Can you snorkel in Catalina Island today?

Yes. The next good snorkeling window in Catalina Island starts Mon 13:00. Around 11% of the next 72 hours are suitable.

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

Snorkel during daylight, ideally in the morning before the wind picks up, and around high slack tide when water is clearest and currents are weakest. SnorkelForecast scores every daylight hour in Catalina Island so you can pick the calmest window.

What is the best tide for snorkeling?

High slack tide — within about an hour of the high-tide peak when currents are weakest — is the safest, clearest window. Strong low tides, strong tidal flow near channels or headlands, and large tidal-range days reduce score.

Catalina Island Snorkel Report Today

USA · Updated Sat 05:02 (EDT) · Source: Snapshot · Showing fallback/stale data

The skinny

Go in the best window Report Sun 10:47

Catalina Island has a usable snorkeling window around Mon 09:00. The main thing to watch is waves.

Score: 5.5/10

Best time: Mon 09:00

Main risk: Waves

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

Best afternoon signal: Sun 12:00 (Fair). Peak afternoon wind is about 3.6 m/s.

Email me when it is good

Sunrise

08:57

Sunset

23:02

Water

22.1°C

Max air

21.1°C

Sky

Cloudy

100% cloud

Good window is available today

Next safe window: Mon 13:00 (11% of next 72h are suitable)

3-day planner Best available Show data

3-day planner

Sunday

⚠️ fair conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Monday

✅ good conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Tuesday

❌ poor conditions

Main blocker: Waves

Best available hours

Next safe window starts at Mon 13:00.

Why this verdict

Main blockers across the next 72 hours:

Waves (38 hours)
Tide/current (38 hours)
Darkness (18 hours)

Jellyfish drift risk

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

Low · 26/100

Low peak drift risk around Sun 15:00.

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

Next early morning high tide: Mon 09:00

Sun 21:00, Mon 09:00, Mon 22:00

Nearby alternatives in USA

La Jolla Cove

122 km away

⚠️ Fair

Crystal River

3429 km away

✅ Good

Dry Tortugas

3572 km away

✅ Good

Looe Key

3711 km away

✅ Good

Advanced forecast data

Viewing historical data

Thu 14:00 – Sun 14:00 (EDT)

Previous day Yesterday Next day Live

Snorkel Score (selected 24h)

Best snorkel score is 0.48 around Thu 16:00; 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 0.96m to 1.14m).

Wind is at or below 5.4m/s in 17/24 sampled hours (range 0.72 to 7.92m/s).

Tides range from -0.85m to 1.23m; 2 of 24 hours are in or near peak slack windows.

72-hour historical overview

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 poor ❌ Limited

Fri 15:00 poor ❌ Limited

Fri 16:00 poor ❌ Limited

Fri 17:00 poor ❌ Limited

Fri 18:00 poor ❌ Limited

Fri 19:00 poor ❌ Limited

Fri 20:00 poor ❌ Limited

Fri 21:00 poor ❌ Limited

Fri 22:00 fair ⚠️ Fair

Fri 23:00 fair ⚠️ Fair

Sat 00:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sat 01:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sat 02:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sat 03:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sat 04:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sat 05:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sat 06:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sat 07:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sat 08:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sat 09:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sat 10:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sat 11:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sat 12:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sat 13:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sat 14:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sat 15:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sat 16:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sat 17:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sat 18:00 fair ⚠️ Fair

Sat 19:00 fair ⚠️ Fair

Sat 20:00 fair ⚠️ Fair

Sat 21:00 fair ⚠️ Fair

Sat 22:00 fair ⚠️ Fair

Sat 23:00 fair ⚠️ Fair

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 poor ❌ Limited

Sun 08:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sun 09:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sun 10:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sun 11:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sun 12:00 poor ❌ Limited

Sun 13:00 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 and safety gate (outside daylight scores lower).

