CatchWindow fishing intelligence

Woods Hole, MA Daily Water Report — August 23, 2026

Diving is the day’s strongest call at Woods Hole, 8.7 out of 10, with wildlife watching at 8.1 and sailing at 7.7 close behind. Boating holds a workable 7.3. Fishing, surfing, and kayaking sit in the middle fives and sixes. Those numbers are suitability reads, not safety declarations, and they already bake in each activity’s own recipe. The air is easy. A south-southwesterly near 7 knots, gusting around 11, is the representative breeze; the forecast keeps winds between 2 and about 10 knots, with the sharpest gust, 17.5 knots, not until 23:00. Expect air from 19.5 to 24.2 degrees Celsius under a cloudless sky, humidity near 85 percent, and no meaningful rain. Pressure is 1012 hectopascals and falling, a step under yesterday’s 1015.4. Atmospheric visibility is 16.2 kilometers; that is not a claim about what you will see underwater. Marine forecast seas are modest and short: about 0.62 meters at 3.85 seconds, a 0.32-meter swell from 165 degrees, and 0.48-meter wind waves. The day’s range is 0.3 to 0.7 meters, calmest near 01:00 at 0.26 meters—useful only if you are out before first light. A 1.1 meter-per-second current toward 261 degrees is the surface tax, especially in a kayak. Kayaking fell from 7.2 yesterday to 5.4 even as sailing rose from 7.1 to 7.7. Surfing only reaches 5.7 because the period is too brief to do much with the height. CoastWatch water is 21.9 degrees, 0.7 above average, which, with light wind and small seas, is what the dive score is built on. Wildlife jumped from 6.3 yesterday; fishing ticked up to 6.0 from 5.8. Tide data are not available, so the clock does the talking. Solunar majors run 06:45–08:45 and 18:45–20:45, minors 01:15–02:15 and 13:15–14:15. Dawn is 04:30, sunrise 04:59, sunset 18:34, dusk 19:03. A waxing gibbous moon, 76 percent lit, rises at 16:09 and sets after midnight. The next several days stay warm and relatively quiet, peak winds easing toward 6.5 knots by the 26th and waves as low as 0.3 to 0.5 meters, with a little more rain chance on the 27th and 28th before heat builds. Best bet: take the morning dive while the breeze is still honest and the surface is still small.