MARINE REPORT / 72 HOURS

Whitsundays Snorkel Report Today

Australia · Updated Mon 07:34 (AEST) · Source: Snapshot

The skinny

Marginal Data updated Mon 07:34 (AEST)

Whitsundays looks marginal today. The least-bad daylight window is around Mon 17:00, but waves is limiting the forecast.

Right now (forecast)

Poor · 0.0/10

Mon 08:00 (AEST)

Later today

Fair · 4.7/10

Mon 17:00 (AEST)

Next three days

Good · 6.7/10

Tue 18:00 (AEST)

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

Score: 4.7/10

Best time: Mon 17:00

Main risk: Waves

Best morning signal: Mon 10:00 (Fair).

Best afternoon signal: Mon 17:00 (Fair). Peak afternoon wind is about 6.0 m/s.

Email me when it is good Compare nearby spots

Best nearby spots later today

Cairns 5.4/10 Fair · Mon 18:00 Port Douglas 4.9/10 Fair · Mon 16:00 Lady Elliot Island 4.4/10 Fair · Mon 16:00

Sunrise

05:31

Sunset

18:07

Water

24.6°C

Max air

25.5°C

Sky

Clear

23% cloud

Good model window in the next 72 hours

Next good model window: Tue 18:00 (13% of the next 72h meets the model threshold)

3-day planner Best available Show data

3-day planner

Monday

⚠️ Fair conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Tuesday

✅ Good conditions

Main blocker: Tide/current

Wednesday

✅ 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 (64 hours)
  • Darkness (43 hours)
  • Waves (35 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: Tue 06:00

Tue 06:00, Tue 18:00, Wed 07:00, Wed 19:00

Nearby snorkel spot map

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

Cairns Fair · Mon 18:00 5.4/10 Port Douglas Fair · Mon 16:00 4.9/10 Lady Elliot Island Fair · Mon 16:00 4.4/10 Heron Island Fair · Mon 16:00 3.7/10

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 Heron Island
  1. Cairns
  2. Port Douglas
  3. Lady Elliot Island
  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

462 km away

❌ Poor

Flynn Reef

489 km away

❌ Poor

Fitzroy Island

489 km away

❌ Poor

Arlington Reef

505 km away

❌ Poor

Advanced forecast data

Viewing historical data

Fri 08:00 – Mon 08:00 (AEST)

Previous day Yesterday Next day Live

Snorkel Score (selected 24h)

Best snorkel score is 0.64 around Fri 16:00; 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 0.22m to 0.32m).

Wind is at or below 5.4m/s in 24/24 sampled hours (range 2.46 to 4.07m/s).

Tides range from -1.05m to 2.13m; 2 of 24 hours are in or near peak slack windows.

