Should I boat at Marco Island, FL today?

Conditions right now

CAUTION as of Oct 23, 11:22 AM ET: wind NNE 15 kt, gusts 18 kt; waves about 2 ft every 4 s. Boatable with care: expect chop or building wind. Small boats should think twice.

From the NWS gridded forecast for this launch. The live page adds buoy observations, marine warnings and an hour-by-hour timeline.

About Marco Island, FL

• Water: Florida Gulf Coast
• Location: 25.940, -81.720
• NWS marine forecast zone: GMZ656
• Live observations: NDBC RKXF1

How the wind direction plays here

• Onshore (waves pile up at the launch, often rougher than the open-water number): S, SSW, SW, WSW, W
• Offshore (deceptively calm at the ramp, rougher farther out, and it pushes you away from shore): N, NNE, NE, ENE, E
• Cross-shore (moderate; watch which way it trends): ESE, SE, SSE, WNW, NW, NNW

Why direction matters: wind direction and fetch.

Nearby launches on Florida Gulf Coast

• Naples, FL (15 mi): CAUTION, wind NE 15 kt, gusts 17 kt; waves about 2 ft every 3 s
• Fort Myers Beach, FL (38 mi): CAUTION, wind NE 14 kt, gusts 16 kt; waves about 3 ft every 2 s
• Sarasota, FL (109 mi): CAUTION, wind NE 13 kt, gusts 17 kt; waves about 3 ft every 2 s
• Tampa Bay / St. Petersburg, FL (138 mi): GO, wind NE 12 kt, gusts 15 kt; waves about 1 ft every 3 s
• Clearwater, FL (157 mi): CAUTION, wind NE 14 kt, gusts 16 kt; waves about 3 ft every 3 s
• Panama City Beach, FL (383 mi): GO, wind ENE 10 kt, gusts 12 kt; waves about 2 ft every 2 s