Captain Jarrod’s weekend boating forecast for Tampa Bay and the Gulf of America, new every Thursday: our 1 to 10 rating, wind, seas, tides and small craft advisories.
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Edition of Fri Nov 13, 2026
Weekend of Nov 13 to 15, 2026
Our boating rating runs from 1 to 10, and 10 is the best day on the water. “Open bay” is the open water of Tampa Bay; “protected water” is the rivers, Intracoastal, mangroves and grass flats.
Tampa / St. Pete
Tampa / St. Pete: ratings, wind, seas and tides (tides at Old Port Tampa)
Day
Rating
High / low
Wind
Seas
Tides
UV index
Advisory
Fri Nov 13Sunrise 6:50 AM Sunset 5:38 PM
Open bay 6 of 10
72° / 62° F
N 17 mph, gusts 23 mph
2 ft on the bay
High 2:55 AM (2.8 ft) Low 11:15 AM (0 ft) High 7:23 PM (1.8 ft) Low 9:49 PM (1.7 ft)
5
None
Sat Nov 14Sunrise 6:50 AM Sunset 5:38 PM
Open bay 7 of 10
66° / 51° F
N 17 mph, gusts 20 mph
2 ft on the bay
High 3:42 AM (2.6 ft) Low 12:03 PM (0.1 ft) High 8:08 PM (1.8 ft) Low 10:59 PM (1.7 ft)
6
None
Sun Nov 15Sunrise 6:51 AM Sunset 5:37 PM
Open bay 7 of 10
74° / 49° F
NE 17 mph, gusts 20 mph
2 ft on the bay
High 4:39 AM (2.5 ft) Low 12:58 PM (0.2 ft) High 8:49 PM (1.8 ft)
5
None
A bay weekend if you dress for it. The front clears before sunrise Friday and leaves sunshine, a north wind of 10 to 15 knots, gusts near 20 and a moderate chop. Saturday is the coolest day, 51 at dawn and 66 for a high. Sunday swings northeast and warms to the mid 70s. North wind pushes water out, so the midday lows run skinnier than the table says.
The Gulf of America
The Gulf of America: rating, wind, seas and tides
Day
Rating
High / low
Wind
Seas
Tides
UV index
Advisory
Fri Nov 13Sunrise 6:50 AM Sunset 5:38 PM
Gulf 1 of 10
72° / 62° F
N 23 mph, gusts 26 mph
3 to 4 feet, occasionally to 5 feet
High 2:55 AM (2.8 ft) Low 11:15 AM (0 ft) High 7:23 PM (1.8 ft) Low 9:49 PM (1.7 ft)
5
None
Sat Nov 14Sunrise 6:50 AM Sunset 5:38 PM
Gulf 1 of 10
66° / 51° F
N 23 mph, gusts 26 mph
2 to 4 feet, occasionally to 5 feet
High 3:42 AM (2.6 ft) Low 12:03 PM (0.1 ft) High 8:08 PM (1.8 ft) Low 10:59 PM (1.7 ft)
6
None
Sun Nov 15Sunrise 6:51 AM Sunset 5:37 PM
Gulf 3 of 10
74° / 49° F
NE 17 mph, gusts 20 mph
2 to 3 feet
High 4:39 AM (2.5 ft) Low 12:58 PM (0.2 ft) High 8:49 PM (1.8 ft)
5
None
Not this weekend. Friday and Saturday bring a north wind of 15 to 20 knots and seas of 3 to 4 feet, at times 5, stacked close together. Sunday eases to 2 to 3 feet on a northeast breeze and is still bumpy. No small craft advisory was posted when we wrote this, so check the latest before any run offshore. The bay is the play.
Edition of Fri Nov 6, 2026
Weekend of Nov 6 to 8, 2026
Our boating rating runs from 1 to 10, and 10 is the best day on the water. “Open bay” is the open water of Tampa Bay; “protected water” is the rivers, Intracoastal, mangroves and grass flats.
Tampa / St. Pete
Tampa / St. Pete: ratings, wind, seas and tides (tides at Old Port Tampa)
Day
Rating
High / low
Wind
Seas
Tides
UV index
Advisory
Fri Nov 6Sunrise 6:44 AM Sunset 5:42 PM
Open bay 9 of 10
83° / 69° F
WNW 11 mph, gusts 12 mph
1 ft on the bay
High 12:00 AM (2.5 ft) Low 6:37 AM (0.4 ft) High 1:03 PM (2.1 ft) Low 6:17 PM (1.1 ft)
6
None
Sat Nov 7Sunrise 6:45 AM Sunset 5:41 PM
Open bay 8 of 10
80° / 70° F
NNW 16 mph, gusts 16 mph
1 to 2 ft on the bay
High 12:18 AM (2.6 ft) Low 7:23 AM (0.2 ft) High 1:59 PM (2 ft) Low 6:39 PM (1.3 ft)
6
None
Sun Nov 8Sunrise 6:46 AM Sunset 5:41 PM
Open bay 9 of 10
77° / 66° F
NE 11 mph, gusts 13 mph
1 ft on the bay
High 12:35 AM (2.8 ft) Low 8:05 AM (0 ft) High 2:53 PM (1.9 ft) Low 6:59 PM (1.5 ft)
6
None
Three good days on Tampa Bay and the St. Pete side. Friday is the pick: light wind, a light chop and highs in the low 80s, about as flat as the bay gets. Saturday a north breeze builds to 10 to 15 knots by afternoon with a moderate chop, so run early. Sunday settles back to a light chop. No rain in sight.
