Valparaiso spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras

Valparaiso · Chile
2.5
🌫 Murky all week after the storm — the water isn't settling
visibility1m

Today — sit it outwave, wind and surge pounding. 🌫 Murky all week after the storm — the water isn't settling

Sources: IPMA · NDBC · Copernicushigh confidence · data 02:36

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

This verdict — in your pocket. Open the app for the week's window.

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Android beta — QR code
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0 m

Surface

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

spearo.app
calmupdated 02:36
Valparaiso — solo, off the rocks
DON'T GO
don't go · wave 1.6 m (occasionally up to ~3.1 m)
wave 1.6 mwind 10, gusts 31 km/hsurge pounding the rocksvisibility ~1 m
today, best window 06:00–09:00
fish · Visibility 1 m · Water 12.8°C
confidence medium · 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.

Thursday · today2026-07-23
07:4318:02 · waxing gibbous
05:00 12:00 18:00 23:00 · 0.7 m
Hours (06→20)
06
09
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide-0.16 m
Wave2.30 m
Wind12 km/h
Water13 °C
fish activity: moonset 02:54 · moderate · moon underfoot 08:00 · high · moonrise 13:02 · moderate · moon overhead 20:20 · high
Conditions window06:00–09:00
don't go fish
Hs 1.56 mperiod 7.3 swind 10→31surge 11.5viz 1 m
1.56 mup to ~3.12 · 268° at an angle
7.3 sswell moderate
10→31gusts 31 km/h
11.5pounding the rocks
0.33m/s
1 mrecent swell
12.8°Cthicker suit + hood
▼12:00tide falling
Atmosphere25 kmovercast
highmoon underfoot
  • wave 1.6 m (occasionally up to ~3.1 m)
  • long secondary swell (18 s) straight onshore
  • ebb — weaker inshore
confidence mediumtwilight
Open the seafloor map with entry points

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

Android: the public release is in Google Play review — leave your email and we'll send beta access today.

Android beta — QR code
point your camera
−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: 1152 spots across 189 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
Las TorpederasValparaiso
dangerous
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
tide
shelter
hazard
access

Urban cove north of the port, rock 0–10 m, shore. Coords approx.

Google Maps
Punta CuraumillaValparaiso
dangerous
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
tide
shelter
hazard
access

Strong-upwelling point SW of the city, rock and kelp 0–20 m; variable shelter. 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.

Android: the public release is in Google Play review — leave your email and we'll send beta access today.

Android beta — QR code
point your camera

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».

connecting to the stream…
● LIVE
Valparaíso — Playa Las Torpederas (MarejadasUV)YouTube live — Valparaíso — Playa Las Torpederas (MarejadasUV). Embedded live stream; if the ID rotates it opens the source page. Read the water before you go.camera: youtube
Open the seafloor map →
Reference

What's in season,
what the law says.

