Vaca Key, USCG Station, Florida Bay Tides Today
Open this station in TidalMapLive water level, free for 7 days
Vaca Key, USCG Station, Florida Bay runs a mean tidal range of about 0.7 ft. This month the highest water, 1.6 ft, comes on the morning of Oct 30, and the lowest, 0.1 ft, on the morning of Oct 29.
| High tide | 4:48 AM | 1.5 ft |
| Low tide | 11:24 AM | 0.2 ft |
Today on the water at Vaca Key, USCG Station, Florida Bay
Today at Vaca Key, USCG Station, Florida Bay: high tide at 4:48 AM (1.5 ft), low tide at 11:24 AM (0.2 ft). The National Weather Service forecast for today is chance showers and thunderstorms with E winds 10 mph, 83°F. In effect now: Coastal Flood Warning. The water at the gauge reads 82°F. Sunrise is at 7:30 AM and sunset at 6:45 PM.
| Period | Forecast | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Today | Chance Showers And Thunderstorms | E 10 mph | 83°F |
| Tonight | Showers And Thunderstorms Likely | E 10 to 15 mph | 77°F |
Forecast: National Weather Service point forecast for this location.
Where Vaca Key, USCG Station, Florida Bay is
Vaca Key, USCG Station, Florida Bay sits at 24.7110° N, 81.1065° W on the Florida Keys, where the Atlantic meets Florida Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, at Marathon, FL, in Mainland Monroe County. The station here is a live gauge in NOAA's National Water Level Observation Network, the reference network the rest of the coast's tide predictions are tied to. It has been in NOAA's records since 1970. The nearest weather station is Vaca Key, FL, a shore station reporting wind and, at most sites, water temperature, right at this station.
The tide at Vaca Key, USCG Station, Florida Bay
Vaca Key, USCG Station, Florida Bay has a mixed tide: two highs and two lows a day, but of unequal size, so one low each day drains a little lower than the other. This month's predictions average 1.5 high tides a day here. The mean range from lower low to higher high is 1.0 ft, and 0.7 ft between the average high and the average low, a small tide. On an average day the higher high tops the lower high by 0.1 ft and the lower low sits 0.1 ft below the other low. For the water around it: The Keys sit on a tidal seam: the ocean side has two semidiurnal highs a day near 2 ft, while the bay side is smaller and more diurnal, so tides on opposite sides of one key can differ by hours.
About this station
- Highest water on record: 6.8 ft on Oct 24, 2005.
- Lowest on record: -1.1 ft on Feb 4, 1971.
- The National Weather Service counts 2.1 ft as minor flooding here, 2.6 ft as moderate and 3.1 ft as major.
Datum and source
Heights on this page are feet above mean lower low water (MLLW), the zero NOAA's nautical charts use for soundings. A predicted 0.0 ft low is the average of the lower low each day; a minus tide is water below chart datum, and a 2 ft high means 2 ft more water than the chart shows. NOAA fixes MLLW at Vaca Key, USCG Station, Florida Bay from the 1983-2001 National Tidal Datum Epoch; mean higher high water is 1.0 ft above it and mean sea level 0.5 ft. The land survey datum NAVD88, the zero on topographic maps and flood maps, is 1.3 ft above MLLW here, so a water level on this page converts to NAVD88 by subtracting that amount. These datums are controlled from NOAA's Key West, FL gauge. Source: NOAA CO-OPS station 8723970, a National Water Level Observation Network gauge, established 1970. The tide times and heights are NOAA's official harmonic predictions for this station; TidalMap republishes them daily and does not alter them. The observed line is the gauge's own six-minute water level feed.
Tide stations near Vaca Key, USCG Station, Florida Bay
- Money Key: 7.2 mi, tides about 164 min earlier
- Missouri Key-Little Duck Key Channel: 8.3 mi, tides about 196 min earlier
- Long Key, western end: 17.3 mi, tides about 229 min earlier
- Big Spanish Key: 19.9 mi, tides about 30 min later
- Long Key Bight, Long Key: 20.4 mi, tides about 222 min earlier
TidalMapMonthly tide calendar
🌊 Biggest flood tides at Vaca Key, USCG Station, Florida Bay this month: Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3, Oct 27, Oct 28, Oct 29, Oct 30, Oct 31. These spring highs push water up into the grass and over the oyster rock; prime for poling into flooded marsh for tailing reds.
Best fishing times (solunar)
Major and minor solunar windows for Vaca Key, USCG Station, Florida Bay, peak feeding activity is around the moon overhead/underfoot (majors) and moonrise/moonset (minors). Score is the day's activity coefficient (0–100).
| Day | Major windows | Minor windows | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Today 🌖 | 5:04–7:04 AM 5:29–7:29 PM | — 12:10–2:10 PM | 55 |
| Sun Nov 1 🌗 | 6:04–8:04 AM 6:29–8:29 PM | 11:02–1:02 AM 1:00–3:00 PM | 42 |
| Mon Nov 2 🌗 | 7:00–9:00 AM 7:25–9:25 PM | 12:10–2:10 AM 1:43–3:43 PM | 33 |
| Tue Nov 3 🌗 | 7:51–9:51 AM 8:16–10:16 PM | 1:14–3:14 AM 2:21–4:21 PM | 47 |
| Wed Nov 4 🌗 | 8:39–10:39 AM 9:04–11:04 PM | 2:16–4:16 AM 2:55–4:55 PM | 60 |
| Thu Nov 5 🌘 | 9:25–11:25 AM 9:50–11:50 PM | 3:15–5:15 AM 3:28–5:28 PM | 73 |
| Fri Nov 6 🌘 | 10:10–12:10 PM 10:35–12:35 AM | 4:12–6:12 AM 4:01–6:01 PM | 83 |
Predictions & observations: NOAA CO-OPS station 8723970. Solunar windows computed from the moon's position for this location. Times shown in the station's local time. Not for navigation.
Open this station in TidalMapLive water level, free for 7 days
Set your own flood/low lines, moon & solunar, weather and live tides in the app, start a free TidalMap trial.