Weather

I look at Willy Weather for wind, rain, tides, and swell. At the start of the season I'll also check the water temp at our weather buoy.

Swell

I generally don't go if the swell is 2m+. I would say for people starting they shouldn't go unless it's under 1m. That's for around here. Obviously other places would be different. The swell period also matters. If it's too short it's gonna be harder to get in and out (less gaps). Around here a southerly swell is normally smaller on the shore than an easterly. Northerly swell we usually don't bother as it comes with strong northerly winds.

Wind

I normally don't go unless it's under 20km/h wind. If it's the weekend and 5km/h wind and the spotties are running I'll probably stay home too. My favourite is around 10-15km/h southerly winds - makes it a bit sporty, keeps a few people away, and the southerly wind makes the water a bit warmer. Easterly wind is going to be onshore and a bit messy. Northerly wind is normally quite horrible.

Rain

A little bit of rain here and there is fine. Even a long dragged out drissle can be ok. Just not a downpour and definitely not lightning!

Tide

I like an hour on either side of the high tide. Low tide can also be ok. But most of the time I don't care as I'd rather go in the morning than sit around and wait for the tide. It's too hot and sunny in the middle of the day so I don't have too much experience with it. Afternoon sessions can be great, but it's often a bit messy and I tend to get a bit nauseous during those conditions.

All of this is probably very different in other places.

Water temperature

The weather buoys and Windy: Sea Temperature are handy. We want it to be 23C+ for the spotties to come in, although they've been caught in 21C no problem. In summer it's normally around 25C. Spring is fickle, 18-24C. In winter it's pretty consistent around 19C.