The Florida Flow - April 8th
Strong onshore flow driving 11 ft seas at 11-second period off the Space Coast, gusts to 39 kt tonight. Thursday is the worst day — the weekend window looks genuinely good.
Daily ocean conditions for anyone on the water, Space Coast to Key Largo Issue #22
Check out Space Coast Divers next time you book a course, trip, or a dive
Buoys are showing a full picture of a wind-driven event sweeping the coast from north to south. The Space Coast buoy (41009, 20 nm offshore) is reading 11.2 ft seas at an 11-second period and 23.3 kt winds from the ENE. That long 11-second period matters: long-period swell reaches bottom much more effectively than short-period chop, stirring sediment and dropping visibility significantly even at moderate depths. The Treasure Coast buoy (41114, 6.5 nm offshore) is picking up 8.5 ft seas at 11 seconds with water at 74.3°F. Closer to Palm Beach, the Blue Heron Bridge station (LKWF1, inshore) is logging 20 kt ENE winds and 76.6°F water. South Florida sees calmer numbers, with buoy 41122 (23 nm offshore, shared by Deerfield, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami) showing 4.3 ft at 11 seconds and 78.1°F water. Key West (buoy 42095, 15 nm offshore) is down to 1.6 ft at 9 seconds with 78.4°F water.
The NWS Special Marine Warning that was active for Biscayne Bay and coastal waters from Deerfield Beach to Ocean Reef has been cancelled as of this issue. The associated thunderstorm weakened and no longer poses a threat. That said, the broader wind and rain pattern remains: today sees rain showers with winds maxing at 24 kt and gusts to 39 kt with 49% precipitation chance and 15.8 mm of rain expected. Thursday brings similar or slightly worse conditions, with winds to 25 kt and gusts to 40 kt and 54% precip chance. Friday softens to drizzle with 21 kt winds. The weekend transitions toward calmer skies, with Saturday and Sunday showing only drizzle traces, winds dropping to 14-16 kt, and gusts no worse than 20 kt. Monday looks like the best day of the stretch: partly cloudy, winds 14 kt, gusts 19 kt, and zero rain expected.
Blue Heron Bridge dive windows today are tight given the inshore wind chop from that 20 kt ENE flow. The afternoon window is the better of the two: optimal tide at 1:11 PM with a window from 12:41 PM to 1:41 PM (2.0 ft high). The overnight window at 1:09 AM (2.5 ft, fair) runs 12:39 AM to 1:39 AM but is less practical. Tomorrow shifts slightly: fair window at 2:00 AM (2.4 ft, 1:30-2:30 AM) and optimal at 2:03 PM (1.9 ft, 1:33-2:33 PM). Given the ENE winds today, expect BHB visibility on the lower end of its typical tidal range.
Check live conditions at thefloridaflow.com — buoys, tides, dive windows, UV. Updated hourly.
Regional Conditions
| Region | Conditions | Vis (est.) | Seas | Wind | Water Temp | Buoy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Space Coast (Cocoa Beach / Sebastian) |
ROUGH | Under 10 ftPREDICTED | 11.2 ft, 11sOBSERVED | 23.3 kt ENEOBSERVED | N/A | 41009 (20 nm offshore) |
| Treasure Coast (Vero / Ft Pierce) |
ROUGH | Under 10 ftPREDICTED | 8.5 ft, 11sOBSERVED | N/A | 74.3°FOBSERVED | 41114 (6.5 nm offshore) |
| Blue Heron Bridge (Palm Beach) |
CHOPPY | Tidal 5-20 ftPREDICTED | Inshore | 20.0 kt ENEOBSERVED | 76.6°FOBSERVED | LKWF1 (inshore) |
| Palm Beach / Singer Is. | CHOPPY | 5-15 ftPREDICTED | Inshore | 20.0 kt ENEOBSERVED | 76.6°FOBSERVED | LKWF1 (inshore) |
| Deerfield / Pompano / Fort Lauderdale / Miami | ELEVATED | 5-15 ftPREDICTED | 4.3 ft, 11sOBSERVED | N/A | 78.1°FOBSERVED | 41122 (23 nm offshore) |
| Key Largo / Upper Keys | NO DATA | No coverage | No coverage | No coverage | No coverage | MLRF1 decommissioned Feb 2023, no replacement |
| Marathon / Middle Keys | CALM | 40-80 ftPREDICTED | N/A | 8.9 kt NNEOBSERVED | N/A | SMKF1 (1 nm offshore) |
| Key West / Lower Keys | GOOD | 20-50 ftPREDICTED | 1.6 ft, 9sOBSERVED | N/A | 78.4°FOBSERVED | 42095 (15 nm offshore) |
Sources: Space Coast via NDBC 41009 (20 nm offshore); Treasure Coast via NDBC 41114 (6.5 nm offshore); Blue Heron Bridge and Palm Beach via NOAA LKWF1 (inshore); Deerfield, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami share NDBC 41122 (23 nm offshore); Marathon via NOAA SMKF1 (1 nm offshore); Key West via NDBC 42095 (15 nm offshore); Key Largo/Upper Keys: no buoy coverage since MLRF1 was decommissioned February 2023. BHB tide windows from iDiveFlorida. UV index from Open-Meteo. NWS marine zones referenced for forecast. Offshore buoy readings are not the same as nearshore conditions. Confirm with your captain.
