MARINE REPORT / 72 HOURS

Lady Elliot Island Snorkel Report Today

Australia · Updated Sun 05:54 (AEST) · Source: Snapshot

The skinny

Marginal Data updated Sun 05:54 (AEST)

Lady Elliot Island looks marginal today. The least-bad daylight window is around Sun 15:00, but waves is limiting the forecast.

Right now (forecast)

Poor · 0.0/10

Sun 06:00 (AEST)

Later today

Poor · 3.4/10

Sun 15:00 (AEST)

Next three days

Fair · 4.6/10

Mon 16:00 (AEST)

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

Score: 3.4/10

Best time: Sun 15:00

Main risk: Waves

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

Best afternoon signal: Sun 15:00 (Poor). Peak afternoon wind is about 10.3 m/s.

Email me when it is good Compare nearby spots

Best nearby spots later today

Cairns 5.6/10 Good · Sun 17:00

Weakest nearby later today

Heron Island

Sunrise

05:14

Sunset

17:54

Water

23.2°C

Max air

22.1°C

Sky

Partly cloudy

39% 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

  • Mon 16:00: Fair (0.46) · still limited by waves, wind
  • Tue 17:00: Fair (0.45) · still limited by waves, wind
  • Tue 16:00: Fair (0.42) · still limited by waves, wind

Why this verdict

Main blockers across the next 72 hours:

  • Waves (70 hours)
  • Wind (68 hours)
  • Tide/current (67 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: Mon 02:00

Sun 13:00, Mon 02:00, Mon 15:00, Tue 03:00, Tue 16:00

Nearby snorkel spot map

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

Cairns Good · Sun 17:00 5.6/10 Port Douglas Fair · Sun 12:00 5.3/10 Whitsundays Fair · Sun 13:00 4.9/10 Heron Island Poor · Sun 16:00 3.2/10

Forecast spot map

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

Cairns Port Douglas Whitsundays Heron Island
  1. Cairns
  2. Port Douglas
  3. Whitsundays
  4. Heron Island

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

Nearby alternatives in Australia

Heron Island

110 km away

❌ Poor

Byron Bay

511 km away

❌ Poor

Whitsundays

572 km away

❌ Poor

Port Stephens

959 km away

❌ Poor

Advanced forecast data

Viewing historical data

Thu 06:00 – Sun 06:00 (AEST)

Previous day Yesterday Next day Live

Snorkel Score (selected 24h)

Best snorkel score is 0.34 around Thu 12:00; 0 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 1.3m to 1.44m).

Wind is at or below 5.4m/s in 0/24 sampled hours (range 6.72 to 9.44m/s).

Tides range from -0.33m to 1.28m; 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
Thu 06:00 1.44 · high 9.44 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Thu 07:00 1.42 · high 8.08 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Thu 08:00 1.40 · high 7.41 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Thu 09:00 1.36 · high 8.13 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Thu 10:00 1.34 · high 7.66 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Thu 11:00 1.34 · high 7.40 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Thu 12:00 1.32 · high 6.80 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Thu 13:00 1.32 · high 6.72 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Thu 14:00 1.32 · high 6.96 · high 22.80 · good Poor
Thu 15:00 1.30 · high 7.29 · high 22.80 · good Poor
Thu 16:00 1.30 · high 8.49 · high 22.80 · good Poor
Thu 17:00 1.30 · high 9.07 · high 22.80 · good Poor
Thu 18:00 1.30 · high 8.82 · high 22.80 · good Poor
Thu 19:00 1.30 · high 8.72 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Thu 20:00 1.30 · high 8.50 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Thu 21:00 1.40 · high 8.66 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Thu 22:00 1.40 · high 8.88 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Thu 23:00 1.42 · high 8.63 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Fri 00:00 1.42 · high 8.87 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Fri 01:00 1.44 · high 9.17 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Fri 02:00 1.44 · high 7.71 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Fri 03:00 1.42 · high 8.31 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Fri 04:00 1.42 · high 8.23 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Fri 05:00 1.42 · high 8.24 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Fri 06:00 1.40 · high 8.04 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Fri 07:00 1.40 · high 8.32 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Fri 08:00 1.40 · high 8.22 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Fri 09:00 1.38 · high 8.12 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Fri 10:00 1.38 · high 8.28 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Fri 11:00 1.36 · high 8.21 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Fri 12:00 1.32 · high 7.59 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Fri 13:00 1.30 · high 7.57 · high 22.70 · good Fair
Fri 14:00 1.28 · high 7.16 · high 22.70 · good Fair
Fri 15:00 1.28 · high 7.56 · high 22.80 · good Fair
Fri 16:00 1.26 · high 7.90 · high 22.80 · good Fair
Fri 17:00 1.26 · high 8.05 · high 22.80 · good Poor
Fri 18:00 1.28 · high 8.42 · high 22.80 · good Poor
Fri 19:00 1.28 · high 8.45 · high 22.80 · good Poor
Fri 20:00 1.28 · high 8.46 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Fri 21:00 1.38 · high 7.61 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Fri 22:00 1.36 · high 8.14 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Fri 23:00 1.36 · high 7.74 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Sat 00:00 1.34 · high 7.41 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Sat 01:00 1.34 · high 7.17 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Sat 02:00 1.34 · high 7.49 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Sat 03:00 1.36 · high 7.63 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Sat 04:00 1.46 · high 8.77 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Sat 05:00 1.46 · high 8.49 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Sat 06:00 1.46 · high 8.27 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Sat 07:00 1.46 · high 8.11 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Sat 08:00 1.44 · high 8.01 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Sat 09:00 1.44 · high 7.81 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Sat 10:00 1.42 · high 7.97 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Sat 11:00 1.42 · high 8.12 · high 22.80 · good Poor
Sat 12:00 1.40 · high 8.21 · high 22.80 · good Poor
Sat 13:00 1.40 · high 7.87 · high 22.80 · good Fair
Sat 14:00 1.40 · high 7.74 · high 22.90 · good Fair
Sat 15:00 1.42 · high 8.10 · high 22.90 · good Fair
Sat 16:00 1.42 · high 7.32 · high 22.90 · good Fair
Sat 17:00 1.44 · high 8.37 · high 22.90 · good Poor
Sat 18:00 1.46 · high 8.19 · high 22.90 · good Poor
Sat 19:00 1.48 · high 8.17 · high 22.90 · good Poor
Sat 20:00 1.50 · high 8.50 · high 22.80 · good Poor
Sat 21:00 1.40 · high 8.39 · high 22.80 · good Poor
Sat 22:00 1.42 · high 7.79 · high 22.80 · good Poor
Sat 23:00 1.42 · high 7.80 · high 22.80 · good Poor
Sun 00:00 1.44 · high 7.63 · high 22.80 · good Poor
Sun 01:00 1.44 · high 7.67 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Sun 02:00 1.46 · high 7.94 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Sun 03:00 1.16 · high 5.46 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Sun 04:00 1.16 · high 6.05 · high 22.70 · good Poor
Sun 05:00 1.18 · high 6.22 · high 22.70 · good Poor