MARINE REPORT / 72 HOURS

Cairns Snorkel Report Today

Australia · Updated Wed 03:19 (AEST) · Source: Snapshot

The skinny

Go in the best window Data updated Wed 03:19 (AEST)

Cairns has a usable snorkeling window around Wed 10:00. The main thing to watch is tide/current.

Right now (forecast)

Poor · 0.0/10

Wed 05:00 (AEST)

Later today

Good · 7.0/10

Wed 18:00 (AEST)

Next three days

Excellent · 7.7/10

Fri 18:00 (AEST)

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

Score: 7.0/10

Best time: Wed 10:00

Main risk: Tide/Current

Best morning signal: Wed 11:00 (Good).

Best afternoon signal: Wed 18:00 (Good). Peak afternoon wind is about 3.6 m/s.

Later today looks usable around Wed 10:00. Check boat availability.

Email me when it is good Compare nearby spots Check boat availability

Best nearby spots later today

Hastings Reef 6.7/10 Good · Wed 14:00 Michaelmas Cay 6.1/10 Good · Wed 13:00 Fitzroy Island 6.1/10 Good · Wed 10:00

Plan your visit

These notes help with planning. Rules and closures can change.

Open map

AccessCairns is a gateway. Green Island, Fitzroy Island and the outer reefs have their own wind and swell. Open those reports before you leave the harbour.

ParkingParking and boat-harbour rules vary by operator and town. Use marked spaces and never block ramps or residents.

ReservationsMany of the best reefs here are boat-only. Book a permitted operator and ask about weather cancellations.

ClosuresWind, swell, and park rules can close a site even when the town beach looks calm. Check the official source before entering.

Marine lifeDo not touch, chase, or feed marine life. Stay off coral and follow local park rules.

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority

Sunrise

05:38

Sunset

18:22

Water

28.7°C

Max air

29.8°C

Sky

Cloudy

99% cloud

Good model window in the next 72 hours

Next good model window: Wed 10:00–18:00 (39% of the next 72h meets the model threshold)

3-day planner Best available Show data

3-day planner

Wednesday

✅ Good conditions

Main blocker: Tide/current

Thursday

✅ Excellent conditions

Main blocker: Darkness

Friday

✅ Excellent conditions

Main blocker: Darkness

Best available hours

The next good model window starts at Wed 10:00 and lasts until 18:00.

Why this verdict

Main blockers across the next 72 hours:

  • Darkness (42 hours)
  • Tide/current (35 hours)

Jellyfish drift risk

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

Low · 31/100

Low peak drift risk around Wed 12:00.

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

Wed 17:00, Thu 06:00, Thu 18:00, Fri 07:00, Fri 18:00

Bookable snorkel tours near Cairns

Prices and availability from Viator. Check conditions before you book.

We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

MV Evolution - the regions most luxurious Outer Reef day cruise vessel

Great Barrier Reef Snorkeling and Diving Cruise from Cairns

4.7/5 3969 reviews 8h 30m
From USD 196.28 Check availability

Free cancellation available

Cairns Half Day Tour a Great Barrier Reef Snorkeling Experience

Cairns Half Day Tour a Great Barrier Reef Snorkeling Experience

4.8/5 545 reviews 4h
From USD 127.76 Check availability

Free cancellation available

Ocean Freedom: Great Barrier Reef Stylish Snorkel, Dive Reef Tour

Ocean Freedom: Great Barrier Reef Stylish Snorkel, Dive Reef Tour

4.8/5 2055 reviews 9h
From USD 159.34 Check availability

Free cancellation available

Visit a pristine outer reef site

Premium Half-Day Outer Reef Snokel Tour

4.7/5 547 reviews 6h
From USD 139.18 Check availability

Free cancellation available

Afternoon Fitzroy Island Escape – Return Ferry Included

Afternoon Fitzroy Island Escape – Return Ferry Included

3.9/5 18 reviews 4h 30m
From USD 77.08 Check availability

Free cancellation available

Fitzroy and Green Island From Cairns: Great Barrier Reef

Fitzroy and Green Island From Cairns: Great Barrier Reef

3.8/5 17 reviews 8h 30m
From USD 139.89 Check availability

Free cancellation available

Nearby snorkel spot map

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

Hastings Reef Good · Wed 14:00 6.7/10 Michaelmas Cay Good · Wed 13:00 6.1/10 Fitzroy Island Good · Wed 10:00 6.1/10 Green Island Good · Wed 14:00 5.9/10 Moore Reef Good · Wed 14:00 5.7/10 Flynn Reef Fair · Wed 13:00 5.2/10

