What is the best time of day to snorkel in Heron Island?

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 Heron Island.

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 Heron Island today?

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

MARINE REPORT / 72 HOURS

Heron Island Snorkel Report Today

Australia · Updated Sun 15:49 (AEST) · Source: Snapshot

The skinny

Poor Data updated Sun 15:49 (AEST)

Heron Island has no good model window later today. Check the three-day outlook and official beach advisories.

Right now (forecast)

Poor · 3.3/10

Sun 17:00 (AEST)

Later today

No fresh data for this period.

Next three days

Fair · 5.1/10

Wed 11:00 (AEST)

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

Score: 0.0/10

Best time: -

Main risk: Waves

No useful morning window is showing yet.

No useful afternoon window is showing yet.

Email me when it is good Compare nearby spots

Best nearby spots later today

Cairns 5.5/10 Good · Sun 18:00

Sunrise

05:17

Sunset

17:58

Water

23.1°C

Max air

22.7°C

Sky

Partly cloudy

34% 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

❌ Poor conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Monday

⚠️ Fair conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Tuesday

⚠️ Fair conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Best available hours

Wed 11:00: Fair (0.51) · still limited by waves, tide/current
Wed 10:00: Fair (0.49) · still limited by waves, wind
Wed 12:00: Fair (0.42) · still limited by waves, tide/current

Why this verdict

Main blockers across the next 72 hours:

Waves (69 hours)
Wind (62 hours)
Tide/current (61 hours)

Jellyfish drift risk

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

Low · 26/100

Low peak drift risk around Sun 22:00.

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

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 5.5/10 Port Douglas Fair · Sun 18:00 5.1/10 Whitsundays Fair · Sun 18:00 3.9/10 Lady Elliot Island Unknown No recent score

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

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 17:00 – Wed 17:00 (AEST)

Previous day Yesterday Next day Live

Snorkel Score (selected 24h)

Best snorkel score is 0.77 around Mon 11:00; 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.

16/24 sampled hours stay at or below 0.36m (range 0.22m to 0.44m).

Wind is at or below 5.4m/s in 19/24 sampled hours (range 2.33 to 6.82m/s).

Tides range from -0.1m to 1.34m; 0 of 24 hours are in or near peak slack windows.

72-hour historical overview

Sun 17:00 Good 🌟 Good

Sun 18:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sun 19:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sun 20:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sun 21:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sun 22:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sun 23:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 00:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 01:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 02:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 03:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 04:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 05:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 06:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 07:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 08:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 09:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 10:00 Good 🌟 Good

Mon 11:00 Excellent ✅ Excellent

Mon 12:00 Excellent ✅ Excellent

Mon 13:00 Good 🌟 Good

Mon 14:00 Good 🌟 Good

Mon 15:00 Good 🌟 Good

Mon 16:00 Good 🌟 Good

Mon 17:00 Excellent ✅ Excellent

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 Good 🌟 Good

Tue 11:00 Good 🌟 Good

Tue 12:00 Good 🌟 Good

Tue 13:00 Good 🌟 Good

Tue 14:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Tue 15:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Tue 16:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Tue 17:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

