand front in poor visibility you lose your position fast — a flagged buoy and a fixed shore mark are not optional. Then longshore drift and the system's tidal stream. And remember you are on a barrier island with no road — count the return ferry from Santa Luzia. The lagoon behind you is the Ria Formosa, where spearfishing is banned.
access
Ferry from Santa Luzia to Ilha de Tavira, then walk over the island to the ocean side. Sand entry, swim out past the break. The island has no road — work out the return ferry in advance.
Ocean side of Ilha de Tavira opposite Santa Luzia. ~5.2 m.
Praia de Cabanas — ocean frontIlha de Cabanas · Praia de Cabanas (Ilha de Cabanas) — frente oceânica
borderline
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind
window
Dawn, before the breeze and before the beach fills. Summer to early autumn for the warm, calmer water. Daylight only.
tide
Higher water and slack give you the extra depth and the cleanest water you will get here. The Tavira bar is just over a kilometre to the southwest and is ebb-dominated, so its stream runs along this front — stay off a spring ebb.
shelter
None. Open ocean front of a barrier island at S/SSE; the only thing in your favour is the lee of Cabo de São Vicente, which keeps the Atlantic swell here smaller than anywhere on the west coast. Nothing shelters it from the levante.
conditions
Only on a flat summer day — swell under ~0.3 m and no levante. With ~2.6 m of water this is surf-zone hunting, and the surf zone turns to milk with the least swell or tide. Tavira council reports robalo and sargo close in, but there is no structure at all here: not a target spot.
hazard
In season this is a lifeguarded bathing beach — keep 50 m clear of the marked swimming zone and expect swimmers. The lagoon behind the island is the Ria Formosa: banned water, so do not carry a loaded gun back across. Add shallow surf, the stream off the nearby bar, and the boats ferrying people over.
access
Short ferry from the Cabanas de Tavira waterfront, then a few minutes' walk across the island to the ocean beach. Straight in off the sand, ~250 m out past the break. Plan the return ferry.
Ocean front of Ilha de Cabanas, ~250 m out. Tavira council reports sea bass and bream close in. ~2.6 m.
Praia do Barril — ocean frontIlha de Tavira, Barril · Praia do Barril (Ilha de Tavira) — frente oceânica
borderline
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind
window
Very early only. Barril is one of the busiest beaches on the island in summer: after the first train from Pedras d'El Rei it is a bathing beach, not a hunting ground. Summer to early autumn, daylight only.
tide
Higher water and slack, for what depth there is. On the ebb the water clouds and the drift picks up; on a spring ebb there is nothing to do here.
shelter
No shelter at all — the open ocean front of Ilha de Tavira at S/SSE, pure sand with not a single structure. The one thing in your favour is the lee of Cabo de São Vicente: less Atlantic swell here than on the west coast. There is no hiding from the levante.
conditions
~3.2 m of sand with no structure at all — at most scout it on a flat, windless summer morning. Any swell or levante and the surf zone goes opaque. Not a target spot: you are here because you are already on the island.
hazard
Crowds first: in season this is a lifeguarded bathing zone, the 50 m rule applies and there are swimmers everywhere — a loaded gun near them is unacceptable. Second, shallow surf and longshore drift over featureless sand. The lagoon side of the island is the Ria Formosa, where spearfishing is banned.
access
From Pedras d'El Rei over the footbridge, then the small tourist train or walk the track to Barril, and across to the ocean side. Straight in off the sand.
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.
In season now: Sea bass, White seabream, Gilthead bream, Salema, Octopus, Mullet
In season now
Robalo (sea bass)
<4 m · end of ebb → start of flood · dawn/dusk
Prime target. Shy of light — pick early/twilight windows.
Sargo (white seabream)
1–5 m · flood (rides the surf onto the reef) · dawn
Dominant reef target. Visibility matters more than time of day.
Dourada (gilthead bream)
1–4 m · flood over sand/weed · dawn
Very skittish — static ambush.
Salema
0–2 m · — · daytime
Easiest target at 0–6 m. ⚠️ Do NOT eat the head/guts (ichthyosarcotoxism).
Polvo (octopus)
1–6 m · high water · twilight
Peaks in autumn. Spot the den by the pile of shells. Don't take egg-bearing females. Min. weight 750 g (DGRM).
Tainha (mullet)
0–2 m · — · —
Extremely wary; murky water HINDERS it. Opportunistic, in calm coves.
Santola (spider crab)
1–10 m · low water (reef shelf exposed) · calm morning (≤force 2)
Carapace ≥12 cm. Peaks Jul–Aug. CLOSED 15.02–15.06. Limit 2 kg/day.
Law
🦀 spider crab open (season 16.06–14.02)
✓Spearfishing licence required, daily/monthly/annual (~€25/yr). Speargun = licence required. (DL 246/2000, art. 12.º + 12.º-A; fees in , .) There is no minimum age for the licence, but under-16s are exempt from holding one when fishing accompanied by a licence holder (art. 12.º n.º 2 al. b).
✓Hand-gathering shellfish with NO gear — no licence; but if a speargun is on the dive, a spearfishing licence is required (DL 246/2000, art. 12.º n.º 1; ).
✓Night prohibited: spearfishing only in daylight (sunset→sunrise not allowed). Artificial light as a means of finding/attracting fish is banned — a torch for safety only (, art. 8.º/3 + 3.º/5; DL 246/2000, art. 14.º n.º 1 d).
✓Signalling buoy MANDATORY for spearfishing: buoy/float with an «Alfa» flag (red/orange/yellow, ≥8 L), no more than 30 m from the diver (, art. 4.º/2).
