MARINE REPORT / 72 HOURS

Michaelmas Cay Snorkel Report Today

Australia · Updated Tue 14:48 (AEST) · Source: Snapshot

The skinny

Go in the best window Data updated Tue 14:48 (AEST)

Michaelmas Cay has a usable snorkeling window around Tue 18:00. The main thing to watch is tide/current.

Right now (forecast)

Good · 6.0/10

Tue 17:00 (AEST)

Later today

Good · 6.0/10

Tue 18:00 (AEST)

Next three days

Excellent · 7.3/10

Fri 13:00 (AEST)

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

Score: 6.0/10

Best time: Tue 18:00

Main risk: Tide/Current

No useful morning window is showing yet.

Best afternoon signal: Tue 18:00 (Good). Peak afternoon wind is about 3.2 m/s.

Email me when it is good Compare nearby spots

Best nearby spots later today

Fitzroy Island 6.1/10 Good · Tue 18:00 Hastings Reef 6.1/10 Good · Tue 18:00 Moore Reef 6.0/10 Good · Tue 18:00

Sunrise

05:37

Sunset

18:21

Water

27.9°C

Max air

26.6°C

Sky

Clear

5% cloud

Good model window in the next 72 hours

Next good model window: Tue 18:00 (25% of the next 72h meets the model threshold)

3-day planner Best available Show data

3-day planner

Tuesday

✅ Good conditions

Main blocker: Tide/current

Wednesday

✅ Good conditions

Main blocker: Tide/current

Thursday

✅ Good conditions

Main blocker: Tide/current

Best available hours

The next good model window starts at Tue 18:00.

Why this verdict

Main blockers across the next 72 hours:

  • Tide/current (68 hours)
  • Darkness (45 hours)

Jellyfish drift risk

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

Low · 34/100

Low drift risk now.

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

Next early morning high tide: Wed 05:00

Wed 05:00, Wed 17:00, Thu 06:00, Thu 18:00, Fri 07:00

Nearby snorkel spot map

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

Fitzroy Island Good · Tue 18:00 6.1/10 Hastings Reef Good · Tue 18:00 6.1/10 Moore Reef Good · Tue 18:00 6.0/10 Green Island Good · Tue 18:00 5.9/10 Flynn Reef Fair · Tue 18:00 5.5/10

Forecast spot map

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

Fitzroy Island Hastings Reef Moore Reef Green Island Flynn Reef
  1. Fitzroy Island
  2. Hastings Reef
  3. Moore Reef
  4. Green Island
  5. Flynn Reef

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

Nearby alternatives in Australia

Hastings Reef

11 km away

✅ Good

Arlington Reef

13 km away

✅ Good

Green Island

17 km away

✅ Good

Moore Reef

18 km away

✅ Good

Advanced forecast data

Viewing current forecast

Tue 17:00 – Fri 17:00 (AEST)

Previous day Yesterday

Snorkel Score (next 24h)

Best snorkel score is 0.61 around Wed 11:00; 9 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.

24/24 sampled hours stay at or below 0.36m (range 0.3m to 0.34m).

Wind is at or below 5.4m/s in 24/24 sampled hours (range 2.39 to 4.1m/s).

Tides range from -0.26m to 1.61m; 2 of 24 hours are in or near peak slack windows.