In season now
  • Chilean sandperch (vieja)
    Graus nigra · 3–40 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
    ⚠️ Limit 1 fish/day, no minimum size. Heavily speared — better to release.
  • Chilean sheephead
    Semicossyphus darwini · 3–30 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
    ⚠️ Limit 1 fish/day, no minimum size. Heavily speared — better to release.
  • Peruvian grunt
    Anisotremus scapularis · 1–20 m · legal
    Limit 5 fish/day (overall cap ≤10/jornada). No minimum size.
  • Chilean sandperch (rollizo)
    Pinguipes chilensis · 2–30 m · legal
    Limit 5 fish/day (overall cap ≤10/jornada). No minimum size.
  • Peruvian morwong
    Cheilodactylus variegatus · 1–25 m · legal
    Limit 5 fish/day (overall cap ≤10/jornada). No minimum size.
  • Lorna drum
    Sciaena deliciosa · 2–25 m · legal
    Limit 5 fish/day (overall cap ≤10/jornada). No minimum size.
  • snoek
    Thyrsites atun · 0–30 m · legal
  • yellowtail amberjack
    Seriola lalandi · 3–40 m · legal
  • corvina drum
    Cilus gilberti · 2–30 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
    ⚠️ Biological closure 1 Oct–30 Nov. Min 40 cm (TL), limit 3/day.
  • palm ruff
    Seriolella violacea · 3–40 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
    ⚠️ Closed 1–31 Aug. Min 30 cm (Atacama–Coquimbo).
  • Chilean jack mackerel
    Trachurus murphyi · 0–40 m · legal
  • jerguilla
    Aplodactylus punctatus · 1–20 m · legal
  • apañado
    Hemilutjanus macrophthalmos · 5–40 m · legal
  • rock bass
    Paralabrax humeralis · 3–30 m · legal
  • flounder
    Paralichthys sp. · 2–30 m · legal
  • elephant fish
    Callorhinchus callorhynchus · 5–40 m · ⚠️ release
    Mandatory release (catch-and-release). Do not keep.
  • humpback smoothhound
    Mustelus whitneyi · 5–40 m · ⚠️ release
    Mandatory release (catch-and-release). Do not keep.
  • Chilean abalone (loco)
    Concholepas concholepas · 1–20 m · 🚫 no-take
    🚫 Permanent extraction ban to 31 Dec 2028 (Arica→Aysén). Benthos — by hand by the AMERB org, not speargun; no recreational take.
Law
  • 🚫 Loco (Concholepas) — permanent ban to 31 Dec 2028 (Arica→Aysén). Only by hand by the AMERB org; outsiders/recreational barred.
  • Elephant fish (Callorhinchus) and smoothhounds (Mustelus) — mandatory release. Don't shoot.
  • AMERB areas (hundreds of polygons): benthos (loco/lapa/erizo) — exclusive to fisher orgs, don't take; fish by speargun — grey zone, check locally.
  • Marine mammals, sea turtles, penguins — protected; do not touch.
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 · Valparaiso

Spearfishing in Valparaiso: spots, seasons and rules

Updated 2026-07-09 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher

Valparaiso splits between an outer kelp point and a city cove. Curaumilla reaches 0-20 m and needs a settled southwest forecast; Las Torpederas is shallower at 0-10 m with quicker exits. Pick by exit quality, not ambition. The SERNAPESCA licence and closures for conger, corvina and loco apply at both marks.

TL;DR

  • Curaumilla is the exposed kelp point; Las Torpederas is the city-cove option.
  • Harbour calm is not evidence for the outer point.
  • SERNAPESCA, RAV closures, closed loco and AMERB limits remain the legal core.

Where can you spearfish in Valparaiso?

Curaumilla is the stronger rock-and-kelp prospect; Las Torpederas is the controlled urban option. Choose by sea energy and your ability to abort early.

SpotTypeDepthLevelAccessNotes
Punta CuraumillaRocky point0-20 mIntermediateShore entryStrong-upwelling point SW of the city, rock and kelp 0-20 m; variable shelter. Coords approx. Check the exit.
Las TorpederasRocky cove0-10 mIntermediateShore entryUrban cove north of the port, rock 0-10 m, shore. Coords approx. Check the exit.

How should Valparaiso be split?

Treat the two marks separately. The port bay can look manageable while the outer point is already wrong. Chilean spearfishing is covered through sport diving, apnea and spearguns, but the recreational licence is required. RAV closures for conger and corvina stay active, and loco remains closed to recreational take until 31 Dec 2028. If the two marks disagree, trust the rougher reading. Valparaiso is a big port, so the harbour channel and anchorages stay outside the dive plan. The real hunting water is on reefs west and south of the city, including Torpederas, Punta Curaumilla and Laguna Verde, where rock and kelp hold vieja, rollizo and pejeperro when the SW exposure gives a flat enough window. Punta Curaumilla is a strong-upwelling point in 0-20 m, with cold and sometimes turbid water. Las Torpederas is the urban cove in 0-10 m, and one listed webcam helps compare conditions, but a 5-7 mm suit and a conservative shore exit still matter more than optimism. The city has active spearfishing clubs, but the port context changes the margin for error. Read Curaumilla for upwelling and Torpederas for urban cove conditions, then choose the colder or rougher signal when they conflict.

FAQ

Which mark is more exposed?

Punta Curaumilla.

Why use Las Torpederas?

For a shorter city-cove session.

Can harbour calm mislead?

Yes. The outer point can be rougher.

What depth is listed?

Curaumilla to 20 m; Las Torpederas to 10 m.

What closure matters?

RAV for conger and corvina, plus the loco closure.

Sources

Nearby towns

Coming soon

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