CatchWindow fishing intelligence

New Bedford Harbor, MA Daily Water Report — September 4, 2026

New Bedford Harbor is a diving and boating day, with wildlife watching close behind and almost nothing for anyone waiting on a surfable wave. Diving leads at 8.8 out of 10 and boating at 8.5, both lining up with light east-southeast wind near 5 knots, 5 percent cloud cover, no rain, and forecast seas of only 0.3 to 0.4 meters. Wildlife watching scores 8.1 on solunar timing, proximity to the morning low, and that same easy breeze. Kayaking is a workable 7.2, sailing a modest 6.4, fishing 5.6, and surfing 4.5. The numbers rank fit against each activity’s own mix of wind, waves, tide, and timing; they are not a safety declaration. The quietest water arrives near 16:00, when wave height bottoms out around 0.28 meters at 4.5 seconds, with a 0.2-meter swell from 201 degrees. That stretch sits just after the 1.23-meter high at 14:20, the cleanest window for boats and paddlers before a late gust of 11.3 knots at 23:00. Shoreline time is better on the 0.15-meter low at 06:39, shortly after sunrise at 06:13 and inside the morning solunar major from 05:39 to 07:39; a second major period runs 17:39 to 19:39 toward sunset. Air runs 19.2 to 27.7 C under Open-Meteo’s clear forecast, with 18.5 kilometers of atmospheric visibility that says nothing about what you will see underwater. NOAA CoastWatch sea-surface temperature is 20.5 C, 0.6 C below average, while the marine forecast lists 23.3 C. A 0.6 meters-per-second current toward 198 degrees is the main tax on kayaks. Fishing’s softer mark tracks a falling barometer near 1008 hPa, down from 1016.3 hPa yesterday. Diving has held at 8.8 across CatchWindow’s recent reconstructed days. Boating is stronger than the 7.1 to 7.5 stretch of September 1–3, and wildlife has jumped from the low 6s, while fishing has slipped from 6.9. Seas stay small through the 8th. Wind and rain chances rise on the 9th and 10th, with waves building toward 1.2 meters. Best bet: take the afternoon high while the harbor is still this small.