Conditions clear — no active alerts
Finding the pulse of the reef...
This week
snorkel & freedive readBest day this week: Wednesday, 7 AM–3 PM. Still an early read.
Next 12 hours
Partly cloudy now, fog moving in around 8 PM.
Conditions
Visibility, water, current, and wind. The in-water read.
Visibility
Decent
Calm wind · Recent / incoming rain
Water
76°
2–3 mm
Current
0.2 kt
slack
Surge
9.55s
low surge
Wind
5 mph
onshore SW
Visibility is an estimate — wind, rain, tide & water alerts.
The spot
The things that stay true when the weather changes.
Yes. Shaw's Cove, CA is snorkelable directly from shore.
Shaw's Cove, CA runs roughly 5 to 20 feet deep in the area people use.
Shaw's Cove, CA suits beginners in ordinary conditions.
The cove is sheltered from most swell, so it is calmest with no south swell running. Local guides favour early morning for the clearest water.
Street parking only on Fairview Street and Cliff Drive, limited and partly metered, and it fills early on a busy day.
Checked 2026-07-20. Sources: California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Pacific Wilderness, Diveline.
Tides & Sky
When the water moves, and how bright the night.
Best in-water window
2:17 PM – 4:17 PM
Low slack · Sun high · Least current
Slack tide means least current and the clearest water — best around the turn, in good light.
High
8:52 PM
6.058ft
Low
3:43 AM
-0.244ft
Full Moon
100%
Daylight: 13h 1m · UV 8 High
Life
The reef keeps its own calendar.
Great Blue Heron · Heermann's Gull · Hudsonian Whimbrel · Western Bluebird · Pelagic Cormorant +6 more
Regulations
Take only what the season allows.
We've only loaded detailed seasons & limits for South Florida so far. For California, check the official source before you fish:
California saltwater regulationsOfficial source: CDFW· opens the agency site
Not perfect, but the reef is calling.
Snorkel: decent viz, warm 76 F water, 4-5 ft waves, 5 mph onshore wind.
Best window: 2:17 PM–4:17 PM · Low slack · Sun high · Least current