MARINE REPORT / 72 HOURS

Heron Island Snorkel Report Today

Australia · Updated Sun 09:34 (AEST) · Source: Snapshot

The skinny

Marginal Data updated Sun 09:34 (AEST)

Heron Island looks marginal today. The least-bad daylight window is around Sun 17:00, but waves is limiting the forecast.

Right now (forecast)

Poor · 2.7/10

Sun 10:00 (AEST)

Later today

Fair · 3.7/10

Sun 17:00 (AEST)

Next three days

Fair · 3.9/10

Mon 17:00 (AEST)

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

Score: 3.7/10

Best time: Sun 17:00

Main risk: Waves

Best morning signal: Sun 11:00 (Poor).

Best afternoon signal: Sun 17:00 (Fair). Peak afternoon wind is about 10.4 m/s.

Email me when it is good Compare nearby spots

Best nearby spots later today

Cairns 5.9/10 Good · Sun 18:00

Weakest nearby later today

Lady Elliot Island

Sunrise

05:17

Sunset

17:58

Water

22.9°C

Max air

22.7°C

Sky

Clear

20% cloud

No good model window in the next 72 hours

Use the best-available section for the least-bad times.

3-day planner Best available Show data

3-day planner

Sunday

⚠️ Fair conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Monday

⚠️ Fair conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Tuesday

⚠️ Fair conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Best available hours

  • Mon 17:00: Fair (0.39) · still limited by waves, wind
  • Sun 17:00: Fair (0.37) · still limited by waves, wind
  • Mon 15:00: Fair (0.36) · still limited by waves, wind

Why this verdict

Main blockers across the next 72 hours:

  • Waves (70 hours)
  • Wind (69 hours)
  • Tide/current (63 hours)

Jellyfish drift risk

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

Low · 26/100

Low drift risk now.

water is warm enough for occasional jellyfish; 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: Tue 04:00

Sun 14:00, Mon 15:00, Tue 04:00, Tue 16:00, Wed 05:00

Nearby snorkel spot map

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

Cairns Good · Sun 18:00 5.9/10 Port Douglas Fair · Sun 18:00 5.4/10 Whitsundays Fair · Sun 13:00 4.9/10 Lady Elliot Island Poor · Sun 15:00 3.4/10

Forecast spot map

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

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

⚠️ Fair

Byron Bay

603 km away

❌ Poor

Flynn Reef

951 km away

⚠️ Fair

Advanced forecast data

Viewing historical data

Sun 10:00 – Wed 10:00 (AEST)

Previous day Yesterday Next day Live

Snorkel Score (selected 24h)

Best snorkel score is 0.38 around Sun 14:00; 1 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 0.82m to 0.96m).

Wind is at or below 5.4m/s in 0/24 sampled hours (range 6.58 to 8.68m/s).

Tides range from -0.88m to 1.71m; 2 of 24 hours are in or near peak slack windows.

