MARINE REPORT / 72 HOURS

Heron Island Snorkel Report Today

Australia · Updated Mon 01:01 (AEST) · Source: Snapshot

The skinny

Go in the best window Data updated Mon 01:01 (AEST)

Heron Island has a usable snorkeling window around Mon 11:00. The main thing to watch is waves.

Right now (forecast)

Poor · 0.0/10

Mon 01:00 (AEST)

Later today

Good · 5.8/10

Mon 16:00 (AEST)

Next three days

Good · 6.3/10

Wed 10:00 (AEST)

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

Score: 5.8/10

Best time: Mon 11:00

Main risk: Waves

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

Best afternoon signal: Mon 16:00 (Good). Peak afternoon wind is about 5.6 m/s.

Email me when it is good Compare nearby spots

Best nearby spots later today

Cairns 6.5/10 Good · Mon 10:00 Whitsundays 6.1/10 Good · Mon 18:00 Port Douglas 5.8/10 Good · Mon 10:00

Sunrise

05:23

Sunset

17:55

Water

23.9°C

Max air

23.8°C

Sky

Clear

30% cloud

Good model window in the next 72 hours

Next good model window: Mon 11:00–14:00 (13% of the next 72h meets the model threshold)

3-day planner Best available Show data

3-day planner

Monday

✅ Good conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Tuesday

✅ Good conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Wednesday

✅ Good conditions

Main blocker: Tide/current

Best available hours

The next good model window starts at Mon 11:00 and lasts until 14:00.

Why this verdict

Main blockers across the next 72 hours:

  • Tide/current (69 hours)
  • Waves (56 hours)
  • Darkness (46 hours)

Jellyfish drift risk

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

Low · 34/100

Low peak drift risk around Mon 07:00.

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

Mon 09:00, Mon 21:00, Tue 09:00, Tue 21:00, Wed 10:00, Wed 22:00

Nearby snorkel spot map

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

Cairns Good · Mon 10:00 6.5/10 Whitsundays Good · Mon 18:00 6.1/10 Port Douglas Good · Mon 10:00 5.8/10 Lady Elliot Island Fair · Mon 14:00 4.6/10

Forecast spot map

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

Cairns Whitsundays Port Douglas Lady Elliot Island
  1. Cairns
  2. Whitsundays
  3. Port Douglas
  4. Lady Elliot Island

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

Nearby alternatives in Australia

Lady Elliot Island

110 km away

❌ Poor

Whitsundays

462 km away

✅ Good

Byron Bay

603 km away

❌ Poor

Flynn Reef

951 km away

❌ Poor

Advanced forecast data

Viewing current forecast

Mon 01:00 – Thu 01:00 (AEST)

Previous day Yesterday

Snorkel Score (next 24h)

Best snorkel score is 0.58 around Mon 16:00; 8 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 0.4m to 0.48m).

Wind is at or below 5.4m/s in 19/24 sampled hours (range 3.54 to 5.66m/s).

Tides range from -0.82m to 1.62m; 2 of 24 hours are in or near peak slack windows.

