CatchWindow fishing intelligence

San Francisco, CA Daily Water Report — October 4, 2026

San Francisco gets a qualified green light today: excellent for sailing, solid for boating and diving, but only a measured yes for kayaks and a watch-your-step proposition along the shore. The sea state is unusually tidy at about 0.7 m all day, with the calmest reading near 1 PM at 0.66 m. That modest swell—0.48 m at 8.65 seconds from the west-southwest—keeps the surface manageable, while no rain, scant cloud, and nearly 20 km of atmospheric visibility make for a bright, dry outing. Atmospheric visibility, naturally, is not a promise of clear water below. The prime all-round window is late morning into early afternoon, roughly 9 AM to 1 PM. It follows the 8:16 AM high tide, overlaps the 7:09–9:09 AM solunar major period, and leads toward the 12:48 PM low. Winds are lighter early before building toward a representative 12 knots from the west; gusts top out near 16 knots late, around 9 PM. Sailors get the day’s strongest endorsement at 9.7/10, a notable jump from 7.8 yesterday, with small waves and enough breeze to make the canvas earn its keep. Boating rates 7.2/10: calmer water helps, but the west wind and a 0.53 m/s current toward 221 degrees deserve normal route and handling attention. Divers rate 7.3/10, slightly better than yesterday, aided by subdued waves and a marine SST near 15.8 C; the separate surface-water reading is 17 C, and either way, this is not summer-swimwear water. Kayaking is 5.4/10, down from 6.2 yesterday, because wind and current matter more when you are the smallest craft in the conversation. Fishing improves to 6.7/10, with the morning major period and rising pressure favorable in the model. Chlorophyll is very high at 5.9 mg/m³, indicating bloom conditions, so do not treat it as a water-clarity report. For shoreline explorers, the 12:48 PM low tide offers the best access, while the evening high reaches 1.72 m at 6:32 PM. The next few days stay dry and become lighter-winded through Friday, but waves build from 0.8–0.9 m midweek toward 1.0–1.1 m Friday and higher Saturday. Best bet: rig early, sail late morning, and let the small sea do the showing off.