72-hour historical overview
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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
Sun 10:00 0.86 · high 6.71 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Sun 11:00 0.84 · high 6.58 · high 22.60 · good Poor
Sun 12:00 0.84 · high 6.70 · high 22.60 · good Poor
Sun 13:00 0.82 · high 6.82 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Sun 14:00 0.82 · high 7.01 · high 22.80 · good Fair
Sun 15:00 0.84 · high 7.00 · high 22.80 · good Poor
Sun 16:00 0.84 · high 7.41 · high 22.90 · good Poor
Sun 17:00 0.84 · high 7.86 · high 22.90 · good Poor
Sun 18:00 0.86 · high 7.84 · high 22.90 · good Poor
Sun 19:00 0.86 · high 7.89 · high 22.90 · good Poor
Sun 20:00 0.86 · high 7.75 · high 22.80 · good Poor
Sun 21:00 0.90 · high 7.87 · high 22.80 · good Poor
Sun 22:00 0.90 · high 8.58 · high 22.80 · good Poor
Sun 23:00 0.96 · high 8.68 · high 22.80 · good Poor
Mon 00:00 0.94 · high 8.63 · high 22.80 · good Poor
Mon 01:00 0.94 · high 8.19 · high 22.80 · good Poor
Mon 02:00 0.94 · high 7.92 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Mon 03:00 0.92 · high 7.79 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Mon 04:00 0.92 · high 7.72 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Mon 05:00 0.94 · high 7.92 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Mon 06:00 0.94 · high 7.90 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Mon 07:00 0.96 · high 7.92 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Mon 08:00 0.96 · high 8.25 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Mon 09:00 0.96 · high 8.03 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Mon 10:00 0.96 · high 8.05 · high 22.80 · good Fair
Mon 11:00 0.96 · high 7.76 · high 22.80 · good Poor
Mon 12:00 0.96 · high 7.42 · high 22.90 · good Poor
Mon 13:00 0.96 · high 7.56 · high 23.00 · good Poor
Mon 14:00 0.94 · high 7.74 · high 23.10 · good Fair
Mon 15:00 0.90 · high 8.10 · high 23.10 · good Poor
Mon 16:00 0.88 · high 7.23 · high 23.20 · good Poor
Mon 17:00 0.88 · high 7.18 · high 23.20 · good Poor
Mon 18:00 0.86 · high 7.49 · high 23.20 · good Poor
Mon 19:00 0.86 · high 7.61 · high 23.10 · good Poor
Mon 20:00 0.86 · high 7.69 · high 23.10 · good Poor
Mon 21:00 0.86 · high 7.78 · high 23.10 · good Poor
Mon 22:00 0.88 · high 7.79 · high 23.00 · good Poor
Mon 23:00 0.90 · high 8.41 · high 23.00 · good Poor
Tue 00:00 0.92 · high 8.23 · high 22.90 · good Poor
Tue 01:00 0.94 · high 9.07 · high 22.90 · good Poor
Tue 02:00 0.96 · high 9.57 · high 22.90 · good Poor
Tue 03:00 0.98 · high 9.38 · high 22.90 · good Poor
Tue 04:00 1.00 · high 9.53 · high 22.90 · good Poor
Tue 05:00 1.00 · high 9.48 · high 22.90 · good Poor
Tue 06:00 1.00 · high 9.13 · high 22.80 · good Poor
Tue 07:00 1.00 · high 9.44 · high 22.80 · good Poor
Tue 08:00 0.98 · high 8.88 · high 22.80 · good Poor
Tue 09:00 0.96 · high 8.71 · high 22.80 · good Poor
Tue 10:00 0.94 · high 8.78 · high 22.80 · good Poor
Tue 11:00 0.98 · high 9.39 · high 22.80 · good Poor
Tue 12:00 1.00 · high 9.39 · high 22.90 · good Poor
Tue 13:00 1.04 · high 10.47 · high 22.90 · good Poor
Tue 14:00 1.10 · high 10.71 · high 22.90 · good Poor
Tue 15:00 1.14 · high 11.40 · high 23.00 · good Poor
Tue 16:00 1.20 · high 11.95 · high 23.00 · good Poor
Tue 17:00 1.24 · high 11.03 · high 23.00 · good Poor
Tue 18:00 1.30 · high 11.50 · high 22.90 · good Poor
Tue 19:00 1.34 · high 12.80 · high 22.90 · good Poor
Tue 20:00 1.36 · high 12.76 · high 22.80 · good Poor
Tue 21:00 1.40 · high 12.45 · high 22.80 · good Poor
Tue 22:00 1.40 · high 11.64 · high 22.80 · good Poor
Tue 23:00 1.38 · high 11.70 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Wed 00:00 1.38 · high 12.14 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Wed 01:00 1.32 · high 11.59 · high 22.60 · good Poor
Wed 02:00 1.30 · high 11.28 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Wed 03:00 1.28 · high 11.01 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Wed 04:00 1.26 · high 11.09 · high 22.40 · good Poor
Wed 05:00 1.24 · high 10.73 · high 22.40 · good Poor
Wed 06:00 1.22 · high 10.36 · high 22.40 · good Poor
Wed 07:00 1.20 · high 10.02 · high 22.30 · good Poor
Wed 08:00 1.16 · high 9.73 · high 22.30 · good Poor
Wed 09:00 1.10 · high 9.42 · high 22.30 · good Poor