Forecast spot map

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

Hastings Reef Michaelmas Cay Fitzroy Island Green Island Moore Reef Flynn Reef
  1. Hastings Reef
  2. Michaelmas Cay
  3. Fitzroy Island
  4. Green Island
  5. Moore Reef
  6. Flynn Reef

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

Nearby alternatives in Australia

Fitzroy Island

24 km away

✅ Good

Green Island

28 km away

✅ Good

Arlington Reef

38 km away

✅ Good

Michaelmas Cay

41 km away

✅ Good

Advanced forecast data

Viewing historical data

Mon 05:00 – Thu 05:00 (AEST)

Previous day Yesterday Next day Live

Snorkel Score (selected 24h)

Best snorkel score is 0.63 around Mon 18:00; 9 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 0.46m to 0.54m).

Wind is at or below 5.4m/s in 24/24 sampled hours (range 1.22 to 4.08m/s).

Tides range from -0.21m to 1.79m; 1 of 24 hours are in or near peak slack windows.

72-hour historical overview
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Good 🌟 Good
Good 🌟 Good
Good 🌟 Good
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Good 🌟 Good
Good 🌟 Good
Good 🌟 Good
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
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Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
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Poor ❌ Limited
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Poor ❌ Limited
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Good 🌟 Good
Good 🌟 Good
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Good 🌟 Good
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Good 🌟 Good
Good 🌟 Good
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
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Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Good 🌟 Good
Good 🌟 Good
Good 🌟 Good
Good 🌟 Good
Good 🌟 Good
Good 🌟 Good
Good 🌟 Good
Good 🌟 Good
Good 🌟 Good
Poor ❌ Limited
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Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
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Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
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 05:00 0.52 · high 1.53 · good 24.00 · good Poor
Mon 06:00 0.50 · high 1.68 · good 24.00 · good Poor
Mon 07:00 0.50 · high 1.70 · good 24.00 · good Poor
Mon 08:00 0.50 · high 1.44 · good 24.00 · good Poor
Mon 09:00 0.48 · high 2.26 · good 24.00 · good Poor
Mon 10:00 0.48 · high 3.23 · good 24.10 · good Good
Mon 11:00 0.50 · high 3.49 · good 24.10 · good Good
Mon 12:00 0.50 · high 3.89 · good 24.20 · good Good
Mon 13:00 0.52 · high 4.03 · good 24.30 · good Fair
Mon 14:00 0.52 · high 4.08 · good 24.40 · good Fair
Mon 15:00 0.54 · high 3.97 · good 24.40 · good Fair
Mon 16:00 0.54 · high 3.78 · good 24.50 · good Good
Mon 17:00 0.54 · high 3.52 · good 24.50 · good Good
Mon 18:00 0.52 · high 2.84 · good 24.50 · good Good
Mon 19:00 0.52 · high 2.38 · good 24.40 · good Poor
