The Florida Flow - April 3rd

Today's South Florida ocean conditions, tides, and dive windows — Issue #18.

Antoni Fronczak

Antoni Fronczak

— 6 min read

Daily ocean conditions for anyone on the water, Space Coast to Key Largo

Issue #18

Active Marine Warning: Strong Thunderstorm Over the Waters As of 2:08 PM EDT, a strong thunderstorm capable of producing winds to around 30 knots was located near Sand Cut, moving northwest at 25 knots. Affected area includes Lake Okeechobee waters. Mariners should expect gusty winds and locally higher waves. Seek safe harbor immediately until the storm passes.

Buoy readings this morning show a consistent 5-foot swell running from Space Coast to the Keys with short periods and an ESE wind push across most of the coast. Buoy 41009, sitting 20 nautical miles offshore of Cocoa Beach, is reading 5.2 feet at a 6-second period with winds of 17.5 knots out of the ESE. Buoy 41114, 6.5 nautical miles offshore of the Treasure Coast, matches at 5.2 feet with a tighter 5-second period and water at 76.1°F. Down south, buoy 41122 (23 nm offshore of Deerfield through Miami) is holding at 4.9 feet, 5-second period, water at 77.4°F. Key West area buoy 42095, 15 nm offshore, shows 4.9 feet at a longer 7-second period with water at 78.1°F, the warmest in the state today. Marathon area buoy SMKF1 is recording winds of 19 knots out of the east. Palm Beach and Blue Heron Bridge area buoy LKWF1 shows 18.1 knots ESE with water at 76.5°F. The Upper Keys have no buoy coverage following the decommissioning of MLRF1 in February 2023 with no replacement in place.

An active marine hazard is in effect today. A strong thunderstorm was confirmed by Doppler radar at 2:08 PM EDT near Sand Cut, moving northwest at 25 knots and capable of gusty winds to 30 knots with locally elevated seas. This storm affects the Lake Okeechobee waters and any boaters in the region should seek safe harbor without delay. Beyond the immediate storm, the ESE wind pattern at 17 to 19 knots across the full coast is maintaining short-period, choppy to rough conditions offshore. Nearshore areas will be smaller but still active, and onshore ESE winds will reduce underwater visibility across the board.

At Blue Heron Bridge today, the best dive window falls around the 9:53 AM high tide, which comes in at 2.5 feet. The usable window runs from 9:23 AM to 10:23 AM and is rated good. A second window opens around the 10:24 PM tide at 2.9 feet, rated fair, with a window from 9:54 PM to 10:54 PM. Tomorrow looks slightly better for the morning window: a 2.4-foot tide at 10:29 AM is rated optimal, with a window from 9:59 AM to 10:59 AM.

Check live conditions at thefloridaflow.com — buoys, tides, dive windows, UV. Updated hourly.

Regional Conditions: Friday, April 3, 2026

Region Conditions Vis Seas Wind Water Temp Buoy
Space Coast (Cocoa Beach / Sebastian) ROUGH Under 10 ftPREDICTED 5.2 ft, 6sOBSERVED 17.5 kt ESEOBSERVED N/A 41009 (20 nm offshore)
Treasure Coast (Vero / Ft Pierce) ROUGH Under 10 ftPREDICTED 5.2 ft, 5sOBSERVED N/A 76.1°FOBSERVED 41114 (6.5 nm offshore)
Blue Heron Bridge / Palm Beach / Singer Is. CHOPPY Tidal 5-20 ftPREDICTED N/A 18.1 kt ESEOBSERVED 76.5°FOBSERVED LKWF1
Deerfield / Pompano CHOPPY Under 10 ftPREDICTED 4.9 ft, 5sOBSERVED N/A 77.4°FOBSERVED 41122 (23 nm offshore)
Fort Lauderdale CHOPPY Under 10 ftPREDICTED 4.9 ft, 5sOBSERVED N/A 77.4°FOBSERVED 41122 (23 nm offshore)
Miami / Key Biscayne CHOPPY Under 10 ftPREDICTED 4.9 ft, 5sOBSERVED N/A 77.4°FOBSERVED 41122 (23 nm offshore)
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 EOBSERVED N/A SMKF1 (1 nm offshore)
Key West / Lower Keys CHOPPY 5-15 ftPREDICTED 4.9 ft, 7sOBSERVED N/A 78.1°FOBSERVED 42095 (15 nm offshore)

Sources: Space Coast seas via buoy 41009 (20 nm offshore). Treasure Coast seas via buoy 41114 (6.5 nm offshore). Palm Beach and Blue Heron Bridge wind and water temp via buoy LKWF1. Deerfield, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami seas via buoy 41122 (23 nm offshore). Upper Keys: no buoy coverage since MLRF1 was decommissioned February 2023, no replacement station active. Marathon wind via buoy SMKF1 (1 nm offshore). Key West seas via buoy 42095 (15 nm offshore). Blue Heron Bridge tide windows sourced from iDiveFlorida. UV index sourced from Open-Meteo. Offshore buoy readings are not equal to nearshore conditions. Confirm with your captain.

