Finding the pulse of the reef...
This week
snorkel & freedive readBest day this week: tomorrow, 8 AM–6 PM.
Next 12 hours
Rain now, partly cloudy moving in around 6 PM.
Conditions
Visibility, water, current, and wind. The in-water read.
Visibility
Poor
Onshore SE chop · Recent / incoming rain
Water
83°
skins / none
Current
0.4 kt
gentle drift
Surge
4.3s
minimal
Wind
12 mph
onshore SE
Visibility is an estimate — wind, rain, tide & water alerts.
The spot
The things that stay true when the weather changes.
Swimming and surfing are barred within 400 feet of the pier, so surfers work the open sand to either side of it.
Free lot at the county's Ocean Pier Park, 211 spaces with 13 accessible. The A Street ramp beside the park puts vehicles onto the sand and closes nightly at 5 p.m. year-round.
Checked 2026-08-24. Sources: St. Johns County: fishing piers, St. Johns County: Ocean Pier and Park, St. Johns County: beach driving passes, St. Johns County: beach rules and safe driving, St. Johns County: beach access, St. Johns County: 2026 sea turtle nesting season, St. Johns County Visitors and Convention Bureau: St. Augustine Beach.
Tides & Sky
When the water moves, and how bright the night.
Calmest water was
7:13 AM – 9:13 AM
High slack · Early light · Least current
That window has passed — the water settles again at the next slack tide.
High
8:34 PM
5.35ft
Low
2:51 PM
0.301ft
Full Moon
100%
Daylight: 12h 54m · UV 8 Very high
Life
The reef keeps its own calendar.
Great Egret · Sanderling · Snowy Egret · Ruddy Turnstone · Roseate Spoonbill +9 more
Regulations
Take only what the season allows.
Our detailed season & limit tables cover the South Florida Atlantic coast so far — rules differ by coast and in the Keys, so check the official source before you fish:
Florida saltwater regulationsOfficial source: FWC· opens the agency site
The reef will wait for a clearer day.
Snorkel: poor viz, warm 83 F water, 1-1 ft waves, 12 mph onshore wind.
Best window was: 7:13 AM–9:13 AM · High slack · Early light · Least current