Can you snorkel in Catalina Island today?

Conditions look marginal right now. No good model window is forecast in Catalina Island over the next 72 hours. Check the hourly table and local advisories.

What is the best time of day to snorkel in Catalina Island?

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 Catalina Island.

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.

Catalina Island Snorkel Report Today

USA · Updated Tue 20:31 (EDT) · Source: Snapshot

The skinny

Marginal Report Tue 19:24

Catalina Island looks marginal today. The least-bad daylight window is around Fri 12:00, but waves is limiting the forecast.

Score: 4.7/10

Best time: Fri 12:00

Main risk: Waves

No useful morning window is showing yet.

No useful afternoon window is showing yet.

Email me when it is good

Sunrise

09:28

Sunset

22:17

Water

23.1°C

Max air

18.9°C

Sky

Clear

2% cloud

No good model window in the next 72 hours

Use the best-available section for the least-bad times.

3-day planner Best available Show data

3-day planner

Tuesday

❌ Poor conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Wednesday

⚠️ Fair conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Thursday

⚠️ Fair conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Best available hours

Fri 16:00: Fair (0.52) · still limited by waves, tide/current
Fri 15:00: Fair (0.52) · still limited by waves, tide/current
Fri 17:00: Fair (0.52) · still limited by waves, tide/current

Why this verdict

Main blockers across the next 72 hours:

Waves (68 hours)
Tide/current (56 hours)
Darkness (42 hours)

Jellyfish drift risk

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

Low · 26/100

Low peak drift risk around Wed 09:00.

water is warm enough for occasional jellyfish; 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

Fri 13:00

Nearby alternatives in USA

La Jolla Cove

122 km away

❌ Poor

Crystal River

3429 km away

✅ Good

Dry Tortugas

3572 km away

✅ Good

Looe Key

3711 km away

✅ Good

Advanced forecast data

Viewing current forecast

Tue 23:00 – Fri 23:00 (EDT)

Previous day Yesterday

Snorkel Score (next 24h)

Best snorkel score is 0.47 around Wed 15:00; 10 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 0.86m to 1.1m).

Wind is at or below 5.4m/s in 13/24 sampled hours (range 3.0 to 6.71m/s).

Tides range from -0.34m to 0.97m; 0 of 24 hours are in or near peak slack windows.

72-hour forecast overview

Wed 00:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Wed 01:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Wed 02:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Wed 03:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Wed 04:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Wed 05:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Wed 06:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Wed 07:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Wed 08:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Wed 09:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Wed 10:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Wed 11:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Wed 12:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Wed 13:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Wed 14:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Wed 15:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Wed 16:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Wed 17:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Wed 18:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Wed 19:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Wed 20:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Wed 21:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Wed 22:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Wed 23:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Thu 00:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 01:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 02:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 03:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 04:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 05:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 06:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 07:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 08:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 09:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 10:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 11:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 12:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 13:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Thu 14:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Thu 15:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Thu 16:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Thu 17:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Thu 18:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Thu 19:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Thu 20:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Thu 21:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Thu 22:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Thu 23:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Fri 00:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 01:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 02:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 03:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 04:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 05:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 06:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 07:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 08:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 09:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 10:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 11:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 12:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 13:00 Poor ❌ Limited

Fri 14:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Fri 15:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Fri 16:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Fri 17:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Fri 18:00 Fair ⚠️ Fair

