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 11:45
Zambujeira do Mar — solo, off the rocks
DON'T GO
don't go · wave 1.2 m + hitting the shore
wave 1.2 m head-onwind 23, gusts 45 km/hsurge pounding the rocksvisibility ~1 m
today, best window 12:00–15:00
fish · Visibility 1 m · Water 18.3°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.
Wednesday · today2026-09-09
07:11–19:52 · new moon
▲ 01:00▼ 07:00▲ 14:00▼ 20:00 · 2.8 m
Hours (06→20)
06
09
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide-0.41 m
Wave1.72 m
Wind13 km/h
Water18 °C
fish activity: moonrise 05:09 · moderate · moon overhead 12:10 · high · moonset 19:01 · moderate · moon underfoot 00:00 · high
Conditions window12:00–15:00
don't go fish ·
Hs 1.22 m · roughperiod 5.6 s head-onwind 23→45surge 2.7viz 1 m
1.22 mrough · up to ~2.44 · 301° head-on
5.6 sswell moderate
23→45gusts 45 km/h
2.7pounding the rocks
0.33m/s
1 mrecent swell
18.3°C5 mm + hood
▲14:00tide turn near
Atmosphere27 kmlandmarks visible
highmoon overhead
wave 1.2 m + hitting the shore
steep wind-wave — choppy surface, careful on entry
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.
Praia da Zambujeira do MarVillage beach below the clifftop viewpoint
dangerous
⛔ Banned here
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
For hunting, only outside the bathing season/guard hours; in season use it to scout and enter, not to shoot near the beach.
tide
Low/mid tide — at high tide the sand narrows sharply and the side rocks submerge.
shelter
Narrow long beach under high cliffs, sheltered from the N wind; rocks at both ends. Exposed to W/SW swell.
conditions
The rocky ends only work in small swell and calm; the central sand is for entry/exit, fish hold on the side rocks.
hazard
Concession bathing beach with a lifeguard — shooting in the bathing zone in season is BANNED (≥50 m off the shore). The rocky ends throw shorebreak and rip on swell.
access
Cliff stairway from the village straight onto the sand; parking and facilities in season.
Fallback/scout entry: safe descent and parking, but as a bathing beach, hunt only off-season and away from the swim zone.
Praia dos Alteirinhos / Ponta do LajãoCove ~800 m S of the village, south rocky tip
dangerous
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
Early morning, calm before the N wind. Season: summer and early autumn.
tide
Low/mid tide exposes the slabs and tidal pools by Ponta do Lajão — enter there; at high tide the beach narrows sharply.
shelter
High-cliff cove shelters from the N wind; the south Ponta do Lajão tip gives the rocky reef. Fully open to W/SW swell.
conditions
Only in small swell (≲1 m) and light wind. Open Atlantic shore — windows are short, mostly mid-summer.
hazard
STRONG CURRENTS and shorebreak on the rock exit — as swell builds, entrapment risk between the slabs at Ponta do Lajão. No lifeguard, cold water. Not a solo spot on marginal swell.
access
Steep wooden cliff stairway (waterfall alongside); reef at the south tip. No facilities — bring everything.
Unguarded naturist beach — rocky reef prized by anglers (Ponta do Lajão); quiet but no backup. Scout from land first.
Entrada da Barca (Porto das Barcas)Fishing-port cove, 3 km N of the village
dangerous
best candidate for today
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
Early morning before the N wind builds and before the fleet heads out. Best viz in summer/early autumn.
tide
Ramp entry is easiest at mid/high tide; the low tide exposes the pebble-and-slab ledges.
shelter
The cove is tucked into the cliffs and blocks N/NW wind and swell; the most sheltered entry on this stretch. Open to big W/SW swell.
conditions
Calm in light summer with the prevailing N wind, glassy behind the headland. Needs W/SW swell under ~1.0–1.2 m.
hazard
DOMINANT danger is the working fishing port: boats launching/landing on the ramp and traffic inside the cove. Fly a buoy, surface against the rocks, stay out of the boat lane.
access
Municipal road M1158 north from the village to the port; enter from the concrete boat ramp/slipway.
Active artisanal port (~75 boats); entry is legal but time it around the fleet — auction around 11:00.
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.
Local guide · Zambujeira do Mar
Spearfishing in Zambujeira do Mar: spots, seasons and rules
Updated 2026-07-09 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher
Spearfishing in Zambujeira do Mar is a cliff-entry decision. Entrada da Barca is practical because the cove cuts some N/NW wind and swell, but it is an active fishing harbour. Alteirinhos and Ponta do Lajao offer quieter reef, yet they are less forgiving: steep access, no support, strong current and rock exit. The village beach is a bathing fallback, not a hunting mark in season.
TL;DR
Zambujeira is cliff-coast spearfishing: good reef, few entries and small-sea dependence.
Entrada da Barca is most sheltered, but boat traffic controls the plan.
Alteirinhos/Lajao is quieter but has no support, strong current and a hard rock exit.
Spearfishing entries in Zambujeira do Mar
The harbour cove gives shelter; Lajao gives a quieter, more exposed reef. The village beach stays out as a bathing area.
Spot
Type
Depth
Level
Access
Notes
Entrada da Barca (Porto das Barcas)
Fishing-harbour cove between cliffs
Shallow to moderate along the rocks and cove mouth
Intermediate
Harbour ramp from the M1158 north of the village.
Sheltered, but open to strong W/SW swell. Active boats use the ramp and channel; stay clear.
Praia dos Alteirinhos / Ponta do Lajao
Cliff cove with reef on the south point
Shallow reef, ledges and tide pools
Advanced solo; intermediate with partner and small sea
Steep cliff stairs; no beach support.
Only with swell around 1 m or less and light wind. Current and rock-exit shorebreak are the hazards.
Conditions and season essentials
Entrada da Barca works when W/SW swell is below roughly 1 to 1.2 m, but the harbour means staying out of the channel and surfacing by the rocks. Alteirinhos needs a stricter window: swell around 1 m or less, low to mid tide, light wind and a shore check from above. The coast sits in the SW Alentejo and Vicentina Coast Natural Park, so confirm restrictions. Rules still apply: licence from age 16, apnea only, daylight only, Alfa buoy within 30 m and 15 kg daily limit.
✓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