What is the best time of day to snorkel in Punta Nizuc?

Snorkel in daylight, if possible in the morning before the wind picks up. Currents are often weaker near high slack tide. SnorkelForecast scores each daylight hour for Punta Nizuc.

What is the best tide for snorkeling?

High slack tide, within about an hour of the high-tide peak, often has weaker currents. Strong low tides and tidal flow near channels or headlands reduce the score.

Where are the best snorkeling conditions near Punta Nizuc today?

The nearby spots with the best forecasts later today are Puerto Morelos, Isla Mujeres. Check each spot page for hourly wind, wave, tide and water temperature detail.

MARINE REPORT / 72 HOURS

Punta Nizuc Snorkel Report Today

Mexico · Updated Mon 17:31 (EST) · Source: Snapshot

The skinny

Go in the best window Data updated Mon 17:31 (EST)

Punta Nizuc has a usable snorkeling window around Mon 18:00. The main thing to watch is waves.

Right now (forecast)

Good · 5.9/10

Mon 17:00 (EST)

Later today

Good · 5.9/10

Mon 18:00 (EST)

Next three days

Good · 6.8/10

Wed 09:00 (EST)

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

Score: 5.9/10

Best time: Mon 18:00

Main risk: Waves

No useful morning window is showing yet.

Best afternoon signal: Mon 18:00 (Good). Peak afternoon wind is about 1.2 m/s.

Email me when it is good Compare nearby spots

Best nearby spots later today

Puerto Morelos 6.4/10 Good · Mon 18:00 Isla Mujeres 5.8/10 Good · Mon 18:00

Sunrise

06:50

Sunset

18:11

Water

29.2°C

Max air

24.4°C

Sky

Clear

13% cloud

Good model window in the next 72 hours

Next good model window: Mon 18:00 (44% of the next 72h meets the model threshold)

3-day planner Best available Show data

3-day planner

Monday

✅ Good conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Tuesday

✅ Good conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Wednesday

✅ Good conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Best available hours

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

Why this verdict

Main blockers across the next 72 hours:

Tide/current (71 hours)
Waves (66 hours)
Darkness (36 hours)

Jellyfish drift risk

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

Low · 34/100

Low peak drift risk around Tue 14:00.

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 05:00

Tue 05:00, Tue 17:00, Wed 06:00

Nearby snorkel spot map

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

Puerto Morelos Good · Mon 18:00 6.4/10 Isla Mujeres Good · Mon 18:00 5.8/10

Forecast spot map

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

This is a location diagram, not a marine chart. Check the shore and local signs in person.

Nearby alternatives in Mexico

Cancun

16 km away

✅ Good

Puerto Morelos

22 km away

✅ Good

Isla Mujeres

23 km away

✅ Good

Playa del Carmen

54 km away

✅ Good

Advanced forecast data

Viewing historical data

Sat 17:00 – Tue 17:00 (EST)

Previous day Yesterday Next day Live

Snorkel Score (selected 24h)

Best snorkel score is 0.55 around Sun 08:00; 12 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 0.92m to 1.12m).

Wind is at or below 5.4m/s in 24/24 sampled hours (range 3.12 to 4.86m/s).

Tides range from 0.05m to 0.31m; 2 of 24 hours are in or near peak slack windows.

72-hour historical overview

Sat 17:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sat 18:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sat 19:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sat 20:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sat 21:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sat 22:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sat 23:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sun 00:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sun 01:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sun 02:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sun 03:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sun 04:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sun 05:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sun 06:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sun 07:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sun 08:00 Good 🌟 Good

Sun 09:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sun 10:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sun 11:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sun 12:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sun 13:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sun 14:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sun 15:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sun 16:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sun 17:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Sun 18:00 Good 🌟 Good