Fri 19:00 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
Wed 00:00	1.06 · high	6.66 · high	23.10 · good	Poor
Wed 01:00	1.08 · high	6.71 · high	23.10 · good	Poor
Wed 02:00	1.08 · high	6.45 · high	23.00 · good	Poor
Wed 03:00	1.10 · high	6.22 · high	22.90 · good	Poor
Wed 04:00	1.10 · high	5.99 · high	22.80 · good	Poor
Wed 05:00	1.08 · high	5.41 · high	22.70 · good	Poor
Wed 06:00	1.08 · high	4.40 · good	22.70 · good	Poor
Wed 07:00	1.08 · high	4.62 · good	22.60 · good	Poor
Wed 08:00	1.10 · high	4.20 · good	22.60 · good	Poor
Wed 09:00	1.10 · high	3.54 · good	22.50 · good	Poor
Wed 10:00	1.08 · high	3.41 · good	22.40 · good	Poor
Wed 11:00	1.08 · high	3.21 · good	22.40 · good	Poor
Wed 12:00	1.06 · high	3.20 · good	22.40 · good	Poor
Wed 13:00	1.04 · high	3.00 · good	22.40 · good	Poor
Wed 14:00	1.00 · high	3.01 · good	22.40 · good	Fair
Wed 15:00	0.98 · high	3.61 · good	22.40 · good	Fair
Wed 16:00	0.96 · high	3.86 · good	22.40 · good	Fair
Wed 17:00	0.92 · high	4.26 · good	22.40 · good	Fair
Wed 18:00	0.90 · high	4.62 · good	22.40 · good	Fair
Wed 19:00	0.88 · high	5.50 · high	22.50 · good	Fair
Wed 20:00	0.88 · high	5.81 · high	22.50 · good	Fair
Wed 21:00	0.86 · high	6.10 · high	22.60 · good	Fair
Wed 22:00	0.86 · high	6.33 · high	22.70 · good	Fair
Wed 23:00	0.88 · high	6.61 · high	22.80 · good	Fair
Thu 00:00	0.88 · high	7.24 · high	22.80 · good	Poor
Thu 01:00	0.92 · high	7.91 · high	22.80 · good	Poor
Thu 02:00	0.94 · high	7.02 · high	22.70 · good	Poor
Thu 03:00	0.98 · high	6.31 · high	22.70 · good	Poor
Thu 04:00	1.00 · high	5.51 · high	22.60 · good	Poor
Thu 05:00	1.04 · high	5.59 · high	22.50 · good	Poor
Thu 06:00	1.06 · high	5.57 · high	22.50 · good	Poor
Thu 07:00	1.06 · high	5.46 · high	22.40 · good	Poor
Thu 08:00	1.08 · high	5.23 · good	22.40 · good	Poor
Thu 09:00	1.08 · high	5.95 · high	22.40 · good	Poor
Thu 10:00	1.08 · high	6.56 · high	22.30 · good	Poor
Thu 11:00	1.10 · high	6.38 · high	22.30 · good	Poor
Thu 12:00	1.10 · high	5.82 · high	22.30 · good	Poor
Thu 13:00	1.10 · high	5.00 · good	22.30 · good	Poor
Thu 14:00	1.12 · high	4.42 · good	22.30 · good	Fair
Thu 15:00	1.12 · high	4.46 · good	22.30 · good	Fair
Thu 16:00	1.10 · high	3.40 · good	22.30 · good	Fair
Thu 17:00	1.06 · high	2.96 · good	22.30 · good	Fair
Thu 18:00	1.04 · high	2.48 · good	22.30 · good	Fair
Thu 19:00	1.02 · high	2.81 · good	22.40 · good	Fair
Thu 20:00	1.00 · high	3.26 · good	22.40 · good	Fair
Thu 21:00	0.98 · high	4.08 · good	22.50 · good	Fair
Thu 22:00	1.00 · high	5.16 · good	22.60 · good	Fair
Thu 23:00	1.02 · high	5.90 · high	22.60 · good	Fair
Fri 00:00	1.04 · high	6.51 · high	22.60 · good	Poor
Fri 01:00	1.06 · high	7.26 · high	22.60 · good	Poor
Fri 02:00	1.08 · high	7.27 · high	22.60 · good	Poor
Fri 03:00	1.10 · high	6.93 · high	22.50 · good	Poor
Fri 04:00	1.10 · high	6.74 · high	22.50 · good	Poor
Fri 05:00	1.08 · high	6.38 · high	22.40 · good	Poor
Fri 06:00	1.08 · high	5.63 · high	22.40 · good	Poor
Fri 07:00	1.08 · high	4.41 · good	22.30 · good	Poor
Fri 08:00	1.06 · high	3.13 · good	22.30 · good	Poor
Fri 09:00	1.06 · high	2.56 · good	22.30 · good	Poor
Fri 10:00	1.06 · high	2.08 · good	22.20 · good	Poor
Fri 11:00	1.04 · high	1.66 · good	22.20 · good	Poor
Fri 12:00	1.04 · high	1.20 · good	22.20 · good	Poor
Fri 13:00	1.04 · high	0.71 · good	22.20 · good	Poor
Fri 14:00	1.04 · high	0.78 · good	22.30 · good	Fair
Fri 15:00	1.04 · high	0.72 · good	22.30 · good	Fair
Fri 16:00	1.04 · high	0.57 · good	22.40 · good	Fair
Fri 17:00	1.06 · high	0.76 · good	22.50 · good	Fair
Fri 18:00	1.06 · high	1.20 · good	22.50 · good	Fair
Fri 19:00	1.06 · high	1.90 · good	22.60 · good	Fair