MARINE REPORT / 72 HOURS

Whitsundays Snorkel Report Today

Australia · Updated Mon 23:17 (AEST) · Source: Snapshot

The skinny

Go in the best window Data updated Mon 23:17 (AEST)

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

Right now (forecast)

Poor · 0.0/10

Tue 00:00 (AEST)

Later today

Good · 6.5/10

Tue 18:00 (AEST)

Next three days

Good · 6.7/10

Thu 12:00 (AEST)

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

Score: 6.5/10

Best time: Tue 18:00

Main risk: Tide/Current

Best morning signal: Tue 11:00 (Fair).

Best afternoon signal: Tue 18:00 (Good). Peak afternoon wind is about 5.4 m/s.

Email me when it is good Compare nearby spots

Best nearby spots later today

Cairns 5.4/10 Fair · Tue 17:00 Port Douglas 5.0/10 Fair · Tue 16:00 Heron Island 4.6/10 Fair · Tue 17:00

Sunrise

05:30

Sunset

18:07

Water

24.7°C

Max air

25.6°C

Sky

Clear

11% cloud

Good model window in the next 72 hours

Next good model window: Tue 18:00 (26% 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 (65 hours)
  • Darkness (42 hours)
  • Waves (17 hours)

Jellyfish drift risk

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

Low · 34/100

Low peak drift risk around Tue 02:00.

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, Thu 07:00

Nearby snorkel spot map

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

Cairns Fair · Tue 17:00 5.4/10 Port Douglas Fair · Tue 16:00 5.0/10 Heron Island Fair · Tue 17:00 4.6/10 Lady Elliot Island Fair · Tue 17:00 4.5/10

Forecast spot map

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

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

✅ Good

Arlington Reef

505 km away

❌ Poor

Advanced forecast data

Viewing historical data

Wed 00:00 – Sat 00:00 (AEST)

Previous day Yesterday Next day Live

Snorkel Score (selected 24h)

Best snorkel score is 0.34 around Wed 11:00; 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 0.66m to 0.76m).

Wind is at or below 5.4m/s in 0/24 sampled hours (range 6.05 to 7.67m/s).

Tides range from -0.63m to 2.2m; 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
Wed 00:00 0.66 · high 7.42 · high 22.40 · good Poor
Wed 01:00 0.68 · high 6.80 · high 22.40 · good Poor
Wed 02:00 0.66 · high 6.70 · high 22.40 · good Poor
Wed 03:00 0.68 · high 6.72 · high 22.40 · good Poor
Wed 04:00 0.68 · high 6.72 · high 22.40 · good Poor
Wed 05:00 0.68 · high 6.69 · high 22.40 · good Poor
Wed 06:00 0.68 · high 7.23 · high 22.40 · good Poor
Wed 07:00 0.68 · high 7.18 · high 22.40 · good Poor
Wed 08:00 0.68 · high 7.16 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Wed 09:00 0.68 · high 6.77 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Wed 10:00 0.68 · high 7.33 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Wed 11:00 0.70 · high 6.05 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Wed 12:00 0.70 · high 6.78 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Wed 13:00 0.72 · high 6.69 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Wed 14:00 0.72 · high 6.51 · high 22.60 · good Poor
Wed 15:00 0.74 · high 6.73 · high 22.60 · good Poor
Wed 16:00 0.74 · high 7.58 · high 22.60 · good Poor
Wed 17:00 0.74 · high 7.43 · high 22.60 · good Poor
Wed 18:00 0.74 · high 7.29 · high 22.60 · good Poor
Wed 19:00 0.74 · high 6.90 · high 22.60 · good Poor
Wed 20:00 0.76 · high 6.69 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Wed 21:00 0.76 · high 7.14 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Wed 22:00 0.76 · high 6.98 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Wed 23:00 0.76 · high 7.67 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Thu 00:00 0.74 · high 7.05 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Thu 01:00 0.74 · high 7.45 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Thu 02:00 0.70 · high 7.40 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Thu 03:00 0.68 · high 7.18 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Thu 04:00 0.66 · high 7.48 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Thu 05:00 0.68 · high 7.98 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Thu 06:00 0.70 · high 7.43 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Thu 07:00 0.72 · high 8.19 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Thu 08:00 0.78 · high 8.37 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Thu 09:00 0.84 · high 9.00 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Thu 10:00 0.90 · high 8.82 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Thu 11:00 0.90 · high 8.84 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Thu 12:00 0.88 · high 8.45 · high 22.60 · good Poor
Thu 13:00 0.88 · high 8.17 · high 22.60 · good Poor
Thu 14:00 0.86 · high 8.00 · high 22.60 · good Poor
Thu 15:00 0.86 · high 7.97 · high 22.60 · good Fair
Thu 16:00 0.84 · high 8.18 · high 22.60 · good Poor
Thu 17:00 0.86 · high 8.29 · high 22.60 · good Poor
Thu 18:00 0.86 · high 8.33 · high 22.60 · good Poor
Thu 19:00 0.88 · high 8.40 · high 22.60 · good Poor
Thu 20:00 0.88 · high 8.64 · high 22.60 · good Poor
Thu 21:00 0.86 · high 8.32 · high 22.60 · good Poor
Thu 22:00 0.86 · high 8.32 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Thu 23:00 0.88 · high 8.40 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Fri 00:00 0.88 · high 8.52 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Fri 01:00 0.90 · high 8.56 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Fri 02:00 0.90 · high 8.50 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Fri 03:00 0.90 · high 8.63 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Fri 04:00 0.90 · high 8.67 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Fri 05:00 0.90 · high 8.95 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Fri 06:00 0.92 · high 9.14 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Fri 07:00 0.92 · high 9.09 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Fri 08:00 0.92 · high 9.57 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Fri 09:00 0.94 · high 9.50 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Fri 10:00 0.96 · high 9.07 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Fri 11:00 0.94 · high 8.61 · high 22.50 · good Poor
Fri 12:00 0.92 · high 8.42 · high 22.60 · good Poor
Fri 13:00 0.90 · high 7.95 · high 22.60 · good Poor
Fri 14:00 0.88 · high 7.88 · high 22.60 · good Poor
Fri 15:00 0.88 · high 7.85 · high 22.60 · good Poor
Fri 16:00 0.86 · high 8.36 · high 22.60 · good Poor
Fri 17:00 0.86 · high 7.95 · high 22.60 · good Poor
Fri 18:00 0.88 · high 8.21 · high 22.60 · good Poor
Fri 19:00 0.88 · high 7.95 · high 22.60 · good Poor
Fri 20:00 0.88 · high 8.58 · high 22.60 · good Poor
Fri 21:00 0.88 · high 7.93 · high 22.60 · good Poor
Fri 22:00 0.88 · high 6.79 · high 22.60 · good Poor
Fri 23:00 0.86 · high 6.35 · high 22.60 · good Poor