72-hour forecast overview
Good 🌟 Good
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
Good 🌟 Good
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
Good 🌟 Good
Good 🌟 Good
Good 🌟 Good
Good 🌟 Good
Good 🌟 Good
Good 🌟 Good
Good 🌟 Good
Good 🌟 Good
Good 🌟 Good
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
Good 🌟 Good
Good 🌟 Good
Excellent ✅ Excellent
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
Tue 18:00 0.34 · good 3.20 · good 27.90 · good Good
Tue 19:00 0.34 · good 2.56 · good 27.80 · good Poor
Tue 20:00 0.34 · good 2.47 · good 27.70 · good Poor
Tue 21:00 0.32 · good 2.40 · good 27.50 · good Poor
Tue 22:00 0.32 · good 2.53 · good 27.50 · good Poor
Tue 23:00 0.32 · good 2.39 · good 27.40 · good Poor
Wed 00:00 0.32 · good 2.64 · good 27.40 · good Poor
Wed 01:00 0.32 · good 2.68 · good 27.40 · good Poor
Wed 02:00 0.32 · good 2.97 · good 27.30 · good Poor
Wed 03:00 0.32 · good 3.21 · good 27.30 · good Poor
Wed 04:00 0.32 · good 3.15 · good 27.30 · good Poor
Wed 05:00 0.32 · good 3.08 · good 27.30 · good Poor
Wed 06:00 0.30 · good 3.05 · good 27.30 · good Poor
Wed 07:00 0.30 · good 3.44 · good 27.30 · good Poor
Wed 08:00 0.30 · good 3.66 · good 27.40 · good Poor
Wed 09:00 0.30 · good 3.60 · good 27.40 · good Poor
Wed 10:00 0.30 · good 3.86 · good 27.40 · good Good
Wed 11:00 0.30 · good 3.96 · good 27.50 · good Good
Wed 12:00 0.30 · good 3.90 · good 27.60 · good Good
Wed 13:00 0.30 · good 3.95 · good 27.70 · good Fair
Wed 14:00 0.30 · good 4.10 · good 27.80 · good Fair
Wed 15:00 0.30 · good 3.95 · good 27.80 · good Fair
Wed 16:00 0.30 · good 3.49 · good 27.90 · good Fair
Wed 17:00 0.30 · good 3.72 · good 27.90 · good Fair
Wed 18:00 0.30 · good 4.03 · good 27.80 · good Fair
Wed 19:00 0.30 · good 3.22 · good 27.70 · good Poor
Wed 20:00 0.30 · good 3.29 · good 27.70 · good Poor
Wed 21:00 0.30 · good 3.13 · good 27.60 · good Poor
Wed 22:00 0.30 · good 2.72 · good 27.50 · good Poor
Wed 23:00 0.30 · good 2.57 · good 27.50 · good Poor
Thu 00:00 0.28 · good 2.58 · good 27.40 · good Poor
Thu 01:00 0.28 · good 2.42 · good 27.40 · good Poor
Thu 02:00 0.28 · good 1.96 · good 27.40 · good Poor
Thu 03:00 0.28 · good 2.07 · good 27.40 · good Poor
Thu 04:00 0.28 · good 1.79 · good 27.40 · good Poor
Thu 05:00 0.28 · good 1.76 · good 27.40 · good Poor
Thu 06:00 0.26 · good 2.20 · good 27.40 · good Poor
Thu 07:00 0.26 · good 2.41 · good 27.40 · good Poor
Thu 08:00 0.26 · good 2.26 · good 27.40 · good Poor
Thu 09:00 0.26 · good 2.42 · good 27.50 · good Poor
Thu 10:00 0.26 · good 2.66 · good 27.50 · good Good
Thu 11:00 0.26 · good 2.69 · good 27.60 · good Good
Thu 12:00 0.26 · good 2.57 · good 27.70 · good Good
Thu 13:00 0.26 · good 2.30 · good 27.90 · good Good
Thu 14:00 0.26 · good 2.48 · good 28.00 · good Good
Thu 15:00 0.26 · good 2.49 · good 28.10 · good Good
Thu 16:00 0.26 · good 2.51 · good 28.10 · good Good
Thu 17:00 0.26 · good 2.34 · good 28.10 · good Good
Thu 18:00 0.26 · good 2.20 · good 28.00 · good Good
Thu 19:00 0.26 · good 1.90 · good 27.90 · good Poor
Thu 20:00 0.26 · good 1.35 · good 27.80 · good Poor
Thu 21:00 0.26 · good 1.00 · good 27.70 · good Poor
Thu 22:00 0.26 · good 1.24 · good 27.70 · good Poor
Thu 23:00 0.26 · good 1.58 · good 27.60 · good Poor
Fri 00:00 0.28 · good 0.96 · good 27.60 · good Poor
Fri 01:00 0.28 · good 1.17 · good 27.60 · good Poor
Fri 02:00 0.28 · good 1.77 · good 27.50 · good Poor
Fri 03:00 0.28 · good 2.06 · good 27.50 · good Poor
Fri 04:00 0.28 · good 1.86 · good 27.50 · good Poor
Fri 05:00 0.28 · good 2.05 · good 27.50 · good Poor
Fri 06:00 0.28 · good 1.93 · good 27.50 · good Poor
Fri 07:00 0.28 · good 2.36 · good 27.60 · good Poor
Fri 08:00 0.28 · good 1.40 · good 27.60 · good Poor
Fri 09:00 0.30 · good 0.36 · good 27.70 · good Poor
Fri 10:00 0.30 · good 0.67 · good 27.70 · good Good
Fri 11:00 0.30 · good 0.89 · good 27.80 · good Good
Fri 12:00 0.30 · good 0.61 · good 28.00 · good Good
Fri 13:00 0.30 · good 1.40 · good 28.10 · good Excellent