Today — right on the edge — wave, wind and visibility.
Sources:IPMA · buoys · Open-Meteo · Copernicus — high confidence · data 01:31
Sources & confidence
Sources
IPMA · buoys · Open-Meteo · Copernicus
Method
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
calmupdated 01:31
Vila do Porto — solo, off the rocks
BORDERLINE
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site · wave 1.0 m + swell period 9 s
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: 3016 spots across 406 stretches of coast — mainland Portugal, Madeira and the Azores.
Maia Natural PoolMaia (southeast coast) · Piscina Natural da Maia
borderline
⛔ Banned here
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind
window
Early morning before bathers; peak clarity and warmth July–September.
tide
Sea-water pool works at any tide; calmer behind the rock barrier at low water.
shelter
Pool under the Gonçalo Velho lighthouse at the foot of vineyard terraces; sheltered from N and W wind, open to SE swell.
conditions
Bathing season July–September; diveable in calm and N/W wind, poor on SE swell.
hazard
Blue-Flag bathing zone — hunting banned. Danger: the concrete entry ramp among the rocks is slippery, and on SE swell waves wash over the pool barrier. Remote SE corner of the island.
access
Road to Maia (Santo Espírito), walk down to the pool, enter via the ramp/stone quay (rampa, varadouro e pequeno cais).
A quiet fallback in the SE when N/W is blown out; glassy water, but a protected pool — for snorkel and training.
São Lourenço BaySão Lourenço (east coast) · Baía de São Lourenço
borderline
⛔ Banned here
swell on the quarter today
window
Sunrise here is famous — early morning is glassy with the best viz; clearest water July–September.
tide
Any tide; sand-and-rock bottom around 12 m, tide makes little difference.
shelter
Amphitheatre in a volcanic crater ringed by vineyards — naturally sheltered from wind and W/S swell; exposed only to E groundswell.
conditions
June–October season; diveable with W/offshore wind (bay is in the lee), poor on E swell.
hazard
The island's gentlest bay, but a natural reserve since 1987 and a bathing zone — hunting banned. The only real danger is on E swell: shorebreak on the rocky points. The access road down is steep.
access
Switchback road down to São Lourenço beach, enter off the sand or the natural pool; there's a small fishing slip (Portinho de São Lourenço).
Postcard enclosed bay, crystal water and a ~12 m bottom — ideal for calm freediving and snorkel, but no hunting allowed.
Anjos Bay / Anjos Natural PoolAnjos (northwest coast) · Baía dos Anjos / Piscina Natural dos Anjos
borderline
best candidate for today
⛔ Banned here
swell on the quarter today
window
Early morning before the bathers arrive; warmest, clearest water July–September.
tide
Works at any tide; low water makes the quay entry easier.
shelter
Cove ringed by volcanic rock and well shaded from wind; sheltered from S and E swell, only exposed to W/NW groundswell.
conditions
Best June–October (Santa Maria's window); diveable in calm or light E/S swell, turns murky on W swell.
hazard
Main danger: fishing-port boat traffic at the mouth and bathers; sharp volcanic rock on exit if swell is up. Hunting is banned (bathing zone/reserve) — freedive and snorkel only.
access
Paved road down to Anjos, parking by the bay, enter via the quay ladder/ramp or straight off the natural pool.
The island's easiest, most accessible entry, but it's a protected bathing zone — treat it as a training/scout spot, not a hunting one.
Vila Islet / Vila do PortoVila Islet (southwest coast) · Ilhéu da Vila / Vila do Porto
dangerous
⛔ Banned here
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind
window
Dawn calm; inaccessible in winter/spring due to weather.
tide
Time any entry to slack tide — crossing the channel on a running current is dangerous.
shelter
Islet ~200 m off the SW shore by Vila do Porto marina; partly sheltered from N wind, open to SW swell and channel current.
conditions
Only in flat calm and weak swell, June–October; the channel between shore and islet accelerates current — not a solo shore entry.
hazard
Real danger: heavy boat traffic from Vila do Porto marina/commercial port and current in the 200 m channel. Part of the natural park (no-take) — hunting banned. The islet is normally reached by boat, not by swimming.
access
From the Vila do Porto marina/waterfront; rocky shore, ~200 m of open water to the islet — reached by boat from the dive centres.
The town's home reef, but it's a boat dive in a no-take zone next to the port — solo from shore, only scout it from land, don't swim the channel.
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».
connecting to the stream…
Vila do Porto — marina (Clube Naval de Santa Maria)Official live cam (Clube Naval de Santa Maria) — Vila do Porto marina and harbour, breakwater and open sea. Embedded with the operator's own player.camera: official ↗
Prime target. Shy of light — pick early/twilight windows.
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)
✓⚠️ Madeira and the Azores run their OWN rules: in the Autonomous Regions the licence, the fees, the permitted gear and the limits are set by the region's own government, not by (DL 246/2000, art. 20.º n.º 1). The mainland figures — the licence fee, the daily cap, the spider-crab closed season, the mainland minimum-size table — do NOT apply here.