The Gulf of America
The Gulf of America: rating, wind, seas and tides
Day
Rating
High / low
Wind
Seas
Tides
UV index
Advisory
Fri Nov 6Sunrise 6:44 AM Sunset 5:42 PM
Gulf 9 of 10
83° / 69° F
WNW 11 mph, gusts 12 mph
1 foot or less
High 12:00 AM (2.5 ft) Low 6:37 AM (0.4 ft) High 1:03 PM (2.1 ft) Low 6:17 PM (1.1 ft)
6
None
Sat Nov 7Sunrise 6:45 AM Sunset 5:41 PM
Gulf 7 of 10
80° / 70° F
NNW 16 mph, gusts 16 mph
1 foot or less, then around 2 feet in the afternoon
High 12:18 AM (2.6 ft) Low 7:23 AM (0.2 ft) High 1:59 PM (2 ft) Low 6:39 PM (1.3 ft)
6
None
Sun Nov 8Sunrise 6:46 AM Sunset 5:41 PM
Gulf 8 of 10
77° / 66° F
NE 11 mph, gusts 13 mph
around 2 feet
High 12:35 AM (2.8 ft) Low 8:05 AM (0 ft) High 2:53 PM (1.9 ft) Low 6:59 PM (1.5 ft)
6
None
Open for business. Friday the Gulf is flat, seas a foot or less on 5 knots of wind. Saturday builds to around 2 feet in the afternoon as the north wind picks up, so make the run early. Sunday holds around 2 feet on a northeast breeze. No small craft advisories this weekend.
Edition of Fri Oct 23, 2026
Weekend of Oct 23 to 25, 2026
Our boating rating runs from 1 to 10, and 10 is the best day on the water. “Open bay” is the open water of Tampa Bay; “protected water” is the rivers, Intracoastal, mangroves and grass flats.
Tampa / St. Pete
Tampa / St. Pete: ratings, wind, seas and tides (tides at Old Port Tampa)
Day
Rating
High / low
Wind
Seas
Tides
UV index
Advisory
Fri Oct 23Sunrise 7:35 AM Sunset 6:53 PM
Open bay 7 of 10
80° / 58° F
NE 20 mph, gusts 30 mph
2 ft on the bay
High 1:22 AM (2.4 ft) Low 7:23 AM (0.7 ft) High 1:37 PM (2.5 ft) Low 7:36 PM (0.9 ft)
6
None
Sat Oct 24Sunrise 7:35 AM Sunset 6:52 PM
Open bay 4 of 10 Protected water 6 of 10
81° / 63° F
NNE 17 mph, gusts 31 mph
2 to 3 ft on the bay
High 1:36 AM (2.5 ft) Low 8:06 AM (0.5 ft) High 2:31 PM (2.4 ft) Low 8:01 PM (1.2 ft)
6
Small craft advisory
Sun Oct 25Sunrise 7:36 AM Sunset 6:51 PM
Open bay 3 of 10 Protected water 5 of 10
80° / 68° F
NE 25 mph, gusts 34 mph
3 to 4 ft on the bay
High 1:51 AM (2.7 ft) Low 8:49 AM (0.2 ft) High 3:26 PM (2.3 ft) Low 8:24 PM (1.4 ft)
6
Small craft advisory
Friday is the day on Tampa Bay and the St. Pete side: northeast wind 10 to 20 mph, a moderate chop, cool and dry. Saturday and Sunday the open bay drops to a 3 to 4 with gusts past 30, but the protected water is still a 5 to 6: hide in the Intracoastal, the rivers, the mangroves and the grass flats, and skip the long runs.
The Gulf of America
The Gulf of America: rating, wind, seas and tides
Day
Rating
High / low
Wind
Seas
Tides
UV index
Advisory
Fri Oct 23Sunrise 7:35 AM Sunset 6:53 PM
Gulf 3 of 10
80° / 58° F
NE 15 mph, gusts 30 mph
2 to 3 feet
High 1:22 AM (2.4 ft) Low 7:23 AM (0.7 ft) High 1:37 PM (2.5 ft) Low 7:36 PM (0.9 ft)
6
None
Sat Oct 24Sunrise 7:35 AM Sunset 6:52 PM
Gulf 1 of 10
81° / 63° F
NNE 14 mph, gusts 31 mph
3 to 5 feet, occasionally to 6 feet
High 1:36 AM (2.5 ft) Low 8:06 AM (0.5 ft) High 2:31 PM (2.4 ft) Low 8:01 PM (1.2 ft)
6
Small craft advisory
Sun Oct 25Sunrise 7:36 AM Sunset 6:51 PM
Gulf 1 of 10
80° / 68° F
NE 25 mph, gusts 34 mph
5 to 7 feet, occasionally to 9 feet
High 1:51 AM (2.7 ft) Low 8:49 AM (0.2 ft) High 3:26 PM (2.3 ft) Low 8:24 PM (1.4 ft)
6
Small craft advisory
This is not your weekend to get out there. Friday brings 15 to 20 knots of northeast wind, 2 to 3 foot seas and gusts to 25. Saturday and Sunday the wind climbs to 25 to 30 knots with seas 5 to 7 feet, occasionally 9, and small craft advisories in effect, so head out at your own risk.
Pick your day on the water
Weather days reschedule, no charge. Private charters out of Tampa, Ruskin, Apollo Beach, St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Bradenton.
