MARINE REPORT / 72 HOURS

Heron Island Snorkel Report Today

Australia · Updated Sat 17:15 (AEST) · Source: Snapshot

The skinny

Poor Data updated Sat 17:15 (AEST)

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

Right now (forecast)

Poor · 0.0/10

Sat 18:00 (AEST)

Later today

No fresh data for this period.

Next three days

Fair · 3.8/10

Tue 15:00 (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

Sunrise

05:18

Sunset

17:57

Water

23.1°C

Max air

21.8°C

Sky

Cloudy

100% 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

Saturday

❌ Poor conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Sunday

❌ Poor conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Monday

⚠️ Fair conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Best available hours

  • Tue 15:00: Fair (0.38) · still limited by waves, wind
  • Mon 17:00: Fair (0.36) · still limited by waves, wind
  • Mon 13:00: Fair (0.36) · still limited by waves, wind

Why this verdict

Main blockers across the next 72 hours:

  • Waves (70 hours)
  • Wind (70 hours)
  • Tide/current (66 hours)

Jellyfish drift risk

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

Low · 26/100

Low peak drift risk around Sat 20:00.

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: Sun 01:00

Sun 01:00, Sun 14:00, Mon 15:00, Tue 04:00

Nearby snorkel spot map

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

Cairns Unknown No recent score Port Douglas Unknown No recent score Lady Elliot Island Unknown No recent score Whitsundays Unknown No recent score

Forecast spot map

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

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

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

❌ Poor

Byron Bay

603 km away

❌ Poor

Flynn Reef

951 km away

❌ Poor

Advanced forecast data

Viewing historical data

Fri 18:00 – Mon 18:00 (AEST)

Previous day Yesterday Next day Live

Snorkel Score (selected 24h)

Best snorkel score is 0.59 around Sat 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.

10/24 sampled hours stay at or below 0.36m (range 0.34m to 0.54m).

Wind is at or below 5.4m/s in 17/24 sampled hours (range 3.31 to 6.44m/s).

Tides range from -0.86m to 1.76m; 2 of 24 hours are in or near peak slack windows.

