CatchWindow fishing intelligence

Point Reyes, CA Daily Water Report — August 23, 2026

Diving leads Point Reyes today, with surfing a half-step behind, in a gray, fog-thick setup that rewards patience more than horsepower. Scores put diving at 7.7 and surfing at 7.5, fishing and boating at 6.9, wildlife at 7, kayaking at 6.6, and sailing down at 5.3. Those are suitability ratings, not a green light: current and forecast weather pin atmospheric visibility near a tenth of a kilometer under a solid overcast, UV at zero, humidity near 96 percent. That fog will run the morning for anyone leaving the beach, and it is not a reading of what you will see underwater. The air stays cool and clammy, a representative 13.6 C in a 12.9–18.7 C day, dew point glued to the temperature, barometer near 1012 hPa and falling, no rain indicated. Wind has already told two stories. The strongest gust, 26.8 knots, landed at midnight; the representative breeze is now a meek 4 knots from the west-northwest, though the day’s envelope still reaches 16.4 knots. Treat the light number as a snapshot, not the peak. Marine forecast seas hold 1.3 to 1.7 meters and bottom out near 20:00 at 1.3 meters, with a 1.18-meter swell at a snappy 5.1 seconds from 303 degrees and a combined period near 7.75 seconds. Wind waves are listed at zero. A 0.4 m/s current sets toward 207 degrees over 14.3 C surface water, 1.9 degrees above average. Tide stations did not report. Yesterday’s reconstructed scores explain the flip: 17 knots made sailing a 9 and surfing an 8.8 while kayaking sank to 2.7. Today’s lighter, foggier air lifts the paddle and boat numbers and takes the edge off the sail. Fishing’s 6.9 leans on solunar timing, that falling pressure, wind, and available clarity. Majors run 08:23–10:23 and 20:23–22:23, the later window after the 19:57 sunset. Through the week the forecast stays dry, peak winds 11 to 15 knots, air slowly warming midweek, waves easing to 1.0–1.3 meters before rebuilding toward 2 meters by the weekend. Best bet: work the evening wave minimum if you came to dive or surf, and let that tenth-kilometer fog, not the score, decide whether you leave the dock.