MARINE REPORT / 72 HOURS

Michaelmas Cay Snorkel Report Today

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

The skinny

Marginal Data updated Wed 12:39 (AEST)

Michaelmas Cay looks marginal today. The least-bad daylight window is around Wed 15:00, but tide/current is limiting the forecast.

Right now (forecast)

Good · 5.7/10

Wed 14:00 (AEST)

Later today

Fair · 5.1/10

Wed 15:00 (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: 5.1/10

Best time: Wed 15:00

Main risk: Tide/Current

No useful morning window is showing yet.

Best afternoon signal: Wed 15:00 (Fair). Peak afternoon wind is about 3.7 m/s.

Email me when it is good Compare nearby spots

Best nearby spots later today

Hastings Reef 5.9/10 Good · Wed 15:00 Fitzroy Island 5.5/10 Good · Wed 15:00

Sunrise

05:37

Sunset

18:22

Water

27.8°C

Max air

26.6°C

Sky

Cloudy

79% cloud

Good model window in the next 72 hours

Next good model window: Thu 10:00–15:00 (25% of the next 72h meets the model threshold)

3-day planner Best available Show data

3-day planner

Wednesday

⚠️ Fair 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 Thu 10:00 and lasts until 15:00.

Why this verdict

Main blockers across the next 72 hours:

  • Tide/current (69 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 15:00 5.9/10 Fitzroy Island Good · Wed 15:00 5.5/10 Green Island Fair · Wed 15:00 5.2/10 Moore Reef Fair · Wed 15:00 4.9/10 Flynn Reef Fair · Wed 15:00 4.8/10

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

Sat 14:00 – Tue 14:00 (AEST)

Previous day Yesterday Next day Live

Snorkel Score (selected 24h)

Best snorkel score is 0.58 around Sat 14:00; 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.

0/24 sampled hours stay at or below 0.36m (range 0.38m to 0.56m).

Wind is at or below 5.4m/s in 14/24 sampled hours (range 4.16 to 6.61m/s).

Tides range from -0.36m to 1.47m; 2 of 24 hours are in or near peak slack windows.

72-hour historical overview
Good 🌟 Good
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Good 🌟 Good
Good 🌟 Good
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
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Poor ❌ Limited
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Poor ❌ Limited
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
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Poor ❌ Limited
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
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Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
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
Sat 14:00 0.38 · high 4.16 · good 25.10 · good Good
Sat 15:00 0.40 · high 4.26 · good 25.20 · good Fair
Sat 16:00 0.40 · high 4.16 · good 25.20 · good Good
Sat 17:00 0.40 · high 4.26 · good 25.20 · good Good
Sat 18:00 0.40 · high 4.34 · good 25.20 · good Fair
Sat 19:00 0.40 · high 4.25 · good 25.10 · good Poor
Sat 20:00 0.40 · high 4.49 · good 25.00 · good Poor
Sat 21:00 0.42 · high 4.65 · good 24.90 · good Poor
Sat 22:00 0.42 · high 5.03 · good 24.90 · good Poor
Sat 23:00 0.42 · high 5.30 · good 24.80 · good Poor
Sun 00:00 0.44 · high 5.34 · good 24.80 · good Poor
Sun 01:00 0.44 · high 5.33 · good 24.80 · good Poor
Sun 02:00 0.44 · high 5.17 · good 24.80 · good Poor
Sun 03:00 0.44 · high 5.23 · good 24.80 · good Poor
Sun 04:00 0.46 · high 5.77 · high 24.80 · good Poor
Sun 05:00 0.48 · high 5.93 · high 24.80 · good Poor
Sun 06:00 0.50 · high 6.35 · high 24.80 · good Poor
Sun 07:00 0.52 · high 6.61 · high 24.80 · good Poor
Sun 08:00 0.54 · high 6.32 · high 24.80 · good Poor
Sun 09:00 0.54 · high 5.93 · high 24.80 · good Poor
Sun 10:00 0.56 · high 5.86 · high 24.90 · good Fair
Sun 11:00 0.56 · high 5.66 · high 24.90 · good Fair
Sun 12:00 0.56 · high 5.48 · high 25.00 · good Fair
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