72-hour forecast overview
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Good 🌟 Good
Good 🌟 Good
Good 🌟 Good
Good 🌟 Good
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Good 🌟 Good
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Good 🌟 Good
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Good 🌟 Good
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Good 🌟 Good
Good 🌟 Good
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
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 02:00 0.48 · high 4.88 · good 23.90 · good Poor
Mon 03:00 0.48 · high 5.04 · good 23.90 · good Poor
Mon 04:00 0.46 · high 4.83 · good 23.90 · good Poor
Mon 05:00 0.44 · high 5.01 · good 23.90 · good Poor
Mon 06:00 0.44 · high 4.65 · good 23.90 · good Poor
Mon 07:00 0.42 · high 4.67 · good 24.00 · good Poor
Mon 08:00 0.42 · high 5.22 · good 24.00 · good Poor
Mon 09:00 0.40 · high 4.74 · good 24.00 · good Poor
Mon 10:00 0.40 · high 4.63 · good 24.10 · good Fair
Mon 11:00 0.40 · high 4.15 · good 24.10 · good Good
Mon 12:00 0.40 · high 3.54 · good 24.20 · good Good
Mon 13:00 0.40 · high 3.65 · good 24.30 · good Good
Mon 14:00 0.40 · high 3.76 · good 24.40 · good Good
Mon 15:00 0.42 · high 4.25 · good 24.50 · good Fair
Mon 16:00 0.42 · high 4.93 · good 24.50 · good Good
Mon 17:00 0.42 · high 5.61 · high 24.50 · good Fair
Mon 18:00 0.44 · high 5.53 · high 24.50 · good Poor
Mon 19:00 0.44 · high 5.62 · high 24.40 · good Poor
Mon 20:00 0.44 · high 5.10 · good 24.40 · good Poor
Mon 21:00 0.44 · high 5.24 · good 24.30 · good Poor
Mon 22:00 0.44 · high 5.66 · high 24.30 · good Poor
Mon 23:00 0.44 · high 5.65 · high 24.20 · good Poor
Tue 00:00 0.44 · high 5.15 · good 24.20 · good Poor
Tue 01:00 0.44 · high 4.61 · good 24.20 · good Poor
Tue 02:00 0.44 · high 4.47 · good 24.10 · good Poor
Tue 03:00 0.42 · high 4.62 · good 24.10 · good Poor
Tue 04:00 0.42 · high 4.73 · good 24.10 · good Poor
Tue 05:00 0.42 · high 4.48 · good 24.10 · good Poor
Tue 06:00 0.40 · high 4.24 · good 24.10 · good Poor
Tue 07:00 0.40 · high 4.60 · good 24.10 · good Poor
Tue 08:00 0.40 · high 4.90 · good 24.10 · good Poor
Tue 09:00 0.40 · high 4.54 · good 24.10 · good Poor
Tue 10:00 0.40 · high 4.33 · good 24.10 · good Fair
Tue 11:00 0.40 · high 4.09 · good 24.20 · good Good
Tue 12:00 0.40 · high 4.19 · good 24.20 · good Fair
Tue 13:00 0.40 · high 4.82 · good 24.30 · good Fair
Tue 14:00 0.42 · high 5.36 · good 24.40 · good Fair
Tue 15:00 0.46 · high 6.12 · high 24.40 · good Fair
Tue 16:00 0.48 · high 6.37 · high 24.50 · good Fair
Tue 17:00 0.48 · high 6.36 · high 24.50 · good Fair
Tue 18:00 0.48 · high 5.60 · high 24.40 · good Poor
Tue 19:00 0.48 · high 5.16 · good 24.40 · good Poor
Tue 20:00 0.48 · high 5.17 · good 24.30 · good Poor
Tue 21:00 0.46 · high 4.91 · good 24.30 · good Poor
Tue 22:00 0.46 · high 5.00 · good 24.20 · good Poor
Tue 23:00 0.46 · high 5.75 · high 24.20 · good Poor
Wed 00:00 0.44 · high 5.98 · high 24.10 · good Poor
Wed 01:00 0.44 · high 5.18 · good 24.10 · good Poor
Wed 02:00 0.44 · high 5.11 · good 24.00 · good Poor
Wed 03:00 0.42 · high 4.38 · good 24.00 · good Poor
Wed 04:00 0.42 · high 4.38 · good 24.00 · good Poor
Wed 05:00 0.40 · high 4.58 · good 24.00 · good Poor
Wed 06:00 0.40 · high 4.66 · good 24.00 · good Poor
Wed 07:00 0.38 · high 4.35 · good 24.00 · good Poor
Wed 08:00 0.36 · good 4.46 · good 24.00 · good Poor
Wed 09:00 0.36 · good 4.42 · good 24.00 · good Poor
Wed 10:00 0.34 · good 4.35 · good 24.00 · good Good
Wed 11:00 0.34 · good 4.21 · good 24.10 · good Fair
Wed 12:00 0.34 · good 4.10 · good 24.10 · good Good
Wed 13:00 0.34 · good 4.45 · good 24.20 · good Good
Wed 14:00 0.36 · good 5.34 · good 24.20 · good Fair
Wed 15:00 0.36 · good 4.90 · good 24.30 · good Fair
Wed 16:00 0.38 · high 6.20 · high 24.30 · good Fair
Wed 17:00 0.36 · good 5.84 · high 24.30 · good Fair
Wed 18:00 0.36 · good 5.19 · good 24.30 · good Poor
Wed 19:00 0.34 · good 4.14 · good 24.30 · good Poor
Wed 20:00 0.34 · good 1.66 · good 24.20 · good Poor
Wed 21:00 0.34 · good 1.41 · good 24.20 · good Poor
Wed 22:00 0.34 · good 0.11 · good 24.20 · good Poor
Wed 23:00 0.54 · high 2.78 · good 24.20 · good Poor