What is the best time of day to snorkel in Arlington Reef?

Snorkel in daylight, if possible in the morning before the wind picks up. Currents are often weaker near high slack tide. SnorkelForecast scores each daylight hour for Arlington Reef.

What is the best tide for snorkeling?

High slack tide, within about an hour of the high-tide peak, often has weaker currents. Strong low tides and tidal flow near channels or headlands reduce the score.

Where are the best snorkeling conditions near Arlington Reef today?

The nearby spots with the best forecasts later today are Low Isles. Check each spot page for hourly wind, wave, tide and water temperature detail.

MARINE REPORT / 72 HOURS

Arlington Reef Snorkel Report Today

Australia · Updated Wed 15:44 (AEST) · Source: Snapshot

The skinny

Marginal Data updated Wed 15:44 (AEST)

Arlington Reef looks marginal today. The least-bad daylight window is around Wed 18:00, but tide/current is limiting the forecast.

Right now (forecast)

Fair · 4.7/10

Wed 17:00 (AEST)

Later today

Fair · 4.8/10

Wed 18:00 (AEST)

Next three days

Good · 6.6/10

Fri 12:00 (AEST)

Model estimates using Open-Meteo; not observations or safety guarantees. Check official advisories and conditions at the beach.

Score: 4.8/10

Best time: Wed 18:00

Main risk: Tide/Current

No useful morning window is showing yet.

Best afternoon signal: Wed 18:00 (Fair). Peak afternoon wind is about 3.5 m/s.

Email me when it is good Compare nearby spots

Best nearby spots later today

Low Isles 6.4/10 Good · Wed 18:00

Sunrise

05:37

Sunset

18:22

Water

27.9°C

Max air

26.8°C

Sky

Cloudy

99% cloud

Good model window in the next 72 hours

Next good model window: Thu 10:00 (25% of the next 72h meets the model threshold)

3-day planner Best available Show data

3-day planner

Wednesday

⚠️ Fair conditions

Main blocker: Tide/current

Thursday

✅ Good conditions

Main blocker: Tide/current

Friday

✅ Good conditions

Main blocker: Tide/current

Best available hours

The next good model window starts at Thu 10:00.

Why this verdict

Main blockers across the next 72 hours:

Tide/current (69 hours)
Darkness (45 hours)
Waves (18 hours)

Jellyfish drift risk

Drift estimate from wind, swell, current and warm water.

Low · 34/100

Low drift risk now.

warm water supports seasonal jellyfish activity; surface drift/current is noticeable; local shoreline exposure is not mapped yet.

Sightings override the model: if you see small purple jellyfish with long trailing tentacles, treat them as sting-capable and give them space.

Upcoming high tides

Next early morning high tide: Thu 06:00

Thu 06:00, Thu 18:00, Fri 07:00, Fri 18:00, Sat 07:00

Nearby snorkel spot map

Compare nearby spot forecasts for later today before choosing a beach.

Low Isles Good · Wed 18:00 6.4/10 Agincourt Reef Fair · Wed 18:00 4.8/10

Forecast spot map

Use the map to see where the compared spots sit. Open a card for the hourly forecast.

This is a location diagram, not a marine chart. Check the shore and local signs in person.

Nearby alternatives in Australia

Green Island

10 km away

✅ Good

Michaelmas Cay

13 km away

✅ Good

Hastings Reef

20 km away

✅ Good

Moore Reef

20 km away

✅ Good

Advanced forecast data

Viewing historical data

Mon 17:00 – Thu 17:00 (AEST)

Previous day Yesterday Next day Live

Snorkel Score (selected 24h)

Best snorkel score is 0.33 around Mon 18:00; 0 of 24 hours are good, fair, or excellent.

Score trend, higher is better. Excellent ≥ 0.72, good 0.55–0.72, fair 0.35–0.55.

Conditions (24h trends)

Tap a chart to load just that series.

0/24 sampled hours stay at or below 0.36m (range 1.08m to 1.36m).

