MARINE REPORT / 72 HOURS

Michaelmas Cay Snorkel Report Today

Australia · Updated Wed 12:39 (AEST) · Source: Snapshot

The skinny

Go in the best window Data updated Wed 12:39 (AEST)

Michaelmas Cay has a usable snorkeling window around Wed 14:00. The main thing to watch is tide/current.

Right now (forecast)

Good · 6.1/10

Wed 13:00 (AEST)

Later today

Good · 5.7/10

Wed 14:00 (AEST)

Next three days

Good · 6.9/10

Fri 12:00 (AEST)

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

Score: 5.7/10

Best time: Wed 14:00

Main risk: Tide/Current

No useful morning window is showing yet.

Best afternoon signal: Wed 14:00 (Good). Peak afternoon wind is about 3.8 m/s.

Email me when it is good Compare nearby spots

Best nearby spots later today

Hastings Reef 6.3/10 Good · Wed 14:00 Fitzroy Island 5.8/10 Good · Wed 14:00 Green Island 5.8/10 Good · Wed 14:00

Sunrise

05:37

Sunset

18:22

Water

27.7°C

Max air

26.6°C

Sky

Clear

30% cloud

Good model window in the next 72 hours

Next good model window: Wed 14:00 (26% of the next 72h meets the model threshold)

3-day planner Best available Show data

3-day planner

Wednesday

✅ Good conditions

Main blocker: Tide/current

Thursday

✅ Good conditions

Main blocker: Tide/current

Friday

✅ Good conditions

Main blocker: Tide/current

Best available hours

The next good model window starts at Wed 14:00.

Why this verdict

Main blockers across the next 72 hours:

  • Tide/current (70 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: Thu 06:00

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

Nearby snorkel spot map

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

Hastings Reef Good · Wed 14:00 6.3/10 Fitzroy Island Good · Wed 14:00 5.8/10 Green Island Good · Wed 14:00 5.8/10 Moore Reef Good · Wed 14:00 5.6/10 Flynn Reef Fair · Wed 14:00 5.3/10

Forecast spot map

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

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

Sun 13:00 – Wed 13:00 (AEST)

Previous day Yesterday Next day Live

Snorkel Score (selected 24h)

Best snorkel score is 0.47 around Sun 14:00; 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.

0/24 sampled hours stay at or below 0.36m (range 0.56m to 0.82m).

Wind is at or below 5.4m/s in 0/24 sampled hours (range 5.69 to 7.86m/s).

Tides range from -0.31m to 1.37m; 2 of 24 hours are in or near peak slack windows.