✓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.
✓The Azores have their own recreational-fishing act — DLR 9/2007/A, as currently in force. Spearfishing: breath-hold only, any breathing apparatus other than a snorkel is banned, and carrying the gun ready to fire out of the water is an offence (art. 8.º n.os 1-4). Not at night: sunset to sunrise (art. 8.º n.º 8).
✓A buoy is mandatory: yellow, orange or red, spherical or cylindrical, carrying a flag (DLR 9/2007/A, art. 8.º n.º 5). Distances: no spearfishing within 300 m of, or inside, class A, B and C harbours; within 100 m of, or inside, class D harbours and portinhos; and within 100 m of places commonly used for bathing (art. 8.º n.os 6-7).
✓The Azorean daily limit is counted in FISH, not in kilos: 10 fish and octopus per person per day, and 2 crustaceans (DLR 9/2007/A, art. 16.º n.os 1-2). Once you reach it you must stop; anything over the limit may not be carried, taken aboard or landed (n.º 4). Grouper (Epinephelus marginatus) may not be taken at all (art. 16.º n.º 5 al. a).
✓A spearfishing licence is compulsory and it is PERSONAL (DLR 9/2007/A, art. 28.º n.º 2 al. a). It is issued for three years, a year, a month or a day; fishing without it is an offence (art. 29.º). Fish of 25 cm or more must be marked with a cut in the tail fin before you leave the spot or bring the catch ashore (art. 18.º).
✓Breath-hold GATHERING (limpets, barnacles) has its own regime in : gathering on a breath-hold dive is licensed as spearfishing (art. 6.º n.º 2), limpets (Patella candei gomesii and Patella aspera) are capped at 1.5 kg per person per day and ONLY on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, and barnacles at 40 (art. 14.º n.º 1). The buoy rule is stricter than the spearfishing one: Alfa flag, a line no longer than 50 m, one buoy per gatherer (art. 7.º n.os 4-5).
✓Minimum sizes and closed seasons apply to recreational fishers too: art. 6.º extends the sizes and the periods to pesca lúdica, and closing a species' quota shuts it for recreational fishing the same day. We do NOT print the centimetres: whether the 2019 list is still current against later portarias was not checked — get the table from the DRP before you go.
✓Night is prohibited here too: spearfishing between sunset and sunrise is an offence under the decree-law itself (DL 246/2000, art. 14.º n.º 1 d), which is in force in the Autonomous Regions as well.
Rules change, and in the Autonomous Regions they are their OWN. Before heading out, check with the regional fisheries administration (Madeira / Azores), not with the mainland DGRM tables.
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.
Local guide · Vila do Porto
Spearfishing in Vila do Porto: spots, seasons and rules
Updated 2026-07-09 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher
Vila do Porto should not be framed as an easy shore-spearfishing list. Southern Santa Maria is sheltered, clear and warm by Azores standards, but the simple shore entries are marked protected, bathing or no-take. Anjos, São Lourenço and Maia suit non-take freediving and snorkel. The Vila Islet adds a 200 m channel, current and marina traffic. Serious hunting shifts offshore by boat, with local protected-zone checks first.
TL;DR
Vila do Porto has clear, warm Azores water, but the easy shore entries are protected or bathing areas.
Anjos, São Lourenço and Maia are non-take freedive references, not hunting recommendations.
Ilhéu da Vila is red/scout, with channel current, marina traffic and no-take status.
Vila do Porto water entries for non-take freediving
This is not a hunting recommendation table. The entries are green but protected or bathing context; the red/scout islet is excluded.
Spot
Type
Depth
Level
Access
Notes
Baía dos Anjos / Piscina Natural dos Anjos
Cove and natural pool
Shallow to mid by the quay and pool
Easy non-take freedive
Road to Anjos, parking by the bay, entry by ladder, ramp or pool
The easiest entry on the island, but with bathers and fishing-port traffic. Do not treat it as a spearfishing spot.
Baía de São Lourenço
Sheltered volcanic amphitheatre
Sand and rock around 12 m
Easy non-take freedive
Switchback road to the beach, entry from sand or natural pool
Calm, clear and scenic, but a reserve and bathing zone.
Piscina Natural da Maia
Sea pool below Gonçalo Velho lighthouse
Shallow behind the rock barrier
Easy, watch the ramp
Road to Maia, descend to the pool and enter by ramp or small quay
Good southeast fallback in N or W wind. SE swell can wash over the barrier.
What should spearos know in Vila do Porto?
The shore entries listed for Santa Maria are mainly protected or bathing water. Use them for non-take freediving, training and visibility checks. The real spearfishing theme moves offshore, where banks and blue water mean boat support, current, depth and protected-zone checks. There is an official Vila do Porto marina camera, useful for reading wind, sea state and boat movement before planning any dive.
Portugal