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Activity Outlook

Activity Verdict Notes
🤿 Scuba ROUGH 5-foot seas with short 5-6 second periods and 17-19 kt ESE winds make offshore diving difficult coast-wide. Visibility predicted under 10 feet offshore with onshore winds reducing one tier from baseline. BHB is the better option today within the morning window. Active thunderstorm warning adds additional risk. Verify with your operator.
🏄 Surfing CHOPPY Wave energy is present with 5-foot offshore readings and ESE wind, but the short periods (5-6 seconds) mean choppy, disorganized surf rather than clean lines. Intermediate to experienced surfers only. Active thunderstorm warning in effect for inland and nearshore waters. Verify with your operator.
🚣 Kayak / SUP ROUGH Winds of 17-19 kt ESE are at the high end for paddleccraft. Open water and exposed coastline should be avoided today. Sheltered inlets may be manageable. An active thunderstorm warning with winds to 30 knots adds significant risk for any open-deck activity. Verify with your operator.
⛵ Boating / Fishing ROUGH An active marine thunderstorm warning is in effect with gusts to 30 knots. Port Everglades current is light at 0.13 kt NNW. Seas are 4.9 to 5.2 feet offshore. Boaters should seek safe harbor immediately if not already ashore. Do not depart until the warning is lifted. Verify with your operator.
🏖️ Beach MARGINAL Surf and wind will be noticeable at the shore today. Water temps are pleasant at 76-78°F. UV is Very High at index 8, a UV Alert is in effect. Sun protection and reef-safe sunscreen required. Active storm warning means conditions can change quickly. Verify with your operator.

Blue Heron Bridge Dive Windows

Today, Friday April 3 Morning: High tide 9:53 AM at 2.5 ft. Window open 9:23 AM to 10:23 AM. Rated: Good.
Evening: High tide 10:24 PM at 2.9 ft. Window open 9:54 PM to 10:54 PM. Rated: Fair.

Tomorrow, Saturday April 4 Morning: High tide 10:29 AM at 2.4 ft. Window open 9:59 AM to 10:59 AM. Rated: Optimal.
Evening: High tide 11:03 PM at 2.9 ft. Window open 10:33 PM to 11:33 PM. Rated: Fair.

BHB visibility is tidal-driven: 5-20 ft depending on tide height and water clarity. Visibility windows sourced from iDiveFlorida. Water temp 76.5°F via buoy LKWF1.

Marine Life Sightings

Narcosis Dive, West Palm Beach: April 1, 2026 Visibility: 50-60 ft. Water temp: 77°F. Waves: 3-4 ft. Current: trickle north.
Sightings: Hawksbill turtle, green morays, spotted moray, tropical fish, corals, and sponges. Operator note: "Saw lots of tropical fish, a hawksbill turtle, a couple green morays and a spotted moray and lots of pretty corals and sponges!"

Rainbow Reef, Key Largo Rainbow Reef submitted a report for April 2, 2026, but the data contained formatting errors and inconsistent values that could not be verified (reported visibility and wave height figures were internally contradictory). No confirmed conditions from Rainbow Reef are available for this issue.

Week Outlook

Friday 4/3 🔴: Active marine thunderstorm warning. Seas 4.9-5.2 ft offshore with 17-19 kt ESE winds. Short periods. Rough conditions coast-wide. Seek safe harbor.
Saturday 4/4 🟡: No additional NWS advisory data provided for Saturday. Monitor buoys and check with your operator before heading out. BHB morning window is rated optimal at 10:29 AM.
Sunday 4/5 🟡: No NWS extended forecast data provided for this issue. Check thefloridaflow.com for updated buoy readings.
Monday through Thursday 🟡: No extended forecast data available in today's dataset. Conditions will be updated in Monday's issue.

Offshore heights from buoys 20-60 nm. Nearshore smaller. Check with your operator before any departure.

Safety Tip

Thunderstorm on the Water: Do Not Wait Today's active marine warning confirmed a storm capable of 30-knot gusts moving at 25 knots, covering significant distance in minutes. If you can hear thunder, you are already within lightning range. Do not try to outrun a fast-moving storm in a small vessel. Seek safe harbor at the first sign of darkening skies, increasing wind, or a drop in air pressure, and stay there until 30 minutes after the last thunder.

Sun and UV

Sunrise: 7:14 AM
Morning Golden Hour: 7:14 AM to 7:59 AM
Evening Golden Hour: 6:48 PM to 7:33 PM
Sunset: 7:33 PM
UV Index Today: 8 — Very High. UV Alert in effect.
UV Index Tomorrow: 8 — Very High.

UV index 8 or above requires sun protection. Apply reef-safe SPF 30 or higher. Reapply every 90 minutes in the water. Peak UV exposure runs from approximately 10 AM to 3 PM. UV data sourced from Open-Meteo.

Quick Poll

With 5-foot seas and a thunderstorm warning today: what is your plan? A. Sitting this one out entirely B. Hitting BHB for the morning window C. Still going offshore. Conditions look fine to me. D. Watching and waiting to decide
Tap to reply. We read every response.
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The Florida Flow aggregates NOAA buoy data, NWS marine forecasts, operator reports, and third-party sources including iDiveFlorida and Open-Meteo. Offshore buoy heights from stations 20-60 nm offshore. Nearshore conditions vary and are typically smaller. Visibility estimates are model-based unless an operator report confirms otherwise. Nothing in this newsletter constitutes dive, boating, or safety advice. Confirm all conditions with your captain or operator before entering the water. Use at your own risk.

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