✓Spearfishing daily limit: fish + cephalopods — 15 kg (excluding the largest specimen). General rod-and-line recreational fishing — 10 kg (, art. 12.º/1).
✓Spider crab: min. carapace 12 cm; (closed season) 15.02–15.06 — applies to recreational gathering too (, ; table).
✓Min. sizes: robalo 36 cm, sargo 17 cm, dourada 19 cm, choupa 23 cm, corvina 42 cm; octopus 750 g ( + EU Reg. 2019/1241; minimum-size table).
✓Grouper — fully protected, may not be taken (
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. At Cabo Raso/Arriba a 0.5 m rise in swell makes a boulder exit impossible — getting pinned/unable to climb out is the main killer here.
Headland rip: at Cabo Raso there is 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.
Nortada (Jun–Sep): wind builds from midday — be out of the water by ~11:00; 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 Tavira
Where can I spearfish in Tavira?
Tavira has rock entry points such as Tavira bar — west jetty (Ilha de Tavira), ocean side, Tavira bar — east jetty (Ilha de Cabanas), ocean side and Praia de Cabanas — ocean front. The eastern Algarve (sotavento): warm, clear water, sandy barrier islands and little inshore rock. Below you'll find each spot (access, shelter and hazards) and today's forecast.
When is the best season in Tavira?
The country's longest season: good May to October and workable in the shoulder months. The south coast is sheltered from the dominant swell and has the best visibility.
How cold is the water in Tavira?
The mainland's warmest: ~16–23 °C in summer. A 3 mm suit in high summer, 5 mm in the shoulder months.
Is Tavira good for a beginner?
The most accessible in the country: warm, clear, sheltered water with more good days — a good place to build water time on calm days. Even so, check the forecast and local hazards.
Do I need a licence in Tavira?
Yes — in Tavira, as everywhere on the mainland, you need a recreational fishing licence (DGRM); breath-hold only (no scuba), with a marker buoy and no night diving. See the guide for the details.
✓Breath-hold only: spearfishing may be practised in apnea alone. Scuba, rebreather and hookah are banned; the speargun may not be powered by a detonating charge or by compressed gas (DL 246/2000, art. 9.º n.º 3 — o antigo art. 6.º foi revogado).
✓The catch may NOT be sold: displaying for sale, offering or selling recreational catch is prohibited — it is for the fisher, the household, or donation to charitable, scientific or museum institutions (DL 246/2000, art. 7.º).
✓A loaded speargun out of the water is an offence (DL 246/2000, art. 14.º n.º 2 f). Same article: no fishing closer than the legally set distance from concessioned beaches during the bathing season (n.º 2 d), nor in places closed for health or marine-traffic reasons (n.º 2 e). The exact metres come from the regulation and the capitania — check before you go.
✓Distances between people: at least 20 m from another spearfisher (, art. 6.º n.º 3) unless you agree otherwise; from a boat, 50 m from other vessels, divers and set gear (art. 6.º n.º 2); every vessel must keep 50 m from your signalling buoy and from boats flying flag Alfa (art. 7.º n.º 6). The figure that circulates — «30 m between hunters» — is wrong: 30 m is the distance to YOUR OWN buoy.
✓What you may take into the water: the CAPTURE gear on a spearfishing dive is the speargun, a shellfish knife, a gaff (puxeiro) and an arrelhada (, art. 3.º n.º 3). That is not a ban on everything else: art. 4.º n.º 1 expressly allows equipment for cold protection, for buoyancy, for protection or safety and for carrying the catch, and any other equipment that does not permit the direct capture of specimens. Bait and groundbait are PROHIBITED in spearfishing (art. 5.º n.º 3). You may not carry or keep a speargun and a breathing apparatus aboard at the same time, nor carry the gun ready to fire out of the water or in a zone where spearfishing is banned (art. 3.º n.º 6). On any recreational-fishing boat the whole crew wears a lifejacket (art. 4.º n.º 3).
✓Where recreational fishing is closed altogether (, art. 8.º n.º 1): in marked shipyard zones (no exception) and in aquaculture establishments — in the LATTER only, fishing is possible when the concession-holder or owner formally authorises it; the shipyard bar has no such carve-out; within 100 m of the mouth of any marked sewage outfall; over beach-concession waters, to the extent the POOC sets; and in other zones closed by the port or maritime authority. For spearfishing and boat fishing specifically (n.º 2) the navigation channels of port and river bars, the approach channels and the buoyed channels are closed. There is NO «300 m from the beach» rule on the mainland — that number comes from Madeira's own act; on the mainland the distance is set by the POOC and by the capitania's edital.
✓The border rivers Minho and Guadiana: spearfishing is BANNED along both international stretches — bilateral Portugal-Spain agreements, art. 9.º n.º 3 (Minho, RAR 34/2023, in force since 26-05-2023) and art. 6.º n.º 1 (Guadiana, RAR 173/2025, in force since 07-12-2025), both reading «É proibida a pesca submarina». On the Guadiana it is also a serious offence (art. 19.º), and a 100 m strip alongside the Sapal de Castro Marim reserve is closed separately (art. 5.º). The stretches run from the confluence with the Trancoso / the Chança down to the closing line at each mouth.
✓On the other Portuguese-Spanish border river stretches (outside the TIRM and the Guadiana maritime-jurisdiction zone) — Decreto 30/88, art. 6.º n.º 1: harpoons, gigs, tridents and any blunt instrument used to take fish are prohibited (al. e), as is «a pesca ou caça subaquática» with artificial light, and night fishing (al. g).
Portugal
Spain