Sun 19:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sun 20:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sun 21:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sun 22:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Sun 23:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 00:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 01:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 02:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 03:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 04:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 05:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 06:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 07:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Mon 08:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Mon 09:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Mon 10:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Mon 11:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Mon 12:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Mon 13:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 14:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 15:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 16:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 17:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Mon 18:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Mon 19:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 20:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 21:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 22:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Mon 23:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Tue 00:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Tue 01:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Tue 02:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Tue 03:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Tue 04:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Tue 05:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Tue 06:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Tue 07:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Tue 08:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Tue 09:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Tue 10:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Tue 11:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Tue 12:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Tue 13:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Tue 14:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Tue 15:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Tue 16:00 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 17:00	1.02 · high	4.86 · good	29.20 · good	Fair
Sat 18:00	1.04 · high	4.38 · good	29.20 · good	Fair
Sat 19:00	1.04 · high	4.31 · good	29.20 · good	Poor
Sat 20:00	1.06 · high	3.94 · good	29.20 · good	Poor
Sat 21:00	1.10 · high	4.21 · good	29.20 · good	Poor
Sat 22:00	1.12 · high	3.91 · good	29.20 · good	Poor
Sat 23:00	1.10 · high	3.40 · good	29.10 · good	Poor
Sun 00:00	1.10 · high	3.16 · good	29.10 · good	Poor
Sun 01:00	1.08 · high	3.29 · good	29.10 · good	Poor
Sun 02:00	1.08 · high	3.69 · good	29.10 · good	Poor
Sun 03:00	1.10 · high	3.70 · good	29.00 · good	Poor
Sun 04:00	1.10 · high	3.65 · good	29.00 · good	Poor
Sun 05:00	1.04 · high	3.88 · good	28.70 · good	Poor
Sun 06:00	1.04 · high	3.89 · good	28.70 · good	Poor
Sun 07:00	1.02 · high	3.71 · good	28.70 · good	Fair
Sun 08:00	1.00 · high	3.46 · good	28.70 · good	Good
Sun 09:00	1.00 · high	3.12 · good	28.70 · good	Fair
Sun 10:00	0.98 · high	4.24 · good	28.70 · good	Fair
Sun 11:00	0.98 · high	4.82 · good	28.80 · good	Fair
Sun 12:00	0.96 · high	4.66 · good	28.80 · good	Fair
Sun 13:00	0.96 · high	4.24 · good	28.80 · good	Fair
Sun 14:00	0.94 · high	4.16 · good	28.80 · good	Fair
Sun 15:00	0.94 · high	4.22 · good	28.80 · good	Fair
Sun 16:00	0.92 · high	4.32 · good	28.80 · good	Fair
Sun 17:00	1.02 · high	3.12 · good	28.80 · good	Fair
Sun 18:00	1.00 · high	1.34 · good	28.80 · good	Good
Sun 19:00	0.98 · high	2.44 · good	28.80 · good	Poor
Sun 20:00	0.96 · high	2.12 · good	28.80 · good	Poor
Sun 21:00	0.94 · high	2.19 · good	28.80 · good	Poor
Sun 22:00	0.92 · high	2.29 · good	28.80 · good	Poor
Sun 23:00	0.90 · high	2.44 · good	28.70 · good	Poor
Mon 00:00	0.88 · high	2.51 · good	28.70 · good	Poor
Mon 01:00	0.86 · high	2.64 · good	28.70 · good	Poor
Mon 02:00	0.86 · high	2.73 · good	28.70 · good	Poor
Mon 03:00	0.84 · high	2.98 · good	28.70 · good	Poor
Mon 04:00	0.84 · high	2.55 · good	28.70 · good	Poor
Mon 05:00	0.84 · high	2.62 · good	28.60 · good	Poor
Mon 06:00	0.88 · high	2.80 · good	28.70 · good	Poor
Mon 07:00	0.88 · high	2.83 · good	28.70 · good	Fair
Mon 08:00	0.90 · high	2.96 · good	28.70 · good	Fair
Mon 09:00	0.92 · high	2.55 · good	28.80 · good	Fair
Mon 10:00	0.94 · high	3.47 · good	28.80 · good	Fair
Mon 11:00	0.96 · high	3.05 · good	28.90 · good	Fair
Mon 12:00	1.00 · high	3.30 · good	28.90 · good	Fair
Mon 13:00	1.02 · high	5.00 · good	28.90 · good	Poor
Mon 14:00	1.04 · high	4.42 · good	28.90 · good	Poor
Mon 15:00	1.08 · high	4.43 · good	29.00 · good	Poor
Mon 16:00	1.10 · high	4.74 · good	29.00 · good	Poor
Mon 17:00	1.10 · high	4.57 · good	29.00 · good	Fair
Mon 18:00	1.20 · high	3.55 · good	29.00 · good	Fair
Mon 19:00	1.18 · high	3.24 · good	29.00 · good	Poor
Mon 20:00	1.16 · high	3.01 · good	29.00 · good	Poor
Mon 21:00	1.14 · high	2.91 · good	29.00 · good	Poor
Mon 22:00	1.12 · high	2.83 · good	28.90 · good	Poor
Mon 23:00	1.08 · high	2.65 · good	28.90 · good	Poor
Tue 00:00	1.06 · high	2.57 · good	28.90 · good	Poor
Tue 01:00	1.02 · high	2.67 · good	28.90 · good	Poor
Tue 02:00	1.00 · high	1.84 · good	28.90 · good	Poor
Tue 03:00	0.96 · high	2.26 · good	28.80 · good	Poor
Tue 04:00	1.06 · high	2.40 · good	28.70 · good	Poor
Tue 05:00	1.06 · high	2.47 · good	28.70 · good	Poor
Tue 06:00	1.04 · high	2.05 · good	28.70 · good	Poor
Tue 07:00	1.04 · high	2.49 · good	28.70 · good	Fair
Tue 08:00	1.04 · high	2.74 · good	28.70 · good	Fair
Tue 09:00	1.02 · high	2.83 · good	28.70 · good	Fair
Tue 10:00	1.02 · high	3.14 · good	28.70 · good	Fair
Tue 11:00	1.02 · high	3.61 · good	28.80 · good	Fair
Tue 12:00	1.02 · high	3.33 · good	28.80 · good	Fair
Tue 13:00	1.02 · high	4.30 · good	28.80 · good	Fair
Tue 14:00	1.02 · high	3.80 · good	28.80 · good	Fair
Tue 15:00	1.02 · high	4.35 · good	28.90 · good	Fair
Tue 16:00	1.16 · high	4.32 · good	28.90 · good	Fair