YOUR KIND OF WATER / Boating & sailing
Find your departure. Check your return.
Put wind, gusts, waves and tide context on the same clock before choosing a boat day or sail.
Compare your hours ↗01
Your boat changes the question
Hull, length, speed and heading affect comfort. Select your vessel in the app for boat-specific chop context; the public comparison uses generic activity assessments.
02
Read direction as well as height
Wave period, direction and wind against current can change the ride. An ocean forecast and an inlet crossing are separate decisions.
03
Leave room for the return
Compare the departure hour with the hour you expect to come home. Check official advisories and bridge, draft and route constraints separately.
UNDERSTAND THE NUMBER
Same height. Different time between waves.
Period is the time between successive wave crests passing a fixed point. Change this illustrative period to compare the spacing in time; this is not a prediction of your boat’s motion.
At a fixed point, 5 seconds means about 12 crests per minute. For a given wave height, shorter periods can increase small-vessel danger. Longer periods can still produce powerful breaking surf. Direction, currents, depth and your vessel matter too. Read the NWS explanation.
What this cannot tell you
An activity score does not establish navigability, bridge clearance or the condition of every part of your route.
NWS marine forecast questions ↗Guide reviewed October 19, 2026.