Activity Planner
| Activity | Verdict | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 🤿 Scuba | ROUGH (Space/Treasure Coast), ELEVATED (SE FL), GOOD (Keys) | Offshore diving from Space Coast to Palm Beach not recommended today. SE Florida reefs are borderline. The 11-second period swell stirs sediment and will suppress visibility even where seas appear moderate. Lower Keys and Marathon look best with calmer winds. BHB afternoon window is workable but vis will be on the lower end. Verify with your operator. |
| 🏄 Surfing | ACTIVE / GOOD for experienced surfers | This is a legitimate swell for the Space and Treasure Coasts. 11 ft at 11 seconds offshore is a significant ENE groundswell. Nearshore faces will be smaller but expect solid overhead-plus surf at exposed breaks. Strong onshore winds mean messy conditions. Experienced surfers only today. Verify with your local break. |
| 🚣 Kayak / SUP | NOT RECOMMENDED (north), MARGINAL (Keys) | Winds 20-24 kt with gusts to 39 kt make open-water paddling dangerous from Palm Beach north. Sheltered inlets and bays only. Marathon and Key West are more manageable given the lower wind readings. Verify with your outfitter before heading out. |
| ⛵ Boating / Fishing | ROUGH (north), CHOPPY to ELEVATED (SE FL) | The cancelled Special Marine Warning for Biscayne Bay and Deerfield-to-Ocean-Reef waters means the acute thunderstorm threat has passed, but sustained winds and seas remain. Offshore runs from the Space Coast and Treasure Coast are not advisable. Inlet conditions will be rough with wind-against-current scenarios likely. Inshore and bay fishing is the better play today. Verify with your captain. |
| 🏖️ Beach | MARGINAL | Rain showers expected through the day with 49% precip chance and 15.8 mm of rain forecast. Winds are strong and onshore. UV is rated Very High at 8 so sunscreen is essential on any breaks in the clouds. Swimming in the surf zone carries elevated rip current risk with this ENE swell pattern. Check beach flag status before entering the water. |
Blue Heron Bridge Dive Windows
Overnight: High tide 1:09 AM at 2.5 ft. Fair quality. Window: 12:39 AM to 1:39 AM.
Afternoon: High tide 1:11 PM at 2.0 ft. Optimal quality. Window: 12:41 PM to 1:41 PM. Best window of the day.
Tomorrow, Thursday April 9:
Overnight: High tide 2:00 AM at 2.4 ft. Fair quality. Window: 1:30 AM to 2:30 AM.
Afternoon: High tide 2:03 PM at 1.9 ft. Optimal quality. Window: 1:33 PM to 2:33 PM.
Note: ENE winds at 20 kt are blowing onshore today. Expect BHB visibility on the lower end of its tidal range (closer to 5-10 ft rather than the 15-20 ft range). The afternoon slack window is still the best opportunity today. Conditions should improve through the week as winds ease.
Marine Life Sightings
Conditions: Visibility 50 ft, water 76°F, trickle northerly current, waves 1-2 ft. Operator report: "Saw a baby hammerhead, a couple eels, a Goliath grouper and lots of tropical fish and pretty sponges and corals!" A strong report from just two days ago. Today's ENE wind event will have changed conditions considerably since this dive.
Rainbow Reef, Key Largo (reported April 7, 2026)
Rainbow Reef submitted a report but the data contained formatting errors that make it unreadable. Wave height, visibility, and current entries appear corrupted. No usable conditions data is available from Rainbow Reef for today.
7-Day Outlook
Thu Apr 9 🔴: Rain continues. Winds to 25 kt, gusts to 40 kt. 54% precip chance, 11.2 mm rain. Worst precip day of the stretch. Similar conditions to today.
Fri Apr 10 🟡: Improving. Drizzle, winds to 21 kt, gusts to 30 kt. 28% precip chance, 2.3 mm rain. Marginal for most activities but trending better through the day.
Sat Apr 11 🟢: Much calmer. Drizzle possible but minimal, winds to 14 kt, gusts to 20 kt. Only 6% precip chance and 0.4 mm of rain. Good window for most activities.
Sun Apr 12 🟢: Continued calm. Drizzle trace only, winds 16 kt, gusts 20 kt. 3% precip chance. Another solid day on the water.
Mon Apr 13 🟢: Best day of the week. Partly cloudy, winds 14 kt, gusts 19 kt. Zero rain expected. Plan around this one.
Offshore heights from buoys 20-60 nm. Nearshore conditions are smaller. Check with your operator before heading out.
Safety Tip
When sustained ENE winds are running 20-24 kt against an outgoing tidal current, Florida's inlets can develop steep, breaking, and unpredictable wave patterns that are far more dangerous than offshore seas of the same height. Today's conditions at Port Everglades and other South Florida inlets require extra caution. The Port Everglades current is running 0.77 kt NNW. If you must transit an inlet today, time it with an incoming or slack tide and reduce your speed well in advance. If conditions look worse than expected at the inlet mouth, turn around. No fishing trip is worth a capsize in a breaking inlet.
Sun and UV
| Sunrise | Morning Golden Hour | Evening Golden Hour | Sunset | UV Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:08 AM | 7:08 AM to 7:53 AM | 6:50 PM to 7:35 PM | 7:35 PM | 8 - Very High (UV Alert). Tomorrow: 7. |
UV is rated Very High today despite rain and clouds. UV penetrates cloud cover. Apply SPF 30 or higher if you are on or near the water. UV data from Open-Meteo.
Quick Poll
A) Stay home and wait it out
B) Head to the Keys where it is calmer
C) Hit BHB or inshore spots
D) Go surfing obviously
Tap to reply. We read every response.
The Florida Flow aggregates NOAA buoy data, NWS marine forecasts, and operator field reports. Offshore buoy heights are measured 6.5 to 23 nm offshore and do not represent nearshore conditions. Nearshore seas are typically smaller but can be steeper and more dangerous near inlets and shoals. All conditions data is for informational purposes only. Confirm with your captain, dive operator, or local outfitter before heading out. Use at your own risk.