Mon 20:00 0.52 · high 2.28 · good 24.40 · good Poor
Mon 21:00 0.54 · high 2.08 · good 24.30 · good Poor
Mon 22:00 0.52 · high 1.95 · good 24.30 · good Poor
Mon 23:00 0.52 · high 1.67 · good 24.30 · good Poor
Tue 00:00 0.52 · high 1.26 · good 24.20 · good Poor
Tue 01:00 0.52 · high 1.22 · good 24.20 · good Poor
Tue 02:00 0.52 · high 1.44 · good 24.20 · good Poor
Tue 03:00 0.50 · high 1.49 · good 24.10 · good Poor
Tue 04:00 0.46 · high 2.37 · good 24.10 · good Poor
Tue 05:00 0.46 · high 2.26 · good 24.10 · good Poor
Tue 06:00 0.44 · high 1.91 · good 24.10 · good Poor
Tue 07:00 0.44 · high 1.63 · good 24.10 · good Poor
Tue 08:00 0.46 · high 1.34 · good 24.10 · good Poor
Tue 09:00 0.46 · high 2.27 · good 24.10 · good Poor
Tue 10:00 0.48 · high 3.47 · good 24.20 · good Fair
Tue 11:00 0.50 · high 3.63 · good 24.20 · good Good
Tue 12:00 0.54 · high 3.96 · good 24.30 · good Good
Tue 13:00 0.56 · high 4.09 · good 24.40 · good Fair
Tue 14:00 0.56 · high 4.06 · good 24.50 · good Fair
Tue 15:00 0.56 · high 3.75 · good 24.60 · good Good
Tue 16:00 0.56 · high 3.67 · good 24.70 · good Fair
Tue 17:00 0.54 · high 3.35 · good 24.70 · good Good
Tue 18:00 0.50 · high 2.90 · good 24.70 · good Good
Tue 19:00 0.48 · high 2.02 · good 24.60 · good Poor
Tue 20:00 0.48 · high 1.84 · good 24.60 · good Poor
Tue 21:00 0.50 · high 1.77 · good 24.60 · good Poor
Tue 22:00 0.48 · high 1.86 · good 24.60 · good Poor
Tue 23:00 0.48 · high 1.80 · good 24.60 · good Poor
Wed 00:00 0.46 · high 1.74 · good 24.50 · good Poor
Wed 01:00 0.46 · high 1.60 · good 24.50 · good Poor
Wed 02:00 0.44 · high 1.67 · good 24.50 · good Poor
Wed 03:00 0.40 · high 1.38 · good 24.40 · good Poor
Wed 04:00 0.40 · high 1.52 · good 24.40 · good Poor
Wed 05:00 0.40 · high 1.56 · good 24.40 · good Poor
Wed 06:00 0.42 · high 1.45 · good 24.40 · good Poor
Wed 07:00 0.42 · high 1.59 · good 24.40 · good Poor
Wed 08:00 0.42 · high 2.15 · good 24.40 · good Poor
Wed 09:00 0.42 · high 3.32 · good 24.40 · good Poor
Wed 10:00 0.42 · high 3.43 · good 24.50 · good Good
Wed 11:00 0.42 · high 3.60 · good 24.50 · good Good
Wed 12:00 0.44 · high 3.70 · good 24.60 · good Good
Wed 13:00 0.44 · high 3.89 · good 24.70 · good Good
Wed 14:00 0.44 · high 3.59 · good 24.80 · good Good
Wed 15:00 0.42 · high 3.63 · good 24.90 · good Good
Wed 16:00 0.42 · high 3.51 · good 25.00 · good Good
Wed 17:00 0.42 · high 2.86 · good 25.00 · good Good
Wed 18:00 0.42 · high 1.87 · good 25.00 · good Good
Wed 19:00 0.42 · high 1.27 · good 24.90 · good Poor
Wed 20:00 0.40 · high 1.17 · good 24.90 · good Poor
Wed 21:00 0.40 · high 1.21 · good 24.80 · good Poor
Wed 22:00 0.38 · high 1.51 · good 24.70 · good Poor
Wed 23:00 0.38 · high 1.85 · good 24.70 · good Poor
Thu 00:00 0.36 · good 1.98 · good 24.70 · good Poor
Thu 01:00 0.36 · good 1.91 · good 24.60 · good Poor
Thu 02:00 0.36 · good 2.06 · good 24.60 · good Poor
Thu 03:00 0.36 · good 1.93 · good 24.60 · good Poor
Thu 04:00 0.36 · good 2.02 · good 24.60 · good Poor