Detailed hourly data table

Time	Wave (m)	Wind (m/s)	Sea temp (°C)	Status
Thu 14:00	1.10 · high	3.61 · good	21.40 · good	fair
Thu 15:00	1.10 · high	4.74 · good	21.40 · good	fair
Thu 16:00	1.10 · high	4.12 · good	21.40 · good	fair
Thu 17:00	1.08 · high	3.58 · good	21.40 · good	fair
Thu 18:00	1.08 · high	2.97 · good	21.40 · good	fair
Thu 19:00	1.06 · high	1.75 · good	21.50 · good	fair
Thu 20:00	1.06 · high	0.72 · good	21.60 · good	fair
Thu 21:00	1.04 · high	1.99 · good	21.80 · good	fair
Thu 22:00	1.02 · high	3.07 · good	21.90 · good	fair
Thu 23:00	1.00 · high	2.65 · good	22.10 · good	fair
Fri 00:00	0.98 · high	2.60 · good	22.10 · good	poor
Fri 01:00	0.98 · high	3.14 · good	22.10 · good	poor
Fri 02:00	0.96 · high	3.33 · good	22.10 · good	poor
Fri 03:00	0.96 · high	3.40 · good	22.00 · good	poor
Fri 04:00	0.96 · high	3.38 · good	21.90 · good	poor
Fri 05:00	0.98 · high	3.54 · good	21.80 · good	poor
Fri 06:00	0.98 · high	3.96 · good	21.80 · good	poor
Fri 07:00	1.00 · high	5.52 · high	21.70 · good	poor
Fri 08:00	1.02 · high	6.44 · high	21.70 · good	poor
Fri 09:00	1.04 · high	7.08 · high	21.70 · good	poor
Fri 10:00	1.06 · high	7.92 · high	21.60 · good	poor
Fri 11:00	1.10 · high	7.44 · high	21.60 · good	poor
Fri 12:00	1.12 · high	6.52 · high	21.60 · good	poor
Fri 13:00	1.14 · high	6.66 · high	21.50 · good	poor
Fri 14:00	1.18 · high	6.61 · high	21.50 · good	poor
Fri 15:00	1.20 · high	6.51 · high	21.40 · good	poor
Fri 16:00	1.20 · high	7.28 · high	21.40 · good	poor
Fri 17:00	1.18 · high	7.25 · high	21.30 · good	poor
Fri 18:00	1.18 · high	6.85 · high	21.30 · good	poor
Fri 19:00	1.16 · high	6.35 · high	21.40 · good	poor
Fri 20:00	1.16 · high	5.68 · high	21.40 · good	poor
Fri 21:00	1.14 · high	5.03 · good	21.50 · good	poor
Fri 22:00	1.12 · high	4.62 · good	21.60 · good	fair
Fri 23:00	1.08 · high	4.49 · good	21.60 · good	fair
Sat 00:00	1.06 · high	4.34 · good	21.70 · good	poor
Sat 01:00	1.06 · high	4.19 · good	21.70 · good	poor
Sat 02:00	1.04 · high	3.89 · good	21.60 · good	poor
Sat 03:00	1.04 · high	4.39 · good	21.60 · good	poor
Sat 04:00	1.02 · high	4.67 · good	21.60 · good	poor
Sat 05:00	1.00 · high	5.60 · high	21.50 · good	poor
Sat 06:00	0.88 · high	0.32 · good	21.90 · good	poor
Sat 07:00	0.88 · high	1.06 · good	21.90 · good	poor
Sat 08:00	0.88 · high	0.61 · good	21.80 · good	poor
Sat 09:00	0.88 · high	2.62 · good	21.80 · good	poor
Sat 10:00	0.88 · high	1.73 · good	21.80 · good	poor
Sat 11:00	0.90 · high	1.98 · good	21.80 · good	poor
Sat 12:00	0.90 · high	3.36 · good	21.80 · good	poor
Sat 13:00	0.90 · high	3.55 · good	21.80 · good	poor
Sat 14:00	0.90 · high	3.58 · good	21.80 · good	poor
Sat 15:00	0.90 · high	3.68 · good	21.90 · good	poor
Sat 16:00	0.90 · high	3.64 · good	22.00 · good	poor
Sat 17:00	0.90 · high	3.33 · good	22.00 · good	poor
Sat 18:00	0.90 · high	2.60 · good	22.10 · good	fair
Sat 19:00	0.90 · high	1.40 · good	22.10 · good	fair
Sat 20:00	0.88 · high	0.57 · good	22.20 · good	fair
Sat 21:00	0.88 · high	1.08 · good	22.30 · good	fair
Sat 22:00	0.88 · high	0.63 · good	22.40 · good	fair
Sat 23:00	0.88 · high	2.30 · good	22.40 · good	fair
Sun 00:00	0.88 · high	2.72 · good	22.40 · good	poor
Sun 01:00	0.88 · high	2.51 · good	22.40 · good	poor
Sun 02:00	0.88 · high	3.03 · good	22.40 · good	poor
Sun 03:00	0.88 · high	1.99 · good	22.30 · good	poor
Sun 04:00	0.88 · high	2.43 · good	22.20 · good	poor
Sun 05:00	0.90 · high	2.31 · good	22.10 · good	poor
Sun 06:00	0.90 · high	2.04 · good	22.10 · good	poor
Sun 07:00	0.92 · high	1.60 · good	22.00 · good	poor
Sun 08:00	0.94 · high	1.26 · good	22.00 · good	poor
Sun 09:00	0.96 · high	1.04 · good	22.00 · good	poor
Sun 10:00	0.98 · high	0.32 · good	21.90 · good	poor
Sun 11:00	1.00 · high	0.58 · good	21.90 · good	poor
Sun 12:00	1.02 · high	0.71 · good	21.90 · good	poor
Sun 13:00	1.04 · high	0.58 · good	22.00 · good	fair