SEA-CRAG RESEARCH PREVIEW

Mother Carey's Kitchen

Pembrokeshire · Limestone · Coast-scale guidance, not individual routes

Inputs retrieved 8 Oct 2026, 07:00 BST. Updated each morning and evening, scheduled for 07:00 and 17:00 UK time. Forecasts cover today and the next four days.

Stronger sea-state signal

A strong sea-state signal: waves and spray may affect sea-level climbing. Higher modelled water around 18:00 coincides with a raised sea-state signal. Check official tide times.

Friday 9 October · 08:00 to 18:39 local time

From 08:00 or sunrise, whichever is later, until sunset. Tide-related turns below cover the full calendar day.

Offshore waves

2 to 2.4 m

Significant wave height, not the largest individual wave.

Swell

0.2 to 1.9 m

Period 6.2 to 7.2 seconds. Longer-period swell can matter even in light wind.

Coastal wind

13 to 21.3 mph

Gusts 22.8 to 37.8 mph. Model 10 m open-ground wind, not face or belay wind.

Rain and temperature

2.8 mm

13.4 to 15.9°C. Rain covers source hours overlapping the daytime window.

Coast and spray

Stronger spray signal

  • A notable offshore sea state is forecast.
  • The offshore direction is oblique or away from the coast, but local wave shelter is not established.

Broad southerly coast exposure. East-facing walls and recessed corners differ, so this is not a route-level shelter or sunshine model.

Spray is an uncalibrated indication, not a probability or a height prediction. A lee wind does not establish shelter from swell.

Predicted astronomical tides

Calculated every five minutes from harmonic constants fitted to the nearby tide gauge's measured record. Some locations can have genuine secondary highs and lows.

  • Low tide00:02
  • High tide06:00
  • Low tide12:19
  • High tide18:17

Milford Haven reference gauge, about 21 km west. Its harbour tide timing is not validated for these cliffs; use official local tide guidance for the route. Times are predictions, not observations at the crag. Heights are deliberately omitted because they are not tied to a climbing ledge or chart datum here.

Total water-level model

Approximate peaks and dips in total sea level, including tide and weather effects. Source resolution is hourly, not a guarantee of timing accuracy.

  • Model level peakAbout 05:00
  • Model level dipAbout 12:00
  • Model level peakAbout 18:00

The total-water heights use mean sea level, not chart datum. Do not compare them directly with guidebook tidal-access heights.

Different parts of the crag

Lower cliff and starts

Starts and approaches have different tidal exposure. No route access height or safe period is calculated.

Upper cliff and top-outs

Wind and retreat conditions still matter above the lower cliff. Check a current guide and inspect the sea before committing.

How conditions change through the day

Directions show where wind and waves approach from, relative to the provisional broad coast aspect, not a surveyed climbing face.

Local time. Water heights are relative to mean sea level (MSL).
TimeModel waterWavesSwellWind
08:000.4 m MSL
Falling
2.2 m
Along coast
0.2 m, 7.2 s
Along coast
19.2 mph
Along coast
09:00-1.2 m MSL
Falling
2.3 m
Along coast
0.2 m, 7.1 s
Along coast
19.7 mph
Along coast
10:00-2.4 m MSL
Falling
2.4 m
Along coast
0.2 m, 6.9 s
Along coast
20.4 mph
Along coast
11:00-3.3 m MSL
Falling
2.3 m
Along coast
0.8 m, 6.7 s
Along coast
21.3 mph
Along coast
12:00-3.4 m MSL
Rising
2.2 m
Along coast
1.4 m, 6.4 s
Along coast
20.4 mph
Along coast
13:00-2.8 m MSL
Rising
2.1 m
Along coast
1.9 m, 6.2 s
Along coast
14.3 mph
Along coast
14:00-1.5 m MSL
Rising
2.1 m
Along coast
1.7 m, 6.3 s
Along coast
14.3 mph
Away from coast
15:000.2 m MSL
Rising
2 m
Along coast
1.5 m, 6.5 s
Towards coast
15.4 mph
Along coast
16:001.8 m MSL
Rising
2 m
Along coast
1.2 m, 6.6 s
Towards coast
16.6 mph
Along coast
17:002.9 m MSL
Rising
2 m
Along coast
1.3 m, 6.7 s
Towards coast
14.8 mph
Along coast
18:003.1 m MSL
Falling
2 m
Along coast
1.4 m, 6.7 s
Along coast
13 mph
Along coast
How this preview works and what is missing

Astronomical tides use 50 harmonic constituents from TICON-4, fitted to many years of measured tide-gauge data. The Moon and Sun are represented through these astronomical constituents, while local coastal shape is learned from the gauge record. Wind and pressure are not added to that curve.

Separately, we combine Open-Meteo waves, swell and total sea-level forecasts with local weather and a provisional coast-facing direction. Larger waves, longer periods and waves approaching the coast strengthen the sea-state signal. Onshore wind strengthens the spray signal. These are transparent research rules, not calibrated predictions of wave reach.

We do not add swell to total wave height because total waves already include swell. We also keep the astronomical tide and weather-affected total-water model separate to avoid counting surge twice.

  • Offshore model guidance, not conditions at a particular ledge. Individual waves can exceed the quoted significant height. Check official tide tables, route access and the sea on arrival; no safe-access window is calculated.
  • Spray signals are provisional rules, not calibrated probabilities or spray-height predictions.
  • The pilot does not resolve bathymetry, wave refraction, reflected waves, surge residuals separately or salt deposits on holds.
  • A sheltered wind direction does not establish shelter from swell. Offshore direction never establishes safe access.

No climbing score, safe-access interval or notification is produced. These crags are excluded from live rankings. Rock type is descriptive here; salt, seepage and drying are not yet modelled for this pilot.

Returned marine grid centre: 51.6, -4.8. Small coves, headlands and ledges are not resolved.

Inspect the research JSON contract