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Rocky face on the outer side of Ilha das Couves, 5–15 m, by boat; currents at the turn of the tide. Marine APA: breath-hold only.
Google MapsToday — right on the edge — wave, wind and surge pounding.
Sources & confidence
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.
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.
Safety gates
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
Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.
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.
Leave your email — and the moment a window opens at Ubatuba, we'll send the go / no-go verdict. Email is all we need.
Every covered town has its own live forecast, cameras and entry points. Choose where you're diving.
What's missing? Tell us what you'd like to see — new spots, species, data or features. We read everything.
Visibility and what drives it — post-storm clearing, river plume, temperature and the thermocline.
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.
See all spotsRelief and bottom type, tides, and the depths of each spot.
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.
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 mapRocky face on the outer side of Ilha das Couves, 5–15 m, by boat; currents at the turn of the tide. Marine APA: breath-hold only.
Google MapsRocky shoreline sloping gently to sand at 6 m, 3–12 m; sheltered from E and SE. At the far end there are currents in the channel with Ilha das Couves.
Google MapsThe full spot briefing is part of the subscription: entry, bottom, hazards, tide window.
Open in the appThe full spot briefing is part of the subscription: entry, bottom, hazards, tide window.
Open in the appThe full spot briefing is part of the subscription: entry, bottom, hazards, tide window.
Open in the appRocky islet next to Ilha Comprida, 3–12 m, by boat. Marine APA: breath-hold only.
Google MapsVertical wall from the surface to the bottom, 12–23 m, with a large hall of big rocks; groupers here. Strong currents in the channel at the turn of the tide.
Google MapsRocky shoreline with morays and crustaceans and a small shoal alongside, 3–10 m; sheltered from E, SE and S.
Google MapsSheltered spot: sand at 3 m rising to the rocky shore, 3–11 m. Watch the currents in the narrow channel by the islet and the boat traffic.
Google MapsTip of a large rock ledge: shallower shoal to the east and an abrupt drop to the southwest, 3–18 m. Reef fish here; many stingrays in September and October.
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.
Cameras, map and reference — to hand as you come up.
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 in Ubatuba is a north-coast island and headland plan, but two limits come first. The national one: Brazil requires the MPA recreational licence, spearfishing is apnea only, and goliath grouper is under a total moratorium. The local one: Ilha Anchieta State Park is no-take, with hunting and fishing fully prohibited. The supported spots in the registry sit outside that park: Ilha Comprida, Costão de Fora (Couves), Ilhote das Couves – Face Oeste, Pedra da Cachorra and Paredinha das Miriquites. The local conditions note points to clear island water, roughly 20 m summer visibility and the best window from December to March, as long as the sea is calm and the float is visible.
This table uses only the five verified verified spots. The source provides name, coordinate, type and depth, but no desc_* prose by spot; the notes therefore avoid invented species, shelter or specific hazard claims. Check sea state, boat plan, GPS and distance from Ilha Anchieta State Park before diving.
| Spot | Type | Depth | Level | Access | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ilha Comprida | Island/headland | 3-12 m | No local rating; shallow to mid-depth in the registry | Boat | Verified spot. Use the stated type and depth as the data limit; confirm face, current and pickup route on the day. |
| Costão de Fora (Couves) | Rocky headland | 5-15 m | No local rating | Boat to Couves | Verified spot. The registry does not describe shelter or fish by face, so wind, swell and exit control the dive. |
Rules change and vary by state. Before heading out, check on gov.br (recreational licence, MPA) and the state closed seasons/sizes; apnea only, goliath grouper is banned.
| Ilhote das Couves – Face Oeste | Wall | 12-23 m | No local rating; deeper in the registry | Boat to Couves | Verified spot. The west face and depth are supported by the name and registry; do not assume calm water without checking conditions. |
| Pedra da Cachorra | Reef slab | 3-18 m | No local rating | Boat | Verified spot. As a slab, it needs a high-visibility float and traffic awareness, but the registry gives no current or fauna detail. |
| Paredinha das Miriquites | Reef slab | 3-11 m | No local rating; shallow in the registry | Boat | Verified spot. Plan it as a shallow to mid-depth slab and confirm it is outside any local restriction on the day. |
Ubatuba is more exposed than Ilhabela in the registry. The coast faces east-southeast, and the local bad sector runs from 150 to 220 degrees, with the worst direction near 190 degrees. When south to southwest sea is running, islands and slabs can be washed, exits can get poor and visibility can drop. The base data favours December to March in calm seas. The day call needs wind, swell, recent rain, boat route and traffic. In Ubatuba, a visible float is practical survival equipment, not a box-tick.
The local reference is strong for the São Paulo north coast: around 20 m in summer and near 10 m in winter. It changes quickly with rain, wind and bad-angle swell. Islands such as Comprida and Couves are often the reason to make the run, but clear island water comes with logistics: boat, buddy, contact with the pilot and pickup timing. If visibility drops, reduce range and depth. Rock and slab with speedboats nearby demand margin.
Ilha Comprida is registered as island/headland in 3-12 m. Around Couves, the supported names are Costão de Fora, Ilhote das Couves – Face Oeste and Paredinha das Miriquites, ranging from 3-11 m to 12-23 m. Those numbers already separate a check dive, a headland session and a deeper wall. Because the registry gives no fish or shelter prose by spot, do not turn the name into a catch promise. Use the points as verified coordinates and finalise the call with someone reading that day's sea.
No. The local note is direct: Ilha Anchieta State Park is no-take, with hunting and fishing fully banned. Clear water, underwater trails or recreational diving do not change that. Keep spearfishing outside the park and confirm the boundary before entering the water. Do not accept a vague boat plan sold as Anchieta-adjacent. Ask for the exact point, compare it with the park area and drop any plan inside the park.
The local summary names grouper, badejo, snook, leerfish and serra Spanish mackerel. The national table also includes fat snook, common snook, bluefish, croaker, mullet, king mackerel, mahi-mahi, amberjack, crevalle jack and porgy, each subject to any minimum size, closed season or regional rule that applies. True grouper has a closed season and size window. Goliath grouper is separate: total moratorium since 2002, with no recreational exception. If identification is not clean, do not shoot.
Brazil's national frame applies in Ubatuba. The MPA recreational fishing licence is required for the category that covers apnea spearfishing. Using scuba or any artificial breathing device to spear fish is prohibited. Also check regional closed seasons, minimum sizes and protected areas before boarding. If a park boundary, exclusion area or enforcement question is unclear, confirm with the competent authority before entering the water.
The supported list is Ilha Comprida, Costão de Fora (Couves), Ilhote das Couves – Face Oeste, Pedra da Cachorra and Paredinha das Miriquites.
It depends on rain, wind and swell. The base reference is around 20 m in summer and 10 m in winter.
The local summary names grouper, badejo, snook, leerfish and serra Spanish mackerel. Goliath grouper is prohibited by Brazil's moratorium.
No. The park is no-take, with hunting and fishing fully banned. Keep the plan outside the park boundaries.
The base data points to December to March in calm seas. The day still depends on wind, swell and recent rain.
Yes. The MPA recreational fishing licence is required for the category that covers apnea spearfishing.
No. Spearing with scuba or another artificial breathing device is prohibited.