CatchWindow fishing intelligence

Woods Hole, MA Daily Water Report — October 8, 2026

Woods Hole gets a qualified go today: excellent sailing weather if you’re comfortable managing gusts, solid diving conditions by the available score, and a more selective proposition for small craft. The water is workable, not gentle. South-southwest wind runs 6 to 16 knots, with the day’s strongest gusts near 31 knots around 11 AM, building short-period wind waves into a 0.7 to 1.2 m chop. That is enough to make kayaking a 4.6/10 day despite dry skies and good atmospheric visibility; 22.5 km of visibility does not promise anything about what you’ll see underwater. The early tide cycle offers the cleanest practical timing before the late-morning gust peak: high water is at 6:43 AM, shortly after sunrise at 6:46 AM. A second useful window comes toward evening as wind-wave height eases toward the day’s 0.7 m minimum near 11 PM, though fading light after 6:44 PM dusk narrows the options for unlit or shore-based plans. The afternoon low arrives at 2:32 PM, followed by a 7:10 PM high. Sailors get the day’s strongest activity score, 8.6/10, with enough breeze to keep things moving under nearly clear skies—but the gust spread deserves respect, especially around midday. Boating rates 6.7/10: manageable for capable crews and appropriate craft, but the 0.75 m/s ocean current toward 70 degrees and short 3.4-second wind waves argue against treating this as a casual outing. Diving scores 8.3/10, supported by the supplied marine conditions and 17.6 C sea-surface temperature, though surface chop remains the tradeoff. Fishing is a middling 6.3/10; the 9:59 AM–11:59 AM major solunar period overlaps the gustiest part of the day, while the 9:59 PM–11:59 PM major period is after dark. Compared with the recent record, sailing improves sharply from yesterday’s 7.1, while boating and kayaking are down from yesterday’s calmer 8.4 and 7.0. Friday and especially Saturday look more forgiving on the water, with waves forecast at 0.6–0.7 m Friday and as low as 0.2 m Saturday. Best bet: sail early after the morning high, before the late-morning gusts turn the bay into a short-period spelling test.