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 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Wed 12:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Wed 13:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Wed 14:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Wed 15:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Wed 16:00 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
Sun 17:00	0.40 · high	5.70 · high	22.40 · good	Good
Sun 18:00	0.42 · high	6.38 · high	22.40 · good	Poor
Sun 19:00	0.44 · high	6.82 · high	22.40 · good	Poor
Sun 20:00	0.44 · high	6.63 · high	22.30 · good	Poor
Sun 21:00	0.40 · high	5.96 · high	22.40 · good	Poor
Sun 22:00	0.40 · high	5.10 · good	22.40 · good	Poor
Sun 23:00	0.38 · high	4.50 · good	22.30 · good	Poor
Mon 00:00	0.38 · high	4.04 · good	22.30 · good	Poor
Mon 01:00	0.36 · good	3.95 · good	22.30 · good	Poor
Mon 02:00	0.36 · good	3.69 · good	22.30 · good	Poor
Mon 03:00	0.34 · good	3.26 · good	22.20 · good	Poor
Mon 04:00	0.34 · good	2.78 · good	22.20 · good	Poor
Mon 05:00	0.32 · good	2.33 · good	22.20 · good	Poor
Mon 06:00	0.32 · good	2.46 · good	22.20 · good	Poor
Mon 07:00	0.30 · good	2.91 · good	22.20 · good	Poor
Mon 08:00	0.28 · good	3.14 · good	22.20 · good	Poor
Mon 09:00	0.28 · good	3.23 · good	22.20 · good	Poor
Mon 10:00	0.26 · good	3.05 · good	22.30 · good	Good
Mon 11:00	0.24 · good	2.89 · good	22.30 · good	Excellent
Mon 12:00	0.24 · good	2.92 · good	22.40 · good	Excellent
Mon 13:00	0.22 · good	3.26 · good	22.50 · good	Good
Mon 14:00	0.22 · good	3.83 · good	22.60 · good	Good
Mon 15:00	0.22 · good	4.14 · good	22.60 · good	Good
Mon 16:00	0.22 · good	3.92 · good	22.70 · good	Good
Mon 17:00	0.22 · good	4.00 · good	22.70 · good	Excellent
Mon 18:00	0.22 · good	3.85 · good	22.70 · good	Poor
Mon 19:00	0.22 · good	4.00 · good	22.60 · good	Poor
Mon 20:00	0.24 · good	4.51 · good	22.60 · good	Poor
Mon 21:00	0.28 · good	4.11 · good	22.50 · good	Poor
Mon 22:00	0.30 · good	4.94 · good	22.40 · good	Poor
Mon 23:00	0.30 · good	4.47 · good	22.40 · good	Poor
Tue 00:00	0.28 · good	3.87 · good	22.40 · good	Poor
Tue 01:00	0.28 · good	3.62 · good	22.30 · good	Poor
Tue 02:00	0.22 · good	3.58 · good	22.30 · good	Poor
Tue 03:00	0.22 · good	3.28 · good	22.30 · good	Poor
Tue 04:00	0.22 · good	3.46 · good	22.30 · good	Poor
Tue 05:00	0.24 · good	4.16 · good	22.30 · good	Poor
Tue 06:00	0.24 · good	4.56 · good	22.30 · good	Poor
Tue 07:00	0.26 · good	4.63 · good	22.30 · good	Poor
Tue 08:00	0.28 · good	4.48 · good	22.30 · good	Poor
Tue 09:00	0.30 · good	4.30 · good	22.30 · good	Poor
Tue 10:00	0.32 · good	4.40 · good	22.30 · good	Good
Tue 11:00	0.34 · good	5.02 · good	22.40 · good	Good
Tue 12:00	0.38 · high	5.20 · good	22.40 · good	Good
Tue 13:00	0.40 · high	4.94 · good	22.50 · good	Good
Tue 14:00	0.46 · high	5.81 · high	22.50 · good	Fair
Tue 15:00	0.50 · high	6.61 · high	22.60 · good	Fair
Tue 16:00	0.56 · high	7.25 · high	22.60 · good	Fair
Tue 17:00	0.62 · high	7.67 · high	22.60 · good	Fair
Tue 18:00	0.70 · high	8.31 · high	22.60 · good	Poor
Tue 19:00	0.76 · high	8.89 · high	22.60 · good	Poor
Tue 20:00	0.80 · high	9.19 · high	22.60 · good	Poor
Tue 21:00	0.78 · high	8.92 · high	22.60 · good	Poor
Tue 22:00	0.82 · high	9.11 · high	22.60 · good	Poor
Tue 23:00	0.84 · high	8.52 · high	22.60 · good	Poor
Wed 00:00	0.84 · high	8.94 · high	22.50 · good	Poor
Wed 01:00	0.86 · high	8.97 · high	22.50 · good	Poor
Wed 02:00	0.88 · high	9.06 · high	22.50 · good	Poor
Wed 03:00	0.82 · high	8.79 · high	22.50 · good	Poor
Wed 04:00	0.84 · high	8.79 · high	22.50 · good	Poor
Wed 05:00	0.84 · high	8.67 · high	22.50 · good	Poor
Wed 06:00	0.86 · high	8.69 · high	22.50 · good	Poor
Wed 07:00	0.86 · high	8.86 · high	22.50 · good	Poor
Wed 08:00	0.86 · high	8.93 · high	22.50 · good	Poor
Wed 09:00	0.88 · high	9.14 · high	22.50 · good	Poor
Wed 10:00	0.88 · high	9.28 · high	22.50 · good	Fair
Wed 11:00	0.88 · high	9.14 · high	22.60 · good	Fair
Wed 12:00	0.90 · high	8.93 · high	22.60 · good	Poor
Wed 13:00	0.90 · high	8.96 · high	22.70 · good	Poor
Wed 14:00	0.90 · high	9.27 · high	22.80 · good	Poor
Wed 15:00	0.88 · high	9.45 · high	22.80 · good	Poor
Wed 16:00	0.88 · high	9.19 · high	22.90 · good	Poor