–Noon–
🌡 Air ↺
–
–
Migration tonight (BirdCast)
Loading migration forecast…
Right now in the marsh
–
Tidal potential
Orbital tide index
–
–
Moon–
Phase–
Earth–Sun–
Node factor–
–
Tide · –
NOAA 8536110 · MLLW · 6-min resolution
High & Low tides
| Time | Type | Height |
|---|---|---|
| – | ||
Astronomy · –
☀️ Sunrise–
🌅 Sunset–
🌙 Moon phase–
🌊 Tidal index–
What to look for today
7-day tides
Daily forecast
Wildlife calendar · Avalon / Cape May NJ
🐦 Migration & phenology this month
–
🔬 Species Explorer · Avalon/Stone Harbor Wetlands
1,361+ species documented in iNaturalist within 5mi of Avalon wetlands. Browse by group or search. Tap 📊 for phenology chart.
Select a group above to browse locally documented species.
Recent GBIF occurrences · 20 mi
Loading…
Recent OBIS marine records
Loading…
iNaturalist phenology — species by month
Monthly observation counts from iNaturalist for New Jersey (Place ID 49). Reflects observer effort but shows real seasonality.
🗺 Fishing Spots · Avalon / Stone Harbor
Key access points for shore, jetty, bridge, and back-bay fishing. Tap a marker for details.
🎣 Fishing methods & bait guide · Avalon / Stone Harbor
Specific tackle, hooks, rigs, and bait for Cape May County. All fishing requires a NJ Saltwater recreational license.
Striped bass Morone saxatilis
Best: Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov · Surf, inlets, back bay at night
Bait: Bunker (menhaden) chunk or live, bloodworms, sand eels, clam on 3/0–5/0 circle hook.
Lures: Bucktail jig 1–2oz, pencil popper, soft plastic swimbait on jig head. Fishfinder rig in surf. 28" minimum, 1/day.
Lures: Bucktail jig 1–2oz, pencil popper, soft plastic swimbait on jig head. Fishfinder rig in surf. 28" minimum, 1/day.
Summer flounder (fluke) Paralichthys dentatus
Best: May–Sep · Back bay, channels, sand edges
Rig: Bucktail jig ½–1oz tipped with squid strip — the classic fluke rig. Drift over sand/mud bottom.
Bait: Live killies (mummichog), spearing, squid. Gulp! Alive is extremely effective. 16" minimum. NJ daily bag limit applies.
Bait: Live killies (mummichog), spearing, squid. Gulp! Alive is extremely effective. 16" minimum. NJ daily bag limit applies.
Bluefish Pomatomus saltatrix
Best: May–Nov · Anywhere there are baitfish
Any metal lure works — tin squid, diamond jig, spoon. Wire leader required — blues will bite through mono. Cut bunker chunk for bottom fishing. Watch fingers — teeth are razor sharp.
Weakfish (sea trout) Cynoscion regalis
Best: May–Jun, Sep–Oct · Back bay, tidal creeks at night
Night fishing: live shrimp or bloodworm on jig head under a bridge light. Soft plastic curly tail in chartreuse. Light tackle for the fight — they have tender mouths (hence "weakfish").
Blue crab Callinectes sapidus
Best: Jul–Oct · Docks, bridges, bay channels
Hand-line: Tie chicken neck or bunker to a string, lower to bottom, wait for tugging, scoop with dip net.
Crab pot: Bait with bunker, set in channel, retrieve every few hours.
Ring net: Flat collapsible net — lower, wait, raise quickly. NJ crabbing regs ↗
Crab pot: Bait with bunker, set in channel, retrieve every few hours.
Ring net: Flat collapsible net — lower, wait, raise quickly. NJ crabbing regs ↗
Tautog (blackfish) Tautoga onitis
Best: Oct–Nov, Apr–May · Jetties, wrecks, rocky structure
Bait: Green crab (quartered), fiddler crab, or Asian shore crab — all invasive crabs that are excellent bait. Sandworm works well.
Rig: Dropper loop with 3/0 short-shank hook, fish tight to structure. Powerful first run — strong line essential.
Rig: Dropper loop with 3/0 short-shank hook, fish tight to structure. Powerful first run — strong line essential.
Back-bay seining guide · Avalon / Stone Harbor
What a fine-mesh seine net will catch in the tidal creeks, marsh edges, and back-bay shallows. Best at high tide when fish push into flooded marsh grass and creek heads. Always check NJ DEP regulations — many of these species have size and bag limits or protected status.
