MARINE REPORT / 72 HOURS

Whitsundays Snorkel Report Today

Australia · Updated Mon 01:19 (AEST) · Source: Snapshot

The skinny

Marginal Data updated Mon 01:19 (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 02:00 (AEST)

Later today

Fair · 4.0/10

Mon 17:00 (AEST)

Next three days

Good · 6.1/10

Tue 18:00 (AEST)

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

Score: 4.0/10

Best time: Mon 17:00

Main risk: Waves

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

Best afternoon signal: Mon 17:00 (Fair). Peak afternoon wind is about 6.6 m/s.

Email me when it is good Compare nearby spots

Best nearby spots later today

Cairns 5.3/10 Fair · Mon 17:00 Port Douglas 4.9/10 Fair · Mon 16:00 Lady Elliot Island 4.5/10 Fair · Mon 16:00

Sunrise

05:31

Sunset

18:07

Water

24.6°C

Max air

25.4°C

Sky

Cloudy

98% cloud

Good model window in the next 72 hours

Next good model window: Tue 18:00 (2% 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: Waves

Wednesday

⚠️ Fair conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Best available hours

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

Why this verdict

Main blockers across the next 72 hours:

  • Waves (66 hours)
  • Tide/current (62 hours)
  • Darkness (39 hours)

Jellyfish drift risk

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

Low · 34/100

Low peak drift risk around Mon 06:00.

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: Mon 05:00

Mon 05:00, 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 17:00 5.3/10 Port Douglas Fair · Mon 16:00 4.9/10 Lady Elliot Island Fair · Mon 16:00 4.5/10 Heron Island Fair · Mon 17:00 3.6/10

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

Thu 02:00 – Sun 02:00 (AEST)

Previous day Yesterday Next day Live

Snorkel Score (selected 24h)

Best snorkel score is 0.57 around Thu 15:00; 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.

19/24 sampled hours stay at or below 0.36m (range 0.18m to 0.4m).

Wind is at or below 5.4m/s in 24/24 sampled hours (range 2.82 to 4.85m/s).

Tides range from -0.4m to 1.58m; 1 of 24 hours are in or near peak slack windows.

