Cabo Home / Costa da VelaVigo
borderlineswell on the quarter today (city-level)
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Costa da Vela (Cangas) facing the Cíes; rocky drop-offs to the west, grouper and sea bream, very exposed to the NW.
Google MapsVigo spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras
5.4
wave 0.4 m head-on
visibility5m
Today — right on the edge — wave, wind and visibility.
Sources: IPMA · NDBC · Copernicus — high confidence · data 14:40
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
Surface
Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.
spearo.app
calmupdated 14:40
Vigo — solo, off the rocks
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site · northerly wind picks up after midday
wave 0.4 m head-onwind 9, gusts 27 km/hvisibility ~7 mwindow 12:00–21:00
today, best window 18:00–21:00
fish · Visibility 7 m · Water 20.9°C
confidence low · 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.
Wednesday · today2026-07-22
07:18–22:05 · first quarter
▼ 04:00▲ 10:00▼ 17:00▲ 23:00 · 1.4 m
Hours (06→20)
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide0.23 m
Wave0.40 m
Wind2 km/h
Water21 °C
fish activity: moonset 01:33 · moderate · moon underfoot 09:00 · high · moonrise 16:28 · moderate · moon overhead 21:10 · high
Conditions window12:00–15:00
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site fish
Hs 0.42 mperiod 5.1 s head-onwind 9→25surge 0.4viz 4 m
0.42 mup to ~0.84 · 324° head-on
5.1 sswell moderate
9→25gusts 25 km/h
0.4weak surge
0.22m/s
4 mrecent swell
20.4°C5 mm + hood
▼17:00tide falling
Atmosphere30 kmovercast
lowoff the lunar peaks
- northerly wind picks up after midday
- ebb — weaker inshore
confidence lowday
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 spotsThe 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
Costa interior da ria de VigoVigo
borderlineswell on the quarter today (city-level)
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Low rocky ground inside the ría; well sheltered, rock-and-sand bottom.
Google MapsPraia de Melide (Punta Robaleira)Vigo
borderlineswell on the quarter today (city-level)
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Sand and rock on Costa da Vela; entry over the rocks, with sheltered corners.
Google MapsPunta Balea (Cangas)Vigo
borderlineswell on the quarter today (city-level)
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Rocky ground facing into the ría; sheltered from swell, good for beginners.
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.
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».
Reference
What's in season,
what the law says.
Minimum sizes by caladero (in the table below). Season depends on the species and place.
In season now
- European seabass
- gilthead seabream
- salema / saupe⚠️ Do NOT eat the head/guts (ichthyosarcotoxism).
- bogue
- black seabream
- grey mullet
- red porgy
- striped red mullet
- common octopusTalla por PESO: mín. 1 kg (RD 560/1995, todos los anexos). No coger hembras con huevos.
- European conger
- pollackTalla operativa 42 cm; máx. 2 ejemplares/día (medida recreativa anual de la UE, Reg. 2025/202). ⚠️ Atlantic: recreational CLOSED 1 Jan–30 Apr (catch-and-release).
Law
- ✓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.
- ✓Spearfishing banned in marine reserves/protected zones (without a special permit), in ports and at busy beaches/bathing areas. The exact distance to bathing zones is set by the autonomous community.
- ✓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).
- ✓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 art. 38.3; Murcia; Galicia; Basque Country). Protected species have per-piece quotas.
- ✓Galicia: «Clase C» licence (submarina), procedure PE405A on the Xunta portal; minimum age 16, medical certificate required. Galicia recognises spearfishing licences from other communities and the EU. sede.xunta.gal (PE405A).
- ✓No-take zone: Atlantic Islands National Park (Cíes, Ons, Sálvora, Cortegada) — spearfishing banned (see zones on the map).
- ⛔ 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.
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.
