El Rodadero, Colombia tide times

Predictions: Open-Meteo Marine (MeteoFrance SMOC, 0.08° grid) — heights relative to MSL (not chart datum / LAT). Model-derived.

Model-derived from a global ocean grid. Useful indication; expect about ±45 minutes on average vs. a local harmonic gauge, individual stations vary widely. See /methodology for per-region detail. Not for navigation.

Conditions as of 17:00 local time. Refreshes daily.

Predictions: Open-Meteo Marine (MeteoFrance SMOC, 0.08° grid) — heights relative to MSL (not chart datum / LAT). Model-derived. · Not for navigation.

The angler tradition for major/minor fishing windows: major ≈3-hour windows around moon transit and opposition; minor ≈2-hour windows around moonrise and moonset. Times are America/Bogota local. Folk tradition, not a scientific forecast.

El Rodadero is the beach resort strip 4 km south of Santa Marta's historic centre, occupying the Rodadero Bay between two low rocky headlands. The beach runs 600 m of fine grey-white sand with a gradual slope into calm, sheltered water — sheltered because the bay faces northwest and the northeast trade wind that dominates the Santa Marta coast runs obliquely along the shoreline rather than directly onshore. The strip behind the beach is dense hotel and apartment towers, restaurants, ice cream vendors, and the Rodadero Aquarium. The tidal pattern is microtidal Caribbean: spring range 25–40 cm, mixed semidiurnal. Open-Meteo Marine provides forecast data — timing accuracy ±45 minutes, height accuracy ±0.2–0.3 m. The small range means the beach width is effectively constant across the tidal cycle, which simplifies planning for beach families. The bay orientation means morning hours are flat and calm; afternoon northeast trades build a moderate chop from 11 am onward. For beach families, El Rodadero is the most accessible beach in the Santa Marta area. The water is calm and clear in the morning — a 20–30 m visibility snorkel is possible with basic equipment over the rocky reef sections at the northern and southern ends of the bay. The aquarium at the north end of the beach strip runs dolphin shows and holds a collection of Caribbean marine species; it's the main structured children's activity on the waterfront. Lounger hire, fresh coconut, food vendors, and toilet facilities are all present. Kayakers and stand-up paddleboarders make the crossing from El Rodadero to Isla El Morro, the small rocky island 2 km offshore to the northwest. The crossing is straightforward in the morning calm but the returning southeast crossing against the afternoon trades is significantly harder. The island itself has no facilities but excellent snorkelling around the rock base and a sea bird colony on top. Anglers working El Rodadero from small boats target the rocky headlands at either end of the bay where snapper and barracuda hold at 8–15 m depth. The most productive window is the incoming tide, two hours before to one hour after the higher high water. Shore fishing from the rocky points is possible at low water when the intertidal platform is exposed. Evening sessions at the northern rocks produce the most consistent bites. Photographers get clean symmetry from the midpoint of the beach looking back at the hotel towers reflected in the calm morning water — a strong urban-resort composition. The Isla El Morro silhouette against the afternoon sky from the beach, with the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta's snowcapped peaks visible on clear mornings to the northeast (approximately 5,700 m elevation), is an unusual geographical compression rarely seen in a single frame.