72-hour historical overview
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Good 🌟 Good
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Good 🌟 Good
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
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Fair ⚠️ Fair
Good 🌟 Good
Fair ⚠️ Fair
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
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
Poor ❌ Limited
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
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
Thu 02:00 0.18 · good 2.82 · good 24.60 · good Poor
Thu 03:00 0.18 · good 2.89 · good 24.60 · good Poor
Thu 04:00 0.18 · good 3.13 · good 24.60 · good Poor
Thu 05:00 0.20 · good 3.11 · good 24.60 · good Poor
Thu 06:00 0.22 · good 3.71 · good 24.60 · good Poor
Thu 07:00 0.24 · good 4.23 · good 24.60 · good Poor
Thu 08:00 0.28 · good 4.62 · good 24.60 · good Poor
Thu 09:00 0.30 · good 4.76 · good 24.60 · good Poor
Thu 10:00 0.34 · good 4.54 · good 24.60 · good Fair
Thu 11:00 0.34 · good 4.47 · good 24.70 · good Fair
Thu 12:00 0.36 · good 4.85 · good 24.80 · good Fair
Thu 13:00 0.36 · good 4.76 · good 24.90 · good Fair
Thu 14:00 0.36 · good 4.56 · good 25.00 · good Fair
Thu 15:00 0.36 · good 4.36 · good 25.00 · good Good
Thu 16:00 0.36 · good 3.81 · good 25.10 · good Fair
Thu 17:00 0.38 · high 3.72 · good 25.10 · good Good
Thu 18:00 0.38 · high 4.31 · good 25.00 · good Fair
Thu 19:00 0.40 · high 4.30 · good 24.90 · good Poor
Thu 20:00 0.40 · high 4.47 · good 24.80 · good Poor
Thu 21:00 0.38 · high 4.23 · good 24.70 · good Poor
Thu 22:00 0.34 · good 4.61 · good 24.60 · good Poor
Thu 23:00 0.34 · good 4.23 · good 24.60 · good Poor
Fri 00:00 0.34 · good 4.11 · good 24.60 · good Poor
Fri 01:00 0.34 · good 4.10 · good 24.50 · good Poor
Fri 02:00 0.32 · good 3.80 · good 24.50 · good Poor
Fri 03:00 0.30 · good 3.86 · good 24.50 · good Poor
Fri 04:00 0.30 · good 3.70 · good 24.50 · good Poor
Fri 05:00 0.30 · good 3.30 · good 24.50 · good Poor
Fri 06:00 0.30 · good 3.26 · good 24.50 · good Poor
Fri 07:00 0.30 · good 3.46 · good 24.50 · good Poor
Fri 08:00 0.30 · good 3.80 · good 24.50 · good Poor
Fri 09:00 0.32 · good 4.00 · good 24.50 · good Poor
Fri 10:00 0.32 · good 4.33 · good 24.60 · good Good
Fri 11:00 0.32 · good 4.07 · good 24.60 · good Good
Fri 12:00 0.30 · good 4.27 · good 24.70 · good Fair
Fri 13:00 0.30 · good 4.22 · good 24.80 · good Fair
Fri 14:00 0.30 · good 3.86 · good 24.90 · good Good
Fri 15:00 0.32 · good 4.08 · good 25.00 · good Fair
Fri 16:00 0.32 · good 3.89 · good 25.00 · good Good
Fri 17:00 0.32 · good 3.97 · good 25.00 · good Good
Fri 18:00 0.32 · good 3.44 · good 25.00 · good Good
Fri 19:00 0.32 · good 3.57 · good 24.90 · good Poor
Fri 20:00 0.32 · good 3.41 · good 24.80 · good Poor
Fri 21:00 0.32 · good 6.03 · high 24.70 · good Poor
Fri 22:00 0.34 · good 6.52 · high 24.70 · good Poor
Fri 23:00 0.36 · good 6.81 · high 24.60 · good Poor
Sat 00:00 0.40 · high 7.37 · high 24.60 · good Poor
Sat 01:00 0.42 · high 7.94 · high 24.60 · good Poor
Sat 02:00 0.44 · high 7.85 · high 24.60 · good Poor
Sat 03:00 0.48 · high 8.10 · high 24.50 · good Poor
Sat 04:00 0.50 · high 7.92 · high 24.50 · good Poor
Sat 05:00 0.52 · high 7.31 · high 24.50 · good Poor
Sat 06:00 0.56 · high 5.79 · high 24.50 · good Poor
Sat 07:00 0.86 · high 7.08 · high 24.50 · good Poor
Sat 08:00 0.86 · high 8.25 · high 24.60 · good Poor
Sat 09:00 0.86 · high 7.78 · high 24.60 · good Poor
Sat 10:00 0.86 · high 7.17 · high 24.60 · good Poor
Sat 11:00 0.84 · high 6.81 · high 24.70 · good Poor
Sat 12:00 0.84 · high 6.66 · high 24.80 · good Poor
Sat 13:00 0.82 · high 6.62 · high 24.90 · good Fair
Sat 14:00 0.80 · high 6.53 · high 25.00 · good Poor
Sat 15:00 0.80 · high 6.64 · high 25.00 · good Poor
Sat 16:00 0.78 · high 6.36 · high 25.10 · good Poor
Sat 17:00 0.78 · high 6.68 · high 25.10 · good Poor
Sat 18:00 0.76 · high 6.91 · high 25.00 · good Poor
Sat 19:00 0.68 · high 6.42 · high 24.70 · good Poor
Sat 20:00 0.66 · high 6.27 · high 24.70 · good Poor
Sat 21:00 0.66 · high 6.34 · high 24.70 · good Poor
Sat 22:00 0.64 · high 6.17 · high 24.70 · good Poor
Sat 23:00 0.64 · high 6.40 · high 24.70 · good Poor
Sun 00:00 0.62 · high 5.96 · high 24.70 · good Poor
Sun 01:00 0.62 · high 5.71 · high 24.60 · good Poor