72-hour historical overview
Poor ❌ Limited
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Good 🌟 Good
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Fair ⚠️ Fair
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Good 🌟 Good
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Poor ❌ Limited
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Good 🌟 Good
Good 🌟 Good
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Good 🌟 Good
Good 🌟 Good
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Poor ❌ Limited
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Good 🌟 Good
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Good 🌟 Good
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Good 🌟 Good
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
Fri 18:00 0.54 · high 5.11 · good 23.90 · good Poor
Fri 19:00 0.54 · high 5.34 · good 23.90 · good Poor
Fri 20:00 0.52 · high 5.48 · high 23.80 · good Poor
Fri 21:00 0.50 · high 5.47 · high 23.90 · good Poor
Fri 22:00 0.52 · high 6.40 · high 23.80 · good Poor
Fri 23:00 0.52 · high 6.44 · high 23.80 · good Poor
Sat 00:00 0.52 · high 6.44 · high 23.70 · good Poor
Sat 01:00 0.52 · high 6.37 · high 23.70 · good Poor
Sat 02:00 0.50 · high 6.22 · high 23.70 · good Poor
Sat 03:00 0.44 · high 4.63 · good 23.60 · good Poor
Sat 04:00 0.42 · high 4.09 · good 23.60 · good Poor
Sat 05:00 0.40 · high 4.24 · good 23.60 · good Poor
Sat 06:00 0.40 · high 3.65 · good 23.60 · good Poor
Sat 07:00 0.38 · high 3.31 · good 23.60 · good Poor
Sat 08:00 0.36 · good 3.68 · good 23.60 · good Poor
Sat 09:00 0.36 · good 4.17 · good 23.60 · good Poor
Sat 10:00 0.34 · good 4.28 · good 23.70 · good Good
Sat 11:00 0.34 · good 3.89 · good 23.70 · good Good
Sat 12:00 0.34 · good 4.00 · good 23.80 · good Good
Sat 13:00 0.34 · good 4.27 · good 23.90 · good Fair
Sat 14:00 0.34 · good 4.47 · good 24.00 · good Fair
Sat 15:00 0.34 · good 4.00 · good 24.10 · good Fair
Sat 16:00 0.34 · good 3.72 · good 24.10 · good Good
Sat 17:00 0.36 · good 4.41 · good 24.10 · good Fair
Sat 18:00 0.36 · good 5.30 · good 24.10 · good Poor
Sat 19:00 0.38 · high 5.48 · high 24.00 · good Poor
Sat 20:00 0.38 · high 5.08 · good 23.90 · good Poor
Sat 21:00 0.42 · high 5.78 · high 23.90 · good Poor
Sat 22:00 0.42 · high 5.58 · high 23.80 · good Poor
Sat 23:00 0.42 · high 4.83 · good 23.80 · good Poor
Sun 00:00 0.42 · high 4.63 · good 23.80 · good Poor
Sun 01:00 0.42 · high 5.39 · good 23.70 · good Poor
Sun 02:00 0.42 · high 5.35 · good 23.70 · good Poor
Sun 03:00 0.40 · high 5.30 · good 23.70 · good Poor
Sun 04:00 0.40 · high 5.43 · high 23.70 · good Poor
Sun 05:00 0.40 · high 4.81 · good 23.70 · good Poor
Sun 06:00 0.40 · high 4.34 · good 23.70 · good Poor
Sun 07:00 0.40 · high 3.83 · good 23.70 · good Poor
Sun 08:00 0.38 · high 3.83 · good 23.70 · good Poor
Sun 09:00 0.38 · high 3.87 · good 23.80 · good Poor
Sun 10:00 0.36 · good 3.79 · good 23.80 · good Good
Sun 11:00 0.36 · good 3.43 · good 23.90 · good Good
Sun 12:00 0.34 · good 3.47 · good 24.00 · good Good
Sun 13:00 0.34 · good 3.39 · good 24.10 · good Good
Sun 14:00 0.34 · good 3.80 · good 24.20 · good Good
Sun 15:00 0.36 · good 4.49 · good 24.30 · good Good
Sun 16:00 0.36 · good 4.71 · good 24.40 · good Good
Sun 17:00 0.38 · high 5.21 · good 24.40 · good Fair
Sun 18:00 0.40 · high 5.65 · high 24.30 · good Poor
Sun 19:00 0.42 · high 5.85 · high 24.20 · good Poor
Sun 20:00 0.42 · high 6.17 · high 24.20 · good Poor
Sun 21:00 0.50 · high 6.24 · high 24.00 · good Poor
Sun 22:00 0.52 · high 5.91 · high 24.00 · good Poor
Sun 23:00 0.52 · high 5.53 · high 23.90 · good Poor
Mon 00:00 0.52 · high 5.55 · high 23.90 · good Poor
Mon 01:00 0.52 · high 6.06 · high 23.90 · good Poor
Mon 02:00 0.50 · high 5.28 · good 23.80 · good Poor
Mon 03:00 0.50 · high 4.79 · good 23.80 · good Poor
Mon 04:00 0.48 · high 3.93 · good 23.80 · good Poor
Mon 05:00 0.46 · high 3.04 · good 23.80 · good Poor
Mon 06:00 0.44 · high 3.03 · good 23.90 · good Poor
Mon 07:00 0.42 · high 3.23 · good 23.90 · good Poor
Mon 08:00 0.42 · high 3.23 · good 23.90 · good Poor
Mon 09:00 0.40 · high 3.04 · good 24.00 · good Poor
Mon 10:00 0.38 · high 3.26 · good 24.00 · good Good
Mon 11:00 0.38 · high 3.66 · good 24.10 · good Fair
Mon 12:00 0.38 · high 3.62 · good 24.20 · good Good
Mon 13:00 0.38 · high 3.72 · good 24.40 · good Good
Mon 14:00 0.40 · high 4.33 · good 24.50 · good Good
Mon 15:00 0.40 · high 4.85 · good 24.60 · good Good
Mon 16:00 0.42 · high 5.34 · good 24.60 · good Good
Mon 17:00 0.44 · high 5.84 · high 24.60 · good Fair