Spearfishing in Vigo: spots, seasons and rules
Spearfishing in Vigo is controlled by the Ría de Vigo and Atlantic Islands National Park. Cabo Home / Costa da Vela faces the Cíes, has western rocky drop-offs and is very exposed to NW, but the fact sheet marks a hard park closure: spearfishing is banned throughout the marine reserve and legal only outside its boundaries. Praia de Melide, Punta Balea and the inner ría coast are the other rock-and-shelter references. In Galicia you need Clase C PE405A.
TL;DR
- Vigo splits between Costa da Vela facing the Cíes, very exposed to NW, and inner-ría rock that is more sheltered.
- Atlantic Islands National Park, including the Cíes, is a hard closure for spearfishing. Cabo Home / Costa da Vela is legal only outside park boundaries.
- Galicia requires the Clase C license, PE405A procedure, minimum age 16 and a medical certificate.
Where can you spearfish in Vigo?
The source gives seabed and exposure, not metre depths or safety scores. Cabo Home / Costa da Vela carries a hard park-boundary warning.
| Spot | Type | Depth | Level | Access | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabo Home / Costa da Vela | Rocky coast facing the Cíes | Western rocky drop-offs | - | - | Very exposed to NW. Spearfishing is banned inside the park marine reserve; legal only outside. |
| Praia de Melide (Punta Robaleira) | Sand and rock on Costa da Vela | Rock with sheltered corners | - | Entry over the rocks | The source names sheltered corners, not a separate closure. |
| Punta Balea (Cangas) | Rocky ground facing into the ría | Sheltered rock bottom | Beginner | - | Sheltered from swell and good for beginners. |
| Costa interior da ria de Vigo | Low rocky ground inside the ría | Rock-and-sand bottom | - | - | Well sheltered inside the ría. |
spearfishing conditions Vigo today
The fact sheet marks Vigo as Atlantic and upwelling coast, with W-NW as the bad sector. Cabo Home / Costa da Vela is very exposed to NW; Punta Balea and the inner ría coast are more sheltered. Check actual sea, wind and AEMET ES-PO before entering. The Ría de Vigo camera can show surface state, but it is not an underwater visibility reading.
spearfishing Cabo Home Costa da Vela Vigo
Cabo Home / Costa da Vela faces the Cíes, with western rocky drop-offs, grouper and sea bream in the source text, and very high NW exposure. The zone record is hard: spearfishing is banned throughout the Atlantic Islands National Park marine reserve and legal only outside its boundaries. If the boundary is unclear, do not enter with a speargun.
can you spearfish in the Cíes Islands national park
No. The Cíes are part of Atlantic Islands National Park, along with Ons, Sálvora and Cortegada. The Galicia legal block marks the park as closed to spearfishing, and the Vigo zone record adds a hard marine-reserve hit near Cabo Home / Costa da Vela. Outside park limits, Galicia licensing and Spanish national rules still apply.
how to get a spearfishing license in Galicia
Galicia uses the Clase C spearfishing license through PE405A on the Xunta portal. The fact sheet gives minimum age 16, medical certificate required, and recognition of licenses from other autonomous communities and the EU. National rules require freediving only, ban scuba and night spearfishing, and require a visible buoy within 25 m.
FAQ
Where can you spearfish in Vigo?
The fact sheet lists Cabo Home / Costa da Vela, Praia de Melide, Punta Balea and Costa interior da ria de Vigo. Check park boundaries: Cabo Home / Costa da Vela is legal only outside the National Park marine reserve.
Can you spearfish in the Cíes Islands?
No. The Cíes are inside Atlantic Islands National Park. The fact sheet marks spearfishing in that park as banned.
What fish can you spearfish in the Ría de Vigo?
The spot text names grouper and sea bream at Costa da Vela. The Cantabrian-NW list also includes European seabass, gilthead, black seabream, grey mullet, red porgy, octopus and conger.
Do I need a license to spearfish in Galicia?
Yes. Galicia uses the Clase C spearfishing license, procedure PE405A on the Xunta portal. The source gives minimum age 16 and a required medical certificate.
Is scuba spearfishing allowed in Spain?
No. Spanish national rules allow spearfishing only while freediving. Scuba and night spearfishing are prohibited.
Sources
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