Wind is at or below 5.4m/s in 0/24 sampled hours (range 7.4 to 9.76m/s).

Tides range from 0.12m to 1.42m; 1 of 24 hours are in or near peak slack windows.

72-hour historical overview

Mon 17:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 18:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 19:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 20:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 21:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 22:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 23:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Tue 00:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Tue 01:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Tue 02:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Tue 03:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Tue 04:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Tue 05:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Tue 06:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Tue 07:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Tue 08:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Tue 09:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Tue 10:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Tue 11:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Tue 12:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Tue 13:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Tue 14:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Tue 15:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Tue 16:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Tue 17:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Tue 18:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Tue 19:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Tue 20:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Tue 21:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Tue 22:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Tue 23:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Wed 00:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Wed 01:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Wed 02:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Wed 03:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Wed 04:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Wed 05:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Wed 06:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Wed 07:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Wed 08:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Wed 09:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Wed 10:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Wed 11:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Wed 12:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Wed 13:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Wed 14:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Wed 15:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Wed 16:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Wed 17:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Wed 18:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Wed 19:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Wed 20:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Wed 21:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Wed 22:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Wed 23:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 00:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 01:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 02:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 03:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 04:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 05:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 06:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 07:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 08:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 09:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 10:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Thu 11:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Thu 12:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Thu 13:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Thu 14:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Thu 15:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Thu 16:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Scoring methodology (for technical users)

We score each hour from 0 to 1 using daylight and these weighted components:

Wave height (35%): best below 0.36m, then decreases as it rises.
Wind speed (25%): best below 5.4m/s, lower is better.
Sea surface temperature (15%): best within 20.6°C to 30.4°C.
Tide and currents (15%): best around slack/high-tide windows.
Daylight (10%): visibility is better in daylight, so night hours score lower.

