Amelia Island things to do & where to go

Amelia Island beach conditions today

By Kaden Ewald, Editor Last updated How we verify

Key facts

Today's beach conditions for Amelia Island, Florida: NOAA tide predictions for the Fernandina Beach station, National Weather Service forecast, water temperature from the nearest buoy, sunrise and sunset times, and the beach flag as last recorded by our editors.

Conditions right now

No live reading reached this build. The NOAA and National Weather Service feeds did not answer, so rather than show you a number nobody measured, the figures below fall back to what a typical September looks like: a 86°F high, a 73.2°F low and a 82.4°F ocean, from the NOAA 1991–2020 normals for FERNANDINA BEACH, FL.

That is a climate average, not today's weather. For the live picture check NOAA station 8720030 and NWS Jacksonville directly.

Beach flag
Not reported Manually maintained — no official feed yet
Air temperature
86°F typical 1991–2020 normal for September — no live NWS reading
Water temperature
82.4°F typical Monthly mean for September — no live sensor reading. The island's own tide station has no water-temperature sensor.
Next high tide
Not available NOAA station 8720030, Fernandina Beach, FL
Next low tide
Not available About 6 hours apart, over a 6–7.4 ft range
Surf
Not available NDBC buoy 41112, 17 km offshore — no reading this build
Sunrise / sunset
7:08 AM / 7:39 PM Amelia Island faces east — sunrise is the beach show

Snapshot taken . Sources: NOAA CO-OPS tide predictions — Fernandina Beach, FL; NOAA NDBC buoy 41112; National Weather Service forecast API; NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals — FERNANDINA BEACH, FL. Embed this on your site

How to read this page

The numbers above come from two federal feeds and one thing we maintain by hand.

Tides are NOAA CO-OPS predictions for the Fernandina Beach station. They are predictions, not measurements — a strong onshore wind or low pressure will push the actual water higher and later than the table says.

Air temperature and the forecast come from the National Weather Service API gridpoint covering the island.

Water temperature is from the nearest NOAA buoy. Northeast Florida water runs from the high 50s Fahrenheit in February to the mid 80s in August; the Atlantic here is not the bath water of the Gulf coast or south Florida.

The beach flag is maintained by our editors, not fed live. Nassau County does not publish a machine-readable flag feed, so we record what is flying when we check and stamp it with a time. If the timestamp is old, treat the flag as unknown and look at the flagpole yourself when you get there.

What the flags mean

  • Green — low hazard. Calm conditions. Still an ocean.
  • Yellow — moderate surf or currents. Most swimmers should stay in waist-deep water.
  • Red — high hazard. Strong surf or rip currents.
  • Double red — water closed. Do not enter.
  • Purple — dangerous marine life. Usually jellyfish or man o' war on this coast; it does not indicate sharks.

Purple can fly alongside any other colour.

Rip currents are the actual risk here

Not sharks. Rip currents are the leading surf hazard on the Florida Atlantic coast, and they form on this shoreline around sandbar gaps and near structures — the Fort Clinch jetties at the north end and the inlet at the south end are both places to keep clear of.

If you are caught in one: do not swim against it. Swim parallel to the beach until you are out of the pull, then in. The current is narrow and it does not pull you under.

Sunrise, not sunset

Amelia Island faces east. Sunrise over the Atlantic is the show, and the beach accesses on Fletcher Avenue put you on the sand in a minute from the car. Sunset happens on the river side, downtown at the marina.

Sea turtle nesting

Roughly May through October. During those months, and it applies at every access on the island:

  • Fill in every hole you dig before you leave.
  • Take chairs, umbrellas and tents off the beach at the end of the day.
  • Keep off marked nests, and keep dogs leashed and away from the dune line.
  • Shield or turn off lights visible from the beach after dark — disoriented hatchlings head for artificial light instead of the water.

Before you rely on any of this

Check the sources directly. Our snapshot can be hours old, and conditions on a barrier island change faster than a build pipeline.

Check the primary sources

Frequently asked questions

What is the water temperature at Amelia Island?
Northeast Florida water runs from the high 50s Fahrenheit in February to the mid 80s in August. The current reading on this page comes from the nearest NOAA buoy; check NOAA directly for the live figure.
What do the beach flags mean on Amelia Island?
Green is low hazard, yellow moderate surf or current, red high hazard, double red means the water is closed, and purple indicates dangerous marine life — usually jellyfish, not sharks. Purple can fly alongside any other colour.
Where do I find Amelia Island tide times?
NOAA CO-OPS publishes tide predictions for the Fernandina Beach station. This page carries the next high and low from that feed; the predictions can run high and late in onshore winds.
What should I do if caught in a rip current?
Do not swim against it. Swim parallel to the beach until you are clear of the pull, then in toward shore. Rip currents are narrow and they do not pull you under.