Foraging guide · Cape May County
Critical: Always verify shellfish harvest areas are open with NJDEP Shellfish Section before taking any bivalves. Many areas near Avalon and Stone Harbor are conditionally approved and close after heavy rain. A NJ shellfish license is required for most harvesting.
Tidal maxima result from stacking: lunar perigee, syzygy (new/full moon), Earth at perihelion (Jan), and the 18.6-yr nodal cycle. All orbits are known — this scans them forward in time.
Scan for tidal extremes · maxima & minima
Select a time window above to scan
Next tidal events · Avalon
Computing…
Physics of tidal extremes
Perigean spring tide — maxima
Full/new moon + lunar perigee. Tides ~15–20% above normal spring. Repeats ~every 7.5 months.
Extreme neap tide — minima
Quarter moon + lunar apogee. Moon at maximum distance, forces at right angles — minimal tidal range. Ideal for flat-water paddling and seining.
Perihelion boost (~Jan 3)
Earth closest to Sun — solar tidal contribution at annual peak. A perigean spring tide in early January is notably more powerful.
Moon's orbital plane precesses, modulating tidal amplitude ±19%. Next nodal maximum: ~2034.
Jupiter (tiny but real)
Jupiter's tidal effect ~1/16,000th of the Moon's. Over millennia, rare Jupiter–Moon–Sun–perigee alignments produce the rarest hyper-maxima.
Wind compass
– mph
From –
NDBC Buoy 44025 · Offshore NJ
Wave height
–
–
Wave period
–
–
Water temp
–
Offshore buoy
Wave quality
–
–
Water clarity estimate
–
Pressure trend · 24h
24h ago
Now
72-hour forecast
–
📡 NWS Marine Forecast · Cape May Region
Marine zones for Cape May / Avalon inshore & offshore waters:
Bay waters south of C&D Canal. Wind, wave, and visibility. Critical for bay fishing and crabbing.
Ocean from Cape May to Long Beach Island. Wave height, period, swell. Essential for offshore trips.
Real-time waves, swell period, water temp. 40 miles offshore SE of Manasquan.
⚠ Low-pressure tide effect (inverted barometer)
Every 1 hPa below standard (1013 mb) raises sea level ~1 cm (~0.4 in). A 980 mb storm system can add 13 cm (~5 in) to observed tides. This effect is real and additive to astronomical tides — critical for flood assessment. Current effect shown in Pressure card above.
🌙 Night sky, nocturnal wildlife, and crepuscular activity guide for Avalon/Cape May NJ.
🛸 ISS Passes · Avalon NJ
Loading passes…
ISS orbits Earth every ~92 min at 17,500 mph. Visible as bright steady moving light (no blinking).
Look for the brightest object moving steadily across the sky in 2–5 minutes.
NASA Spot the Station — Cape May ↗
Heavens-Above ISS passes ↗
☄ Meteor Showers · Annual Calendar
Dark sky quality at Avalon: moderate (Bortle 6). Face away from Atlantic City glow (NW). Best viewing after midnight when radiant is highest.
AMS Meteor Shower Calendar ↗
🚀 Rocket Launches · Visible from NJ
Loading…
Wallops Island VA (MARS pad) launches are commonly visible from Cape May on clear nights. SpaceX Falcon 9 launches from Cape Canaveral may create visible plumes.
RocketLaunch.live — Wallops ↗
NASA Wallops launch schedule ↗
⭐ Night Sky Conditions
🌙 Moon phase
–
–
⭐ Sky darkness
–
–
🌅 Sunset
–
Civil twilight ends
🌄 Sunrise
–
Civil twilight begins
Best dark sky spots near Avalon: Higbee Beach WMA (boat launch end, west-facing for bay), Cape May Point beach, Poverty Beach. Avoid Stone Harbor marina during summer. Check Light Pollution Map ↗
Clear Outside — Avalon astronomy forecast ↗
🦉 Nocturnal & Crepuscular Wildlife · Cape May
✨ Bioluminescence · Dinoflagellates
When to see it: Warm water (Jul–Sep), low wave turbulence, dark moon phase. Look in bow waves of boats, breaking surf, and disturbed water at night.
Best spots: Inside the surf zone at night, paddling in the back bay. Any disturbance of the water creates blue-green flash.
Cause: Noctiluca scintillans and other dinoflagellates — single-celled algae that produce light via luciferin-luciferase reaction when mechanically disturbed.
Checking conditions…