The Florida Flow | April 10, 2026
Special Marine Warning through 6:15 PM EDT. Space Coast 9.2 ft at 11s, Treasure Coast 6.2 ft. BHB afternoon window not recommended. Conditions ease Saturday; Monday–Tuesday are the best dive and fishing windows of the week.
Special Marine Warning active through 6:15 PM. Rough seas Space Coast to Miami. Weekend improves — Monday–Tuesday are the week's best windows.
A Special Marine Warning is active this afternoon for coastal and offshore waters from Jupiter Inlet to Ocean Reef, out to 60 nm. Radar-indicated showers carrying waterspouts and near-50-knot gusts are tracking south at 20 knots along the immediate coast. The Space Coast buoy (41009, 20 nm offshore) is reading 9.2 ft seas at an 11-second period, confirming an active long-period swell pushing down the coast. That 11-second period means swell energy is reaching the bottom and stirring sediment well offshore. Treasure Coast buoy 41114 (6.5 nm offshore) shows 6.2 ft at 11s. Even nearshore spots are seeing rough, unsettled water today.
Tonight, winds at Palm Beach are forecast to climb from 17 to 20 knots with gusts reaching 31 knots between 10 PM and midnight. Precipitation chances stay in the 13 to 31 percent range through midnight, consistent with the unsettled line working through. The good news: the outlook improves quickly. By Saturday, winds drop to 15 knots with gusts to 20 knots and conditions trend noticeably calmer through next week, with Tuesday bringing the lightest setup of the period at 14 knots and 18-knot gusts.
Blue Heron Bridge afternoon window today runs 2:34 PM to 3:34 PM, with a 1.9 ft low tide rated optimal. Given the active marine warning and 18-knot ENE winds observed at the LKWF1 buoy right now, conditions at BHB will be choppy and visibility reduced. This afternoon window is not advisable until the warning expires and winds back off. Tomorrow's afternoon window, 3:37 PM to 4:37 PM with a 2.0 ft low, looks considerably better if weekend conditions cooperate as forecast.
Check live conditions at thefloridaflow.com — buoys, tides, dive windows, UV. Updated hourly.
Regional Conditions
| Region | Conditions | Vis | Seas | Wind | Water Temp | Buoy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Space Coast (Cocoa/Sebastian) | ROUGH | Under 10 ftPREDICTED | 9.2 ft, 11sOBSERVED | 15.6 kt ENEOBSERVED | N/A | 41009 (20 nm off) |
| Treasure Coast (Vero/Ft Pierce) | ROUGH | Under 10 ftPREDICTED | 6.2 ft, 11sOBSERVED | N/A | 74.3 FOBSERVED | 41114 (6.5 nm off) |
| Palm Beach / Blue Heron Bridge | CHOPPY | Tidal 5-20 ftPREDICTED | N/A (inlet) | 18.1 kt ENEOBSERVED | 75.7 FOBSERVED | LKWF1 (inlet) |
| Deerfield / Pompano / Ft Lauderdale | ACTIVE SCA | Under 10 ftPREDICTED | 5.6 ft, 7sOBSERVED | N/A | 78.1 FOBSERVED | 41122 (23 nm off) |
| Miami / Key Biscayne | ACTIVE SCA | Under 10 ftPREDICTED | 5.6 ft, 7sOBSERVED | N/A | 78.1 FOBSERVED | 41122 (23 nm off) |
| Key Largo / Upper Keys | NO DATA | No buoy | No buoy | No buoy | No buoy | MLRF1 decommissioned Feb 2023, no replacement |
| Marathon / Middle Keys | CHOPPY | 5-15 ftPREDICTED | N/A | 19.0 kt ENEOBSERVED | N/A | SMKF1 (1 nm off) |
| Key West / Lower Keys | ELEVATED | 5-15 ftPREDICTED | 3.3 ft, 4sOBSERVED | N/A | 78.4 FOBSERVED | 42095 (15 nm off) |
Buoy sources: Space Coast, buoy 41009 (20 nm offshore). Treasure Coast, buoy 41114 (6.5 nm offshore). Palm Beach and BHB, LKWF1 (Lake Worth inlet). Deerfield through Miami, buoy 41122 (23 nm offshore). Marathon, SMKF1 (1 nm offshore). Key West, buoy 42095 (15 nm offshore). Key Largo has no active buoy since MLRF1 was decommissioned in February 2023. NWS marine zone forecast used for advisory status. BHB tidal windows sourced from iDiveFlorida. UV index from Open-Meteo. Offshore buoy readings are not the same as nearshore. Confirm with your captain.
