Johnny Cay, 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.

Last spring tide on Tue 19 May (range 0.5m). Next neap on Mon 25 May.

Spring tides cluster around new and full moons (biggest swings). Neap tides land on quarter moons (smallest swings). See the spring tide and neap tide glossary entries for the why.

Johnny Cay is a coral key 1.5 km offshore from San Andrés town, a 300 m-wide sand island encircled by white beach and coconut palms. Water taxis from the San Andrés town pier reach it in 10 minutes. The cay is the primary day-trip destination from San Andrés for beach visitors, drawing boats throughout the morning and clearing in the afternoon. The reef fringe around the cay is the most accessible snorkelling from San Andrés — calm, clear, and shallow enough for non-swimmers with a flotation vest. 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 reef around the cay keeps conditions inside the fringe calm regardless of tidal state, though the tidal flow through the gaps in the reef perimeter increases around peak tide phases and creates current over the snorkelling areas. The reef fringe around Johnny Cay is under formal protection as part of the Old Providence McBean Lagoon system and the Seaflower Marine Protected Area. The reef directly north and east of the cay is the healthier section — less impacted by the high day-trip boat traffic that concentrates on the western beach. Parrotfish, blue tang, sergeant major, queen angelfish, and French grunt are standard sightings. Nurse sharks rest under the coral heads on the eastern fringe at 3–5 m depth; they're habituated to snorkellers and are not a concern with normal behaviour. For anglers, the channel between Johnny Cay and San Andrés island (the Haynes Cay channel) concentrates tidal flow and produces barracuda, jack crevalle, and occasional tarpon along the channel edges. Fishing from shore on the cay itself is limited — the reef fringe is protected and the beach crowds concentrate on the western arc. Small pangas anchored in the deeper channel to the north produce better fishing results. Beach families find Johnny Cay the most straightforward beach day from San Andrés: 10 minutes by boat, white sand, turquoise water, shade from the palm trees, and food vendors on the beach. The crowd level rises sharply between 10 am and 1 pm when the tour boats arrive from San Andrés town, then drops again after 2 pm as boats return. Arriving on the first departure (around 8 am) gives a quieter morning on the beach before the main flow. Photographers get the classic Caribbean cay composition from the eastern approach by water taxi: white sand against turquoise water, palms, and the blue sky. The clarity of the water between Johnny Cay and San Andrés — the 'Sea of Seven Colours' described in tourism material — is most vivid on calm mornings with low sun angle.