Detailed hourly data table

Time	Wave (m)	Wind (m/s)	Sea temp (°C)	Status
Mon 17:00	1.08 · high	8.36 · high	25.70 · good	Poor
Mon 18:00	1.10 · high	7.99 · high	25.70 · good	Poor
Mon 19:00	1.12 · high	7.89 · high	25.70 · good	Poor
Mon 20:00	1.12 · high	8.10 · high	25.70 · good	Poor
Mon 21:00	1.10 · high	8.61 · high	25.70 · good	Poor
Mon 22:00	1.10 · high	9.76 · high	25.70 · good	Poor
Mon 23:00	1.10 · high	7.40 · high	25.70 · good	Poor
Tue 00:00	1.12 · high	7.96 · high	25.60 · good	Poor
Tue 01:00	1.12 · high	9.11 · high	25.60 · good	Poor
Tue 02:00	1.12 · high	9.36 · high	25.60 · good	Poor
Tue 03:00	1.14 · high	9.21 · high	25.60 · good	Poor
Tue 04:00	1.14 · high	9.03 · high	25.60 · good	Poor
Tue 05:00	1.16 · high	8.95 · high	25.60 · good	Poor
Tue 06:00	1.16 · high	9.34 · high	25.60 · good	Poor
Tue 07:00	1.24 · high	9.48 · high	25.60 · good	Poor
Tue 08:00	1.26 · high	9.41 · high	25.60 · good	Poor
Tue 09:00	1.28 · high	9.26 · high	25.60 · good	Poor
Tue 10:00	1.30 · high	9.15 · high	25.60 · good	Poor
Tue 11:00	1.30 · high	8.80 · high	25.70 · good	Poor
Tue 12:00	1.32 · high	9.27 · high	25.70 · good	Poor
Tue 13:00	1.32 · high	9.23 · high	25.70 · good	Poor
Tue 14:00	1.34 · high	9.22 · high	25.80 · good	Poor
Tue 15:00	1.34 · high	8.88 · high	25.80 · good	Poor
Tue 16:00	1.36 · high	8.28 · high	25.80 · good	Poor
Tue 17:00	1.36 · high	8.55 · high	25.80 · good	Poor
Tue 18:00	1.34 · high	8.66 · high	25.80 · good	Poor
Tue 19:00	1.34 · high	8.79 · high	25.80 · good	Poor
Tue 20:00	1.20 · high	8.93 · high	25.80 · good	Poor
Tue 21:00	1.20 · high	8.86 · high	25.70 · good	Poor
Tue 22:00	1.20 · high	9.28 · high	25.70 · good	Poor
Tue 23:00	1.20 · high	9.10 · high	25.70 · good	Poor
Wed 00:00	1.18 · high	8.76 · high	25.70 · good	Poor
Wed 01:00	1.18 · high	8.16 · high	25.70 · good	Poor
Wed 02:00	1.18 · high	7.62 · high	25.60 · good	Poor
Wed 03:00	1.16 · high	8.25 · high	25.60 · good	Poor
Wed 04:00	1.16 · high	8.69 · high	25.60 · good	Poor
Wed 05:00	1.14 · high	7.11 · high	25.60 · good	Poor
Wed 06:00	1.14 · high	7.10 · high	25.60 · good	Poor
Wed 07:00	1.12 · high	7.25 · high	25.60 · good	Poor
Wed 08:00	1.12 · high	7.25 · high	25.60 · good	Poor
Wed 09:00	1.02 · high	6.59 · high	25.70 · good	Poor
Wed 10:00	1.02 · high	6.56 · high	25.70 · good	Fair
Wed 11:00	1.00 · high	6.65 · high	25.70 · good	Poor
Wed 12:00	1.00 · high	6.59 · high	25.70 · good	Poor
Wed 13:00	0.98 · high	6.09 · high	25.80 · good	Fair
Wed 14:00	0.98 · high	6.45 · high	25.80 · good	Fair
Wed 15:00	0.96 · high	5.93 · high	25.90 · good	Fair
Wed 16:00	0.96 · high	5.74 · high	25.90 · good	Fair
Wed 17:00	0.96 · high	5.81 · high	25.90 · good	Fair
Wed 18:00	0.96 · high	5.79 · high	25.90 · good	Fair
Wed 19:00	0.96 · high	5.63 · high	25.80 · good	Poor
Wed 20:00	0.94 · high	5.52 · high	25.80 · good	Poor
Wed 21:00	0.88 · high	5.17 · good	25.80 · good	Poor
Wed 22:00	0.86 · high	5.31 · good	25.80 · good	Poor
Wed 23:00	0.84 · high	5.17 · good	25.80 · good	Poor
Thu 00:00	0.84 · high	4.94 · good	25.80 · good	Poor
Thu 01:00	0.82 · high	4.80 · good	25.70 · good	Poor
Thu 02:00	0.82 · high	4.63 · good	25.70 · good	Poor
Thu 03:00	0.80 · high	4.55 · good	25.70 · good	Poor
Thu 04:00	0.80 · high	4.27 · good	25.70 · good	Poor
Thu 05:00	0.80 · high	4.62 · good	25.70 · good	Poor
Thu 06:00	0.78 · high	4.47 · good	25.70 · good	Poor
Thu 07:00	0.78 · high	4.48 · good	25.70 · good	Poor
Thu 08:00	0.76 · high	4.71 · good	25.80 · good	Poor
Thu 09:00	0.76 · high	4.44 · good	25.80 · good	Poor
Thu 10:00	0.74 · high	4.28 · good	25.80 · good	Fair
Thu 11:00	0.72 · high	3.69 · good	25.90 · good	Fair
Thu 12:00	0.72 · high	3.60 · good	26.00 · good	Fair
Thu 13:00	0.70 · high	4.16 · good	26.00 · good	Fair
Thu 14:00	0.70 · high	4.06 · good	26.10 · good	Fair
Thu 15:00	0.68 · high	3.65 · good	26.20 · good	Fair
Thu 16:00	0.68 · high	2.58 · good	26.20 · good	Fair