72-hour historical overview
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
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
Good 🌟 Good
Good 🌟 Good
Good 🌟 Good
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
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
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 08:00 0.28 · good 3.77 · good 23.20 · good Poor
Fri 09:00 0.28 · good 3.32 · good 23.20 · good Poor
Fri 10:00 0.26 · good 2.76 · good 23.30 · good Good
Fri 11:00 0.26 · good 2.46 · good 23.30 · good Good
Fri 12:00 0.24 · good 2.83 · good 23.40 · good Good
Fri 13:00 0.24 · good 3.02 · good 23.60 · good Good
Fri 14:00 0.24 · good 3.09 · good 23.70 · good Good
Fri 15:00 0.26 · good 3.15 · good 23.70 · good Good
Fri 16:00 0.26 · good 3.09 · good 23.80 · good Good
Fri 17:00 0.28 · good 3.20 · good 23.80 · good Good
Fri 18:00 0.28 · good 3.30 · good 23.70 · good Good
Fri 19:00 0.30 · good 3.55 · good 23.60 · good Poor
Fri 20:00 0.32 · good 3.91 · good 23.60 · good Poor
Fri 21:00 0.24 · good 4.07 · good 23.50 · good Poor
Fri 22:00 0.26 · good 3.31 · good 23.40 · good Poor
Fri 23:00 0.28 · good 3.15 · good 23.40 · good Poor
Sat 00:00 0.28 · good 3.38 · good 23.40 · good Poor
Sat 01:00 0.30 · good 3.19 · good 23.30 · good Poor
Sat 02:00 0.26 · good 2.65 · good 23.30 · good Poor
Sat 03:00 0.26 · good 2.90 · good 23.30 · good Poor
Sat 04:00 0.26 · good 2.80 · good 23.30 · good Poor
Sat 05:00 0.24 · good 2.74 · good 23.30 · good Poor
Sat 06:00 0.24 · good 2.71 · good 23.40 · good Poor
Sat 07:00 0.22 · good 2.88 · good 23.40 · good Poor
Sat 08:00 0.22 · good 2.94 · good 23.50 · good Poor
Sat 09:00 0.20 · good 3.16 · good 23.60 · good Poor
Sat 10:00 0.20 · good 3.05 · good 23.70 · good Good
Sat 11:00 0.20 · good 2.97 · good 23.80 · good Good
Sat 12:00 0.18 · good 2.98 · good 24.00 · good Good
Sat 13:00 0.18 · good 3.00 · good 24.20 · good Good
Sat 14:00 0.18 · good 3.32 · good 24.40 · good Good
Sat 15:00 0.16 · good 3.26 · good 24.60 · good Good
Sat 16:00 0.16 · good 2.80 · good 24.70 · good Good
Sat 17:00 0.16 · good 2.83 · good 24.70 · good Good
Sat 18:00 0.14 · good 2.83 · good 24.60 · good Good
Sat 19:00 0.14 · good 2.96 · good 24.50 · good Poor
Sat 20:00 0.16 · good 3.02 · good 24.30 · good Poor
Sat 21:00 0.14 · good 2.97 · good 24.20 · good Poor
Sat 22:00 0.14 · good 3.10 · good 24.10 · good Poor
Sat 23:00 0.16 · good 3.41 · good 24.10 · good Poor
Sun 00:00 0.18 · good 3.71 · good 24.00 · good Poor
Sun 01:00 0.20 · good 3.66 · good 24.00 · good Poor
Sun 02:00 0.20 · good 3.70 · good 23.90 · good Poor
Sun 03:00 0.20 · good 3.60 · good 23.90 · good Poor
Sun 04:00 0.22 · good 3.60 · good 23.90 · good Poor
Sun 05:00 0.22 · good 3.55 · good 23.90 · good Poor
Sun 06:00 0.22 · good 3.64 · good 23.90 · good Poor
Sun 07:00 0.22 · good 3.76 · good 23.90 · good Poor
Sun 08:00 0.24 · good 3.85 · good 23.90 · good Poor
Sun 09:00 0.24 · good 3.72 · good 24.00 · good Poor
Sun 10:00 0.26 · good 3.80 · good 24.00 · good Good
Sun 11:00 0.26 · good 3.68 · good 24.10 · good Good
Sun 12:00 0.26 · good 3.79 · good 24.20 · good Good
Sun 13:00 0.26 · good 3.96 · good 24.30 · good Good
Sun 14:00 0.26 · good 4.12 · good 24.40 · good Good
Sun 15:00 0.26 · good 4.21 · good 24.50 · good Good
Sun 16:00 0.26 · good 4.84 · good 24.50 · good Fair
Sun 17:00 0.28 · good 4.94 · good 24.50 · good Fair
Sun 18:00 0.30 · good 5.17 · good 24.50 · good Good
Sun 19:00 0.32 · good 5.38 · good 24.40 · good Poor
Sun 20:00 0.34 · good 5.52 · high 24.30 · good Poor
Sun 21:00 0.42 · high 4.83 · good 24.10 · good Poor
Sun 22:00 0.42 · high 4.63 · good 24.10 · good Poor
Sun 23:00 0.42 · high 4.57 · good 24.00 · good Poor
Mon 00:00 0.40 · high 4.62 · good 24.00 · good Poor
Mon 01:00 0.40 · high 4.66 · good 23.90 · good Poor
Mon 02:00 0.38 · high 4.21 · good 23.90 · good Poor
Mon 03:00 0.36 · good 3.70 · good 23.90 · good Poor
Mon 04:00 0.36 · good 3.45 · good 23.90 · good Poor
Mon 05:00 0.34 · good 3.62 · good 23.90 · good Poor
Mon 06:00 0.34 · good 3.76 · good 23.90 · good Poor
Mon 07:00 0.32 · good 3.69 · good 23.90 · good Poor