72-hour historical overview
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Poor ❌ Limited
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Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Poor ❌ Limited
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Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Poor ❌ Limited
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Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
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
Sun 13:00 0.56 · high 5.69 · high 25.10 · good Fair
Sun 14:00 0.56 · high 6.05 · high 25.10 · good Fair
Sun 15:00 0.58 · high 6.26 · high 25.20 · good Fair
Sun 16:00 0.58 · high 7.14 · high 25.20 · good Fair
Sun 17:00 0.60 · high 7.39 · high 25.20 · good Fair
Sun 18:00 0.60 · high 7.67 · high 25.20 · good Poor
Sun 19:00 0.62 · high 7.78 · high 25.20 · good Poor
Sun 20:00 0.64 · high 7.86 · high 25.10 · good Poor
Sun 21:00 0.78 · high 7.08 · high 25.20 · good Poor
Sun 22:00 0.80 · high 6.91 · high 25.20 · good Poor
Sun 23:00 0.80 · high 6.73 · high 25.20 · good Poor
Mon 00:00 0.82 · high 7.08 · high 25.10 · good Poor
Mon 01:00 0.82 · high 6.97 · high 25.10 · good Poor
Mon 02:00 0.70 · high 6.87 · high 25.10 · good Poor
Mon 03:00 0.70 · high 6.90 · high 25.10 · good Poor
Mon 04:00 0.70 · high 7.00 · high 25.10 · good Poor
Mon 05:00 0.70 · high 6.72 · high 25.10 · good Poor
Mon 06:00 0.70 · high 6.97 · high 25.10 · good Poor
Mon 07:00 0.70 · high 7.12 · high 25.10 · good Poor
Mon 08:00 0.68 · high 6.58 · high 25.10 · good Poor
Mon 09:00 0.66 · high 6.01 · high 25.10 · good Poor
Mon 10:00 0.64 · high 5.73 · high 25.10 · good Fair
Mon 11:00 0.62 · high 6.08 · high 25.20 · good Fair
Mon 12:00 0.62 · high 6.23 · high 25.20 · good Fair
Mon 13:00 0.60 · high 6.35 · high 25.30 · good Fair
Mon 14:00 0.60 · high 6.55 · high 25.30 · good Fair
Mon 15:00 0.60 · high 6.75 · high 25.40 · good Fair
Mon 16:00 0.60 · high 7.11 · high 25.40 · good Poor
Mon 17:00 0.62 · high 7.37 · high 25.40 · good Poor
Mon 18:00 0.62 · high 7.41 · high 25.40 · good Poor
Mon 19:00 0.64 · high 7.47 · high 25.40 · good Poor
Mon 20:00 0.64 · high 7.30 · high 25.40 · good Poor
Mon 21:00 0.72 · high 6.97 · high 25.30 · good Poor
Mon 22:00 0.72 · high 7.04 · high 25.30 · good Poor
Mon 23:00 0.72 · high 6.98 · high 25.30 · good Poor
Tue 00:00 0.70 · high 7.00 · high 25.30 · good Poor
Tue 01:00 0.70 · high 7.11 · high 25.30 · good Poor
Tue 02:00 0.58 · high 6.96 · high 25.30 · good Poor
Tue 03:00 0.60 · high 6.91 · high 25.30 · good Poor
Tue 04:00 0.62 · high 7.11 · high 25.30 · good Poor
Tue 05:00 0.62 · high 7.63 · high 25.30 · good Poor
Tue 06:00 0.64 · high 7.71 · high 25.30 · good Poor
Tue 07:00 0.64 · high 7.36 · high 25.30 · good Poor
Tue 08:00 0.66 · high 7.22 · high 25.30 · good Poor
Tue 09:00 0.66 · high 6.88 · high 25.30 · good Poor
Tue 10:00 0.68 · high 6.88 · high 25.40 · good Poor
Tue 11:00 0.68 · high 6.57 · high 25.40 · good Fair
Tue 12:00 0.66 · high 6.04 · high 25.50 · good Fair
Tue 13:00 0.66 · high 6.08 · high 25.70 · good Fair
Tue 14:00 0.64 · high 5.76 · high 25.80 · good Fair
Tue 15:00 0.64 · high 5.63 · high 25.80 · good Fair
Tue 16:00 0.62 · high 5.63 · high 25.90 · good Fair
Tue 17:00 0.62 · high 5.92 · high 25.90 · good Fair
Tue 18:00 0.62 · high 5.84 · high 25.80 · good Fair
Tue 19:00 0.62 · high 5.48 · high 25.80 · good Poor
Tue 20:00 0.62 · high 5.04 · good 25.70 · good Poor
Tue 21:00 0.60 · high 4.97 · good 25.60 · good Poor
Tue 22:00 0.58 · high 4.66 · good 25.50 · good Poor
Tue 23:00 0.58 · high 4.69 · good 25.50 · good Poor
Wed 00:00 0.58 · high 4.79 · good 25.50 · good Poor
Wed 01:00 0.58 · high 4.81 · good 25.50 · good Poor
Wed 02:00 0.58 · high 4.93 · good 25.40 · good Poor
Wed 03:00 0.62 · high 4.38 · good 25.40 · good Poor
Wed 04:00 0.62 · high 4.48 · good 25.40 · good Poor
Wed 05:00 0.62 · high 4.16 · good 25.40 · good Poor
Wed 06:00 0.64 · high 3.70 · good 25.40 · good Poor
Wed 07:00 0.64 · high 3.76 · good 25.40 · good Poor
Wed 08:00 0.64 · high 3.88 · good 25.40 · good Poor
Wed 09:00 0.64 · high 3.58 · good 25.40 · good Poor
Wed 10:00 0.64 · high 3.35 · good 25.50 · good Fair
Wed 11:00 0.64 · high 3.43 · good 25.50 · good Fair
Wed 12:00 0.62 · high 3.59 · good 25.60 · good Fair