CatchWindow fishing intelligence

Key West, FL Daily Water Report — October 4, 2026

Key West gets a solid green light for most water plans today, with boating the standout at 8.6/10 and diving close behind at 8/10. It is not a glass-calm postcard all day, but the combination of light easterly wind, no rain indicated, stable 1015 hPa pressure, and manageable seas makes this a notably workable Sunday. The most useful daylight window runs from dawn through late morning. Sunrise is 7:21 AM, coinciding with a solunar major period from 7:20 to 9:20 AM, while the tide is falling toward the 11:40 AM low of 0.15 m. Fishing rates 7.1/10 under the solunar, tide, pressure, wind, and available clarity inputs; the morning is the cleanest overlap of those factors. The next major solunar period, 7:20 to 9:20 PM, arrives after sunset and alongside the evening high at 6:49 PM, so it is more useful for those operating comfortably in low light than for a casual daylight outing. A representative east wind of 6 knots, gusting 11, is friendly for sailing at 7.8/10 and kayaking at 7.5/10, though the overnight gust peak reached 21.4 knots and conditions should still be checked before launching. Waves sit around 0.64 m at a short 4.15 seconds, with a 0.54 m swell from 117 degrees; that short-period motion is the day’s main tradeoff for smaller craft and anyone prone to getting bounced around. Seas ease toward their minimum near 10 PM, around 0.62 m, but darkness is not a substitute for judgment. The current is about 0.17 m/s toward 236 degrees. For divers, marine SST is a very warm 30.1 C, about 0.8 C above average, and the score improves from 7.5 yesterday to 8 today. Atmospheric visibility is forecast near 17.2 km, but that is not an underwater-visibility reading. Chlorophyll is high at 1.03 mg/m³; it is an ocean-color measure, not a fish or wildlife report. Compared with recent CatchWindow estimates, boating improves sharply from 7.3 yesterday and fishing from 6.3, while sailing eases from yesterday’s 9.2 as the breeze becomes less energetic. Monday through Thursday look progressively flatter, with Tuesday through Thursday especially light-wave days, though rain chances rise to 50% Wednesday and Thursday. Best bet: launch early, use the 7:20–9:20 AM major period, and let the falling tide—not the calendar—set the pace.