Activity Outlook
| Activity | Verdict | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 🤿 Scuba | ROUGH | 9.2 ft seas at 11-second period on the Space Coast mean heavy swell and poor vis offshore. Long-period swell penetrates to depth and stirs sediment hard. Predicted vis under 10 ft at most offshore sites. Narcosis Dive reported 50 ft vis and flat conditions on April 6, but that was four days ago before this swell built. Current conditions are not comparable. BHB this afternoon is inadvisable given the active warning and 18-knot ENE winds. Verify with your operator. |
| 🏄 Surfing | POOR / DANGEROUS | Winds are 18 to 19 knots onshore out of the ENE, which blows out wave faces and makes conditions unsurfable regardless of swell size. An active marine warning with near-50-knot gusts possible in squall lines makes this dangerous. Stay out of the water until the warning expires. Verify with your operator. |
| 🚣 Kayak / SUP | ROUGH / NOT ADVISED | An active marine warning with waterspout potential and near-50-knot gusts makes any open-water paddling extremely dangerous today. Sheltered intracoastal spots only if you must go out, and monitor conditions closely. Verify with your operator. |
| ⛵ Boating / Fishing | ACTIVE SCA | Special Marine Warning in effect until 6:15 PM EDT. Waterspouts and gusts near 50 knots possible. All small craft should be off the water or in protected anchorage. Port Everglades current is light at 0.03 knots NNW, but that is the only favorable data point today. Wait for the all-clear. Verify with your operator. |
| 🏖️ Beach | MARGINAL | Strong onshore ENE winds of 18 to 19 knots make the beach breezy and choppy. UV index is 8 (Very High, UV Alert). Swimming near shore carries elevated risk given rough surf and possible waterspouts offshore this afternoon. UV protection essential. Verify conditions locally before entering the water. |
Blue Heron Bridge Dive Windows
Morning window: 2:25 AM to 3:25 AM, low tide 2.4 ft at 2:55 AM. Rated fair. Not practical for most divers.
Afternoon window: 2:34 PM to 3:34 PM, low tide 1.9 ft at 3:04 PM. Rated optimal on the tide chart, but conditions are not cooperating. With the Special Marine Warning active until 6:15 PM, 18-knot ENE winds at LKWF1, and visibility expected in the tidal 5-20 ft range under current wind stress, this window is not recommended today.
Tomorrow, Saturday April 11:
Morning window: 3:23 AM to 4:23 AM, low tide 2.4 ft at 3:53 AM. Rated fair.
Afternoon window: 3:37 PM to 4:37 PM, low tide 2.0 ft at 4:07 PM. Rated good. Winds are forecast to drop to 15 knots with gusts to 20 knots by Saturday. This is the better window to target if conditions cooperate as forecast. Confirm current conditions before gearing up.
Marine Life Sightings
Rainbow Reef, Key Largo (April 9, 2026): The Rainbow Reef report contains garbled data fields and does not provide usable conditions or sighting information. No confirmed marine life sightings from Rainbow Reef are available for this issue.
7-Day Outlook
Sat Apr 11 🟡: Drizzle, wind max 15 kt, gusts to 20 kt, 4% precip, 0.6 mm rain. Noticeable improvement. BHB afternoon window looks viable. Expect choppy-to-marginal offshore.
Sun Apr 12 🟡: Drizzle, wind max 17 kt, gusts to 22 kt, 2% precip, 2.2 mm rain. Winds tick up slightly but stay manageable. Light drizzle possible. Marginal offshore.
Mon Apr 13 🟢: Partly cloudy, wind max 16 kt, gusts to 20 kt, 1% precip, 0 mm rain. Continued improvement. Good boating and diving window shaping up if swell has settled.
Tue Apr 14 🟢: Partly cloudy, wind max 14 kt, gusts to 18 kt, 2% precip, 0 mm rain. Lightest conditions of the 7-day period. Best dive and offshore fishing window of the week.
Offshore heights from buoys 20-60 nm. Nearshore smaller. Check with your operator.
Safety Tip
Sun and UV
Morning Golden Hour: 7:06 AM to 7:51 AM
Evening Golden Hour: 6:51 PM to 7:36 PM
Sunset: 7:36 PM
UV Index Today: 8, Very High, UV Alert. Even with cloud cover, UV burns quickly at this level. Reef-safe SPF 50 or higher, reapply every 90 minutes on the water. Tomorrow: UV 7 (orange, still High). Do not skip sun protection on overcast days offshore.
A. BHB dive this weekend
B. Offshore fishing Monday or Tuesday
C. Waiting for even calmer conditions
D. Just watching from the beach for now
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The Florida Flow aggregates NOAA data, NWS marine forecasts, and third-party buoy observations. Offshore heights from buoys 20-60 nm. Nearshore conditions vary and are typically smaller. All data is for informational purposes only. Confirm conditions with your captain or operator before heading out. Use at your own risk.