Can I paddle at Owen Beach, Tacoma today?
South Sound · Hour-by-hour go / maybe / no-go calls for paddleboards and kayaks from live NWS wind, gust and chop forecasts, plus NOAA tides and water temperature.
Conditions snapshot
As of Wed, Nov 4, 9:05 AM PST. Updated hourly; open this page in a browser for the live hour-by-hour calls.
- Right now: Go for beginner, intermediate and experienced paddlers. (Glassy)
- Forecast this hour: wind 2 mph from the S, gusts 5 mph, chop 0.0 ft, air 46°F (offshore).
- Water: 55°F at Tacoma.
- Tide: rising, 5.5 ft; high 12.3 ft at 1:28pm.
- Best window today: Beginner: 9am–2pm, Go, wind 2–7 mph, gusts 9. Intermediate: 9am–2pm, Go, wind 2–7 mph, gusts 9. Experienced: 9am–2pm, Go, wind 2–7 mph, gusts 9.
- Best window tomorrow: Beginner: no good window (No-go). Intermediate: 7am–1pm, Maybe, wind 9 mph, gusts 13. Experienced: 7am–4:49pm, Maybe, wind 8–10 mph, gusts 13.
Local notes
Currents run hard around Point Defiance toward the Narrows; Vashon ferry crosses Dalco Passage.
About this launch
- Faces N (0°). Wind from the S blows offshore here, pushing you away from the beach, so it lowers the call once it reaches about 8 mph. Wind from the N blows onshore and builds chop on the way in.
- Open water: forecast chop counts toward the call.
- Suitable for all skill levels when the wind and water allow.
- Marine forecast zone: Puget Sound and Hood Canal (PZZ135).
- Tides: NOAA predictions for Tahlequah, Dalco Passage (station 9446375). Water temperature: NOAA sensor at Tacoma.
- Location: 47.3160, -122.5290 (South Sound).
How the calls work, with the wind limits for each skill level: how it works.
Nearby launches
- Jerisich Dock, Gig Harbor (3 mi)
- Redondo Beach, Des Moines (10 mi)
- Lincoln Park, West Seattle (16 mi)
- Alki Beach, West Seattle (19 mi)