Weather information at sea

How to get marine weather reports, forecasts and warnings for coastal waters and high seas around Australia

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How to get weather information at sea

Know how to get weather information when you're on the coast or on the high seas around Australia.

Depending on how far you are offshore, you can access our weather information using:

  • very high frequency (VHF) radio for inshore waters up to 20 nautical miles
  • high frequency (HF) radio for offshore waters
  • MarineLite – our forecasts, warnings and weather charts web pages designed for satellite internet and areas with limited bandwidth
  • satellite when you need global access.

Marine safety and distress

Distress and safety services are provided by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) and state and territory governments.

For a list of national, state and territory marine agencies, see our Emergency contacts page.

VHF voice radio for inshore waters

Local weather forecasts are broadcast by coastal radio stations on very high frequency (VHF) radio.

Tune into the broadcasts for weather information and warnings.

  • Instructions and broadcast times are announced on channel 16.
  • Coverage extends about 20 nautical miles offshore.
  • Schedule and hours of operation are determined by each coast radio station.

This service is provided by state and territory maritime safety agencies and local volunteer marine rescue operations.

Find the marine safety agency for your area on our Emergency contacts page.

HF radio voice and fax for offshore waters

We broadcast marine weather information over high frequency (HF) radio for the high seas and Australian coastal areas.

Broadcasts are made from 2 stations:

  • VMC – for services from Charleville in Queensland.
  • VMW – for services from Wiluna in Western Australia.

Broadcast areas

VMC (Australia Weather East) broadcasts for the following areas:

  • Coastal Waters areas off Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania.
  • High Seas for the Northern, Southern, North Eastern and South Eastern high seas areas.

VMW (Australia Weather West) broadcasts for the following areas:

  • Coastal Waters areas off South Australia, Western Australia and Northern Territory.
  • High Seas for the Northern, Western and Southern high seas areas.

Find maps of broadcast areas on our Marine weather service areas page.

Voice broadcasts

  • Include warnings and forecasts.
  • Marine warnings are broadcast every hour, on the hour.
  • Forecasts and observation reports are broadcast on a fixed schedule repeated every 4 hours.

View the HF voice broadcast schedule and frequencies on this page.

Fax broadcasts

  • Include weather, wind and wave charts.

To receive fax broadcasts, you need either:

  • a marine fax unit attached to your HF radio
  • or a personal computer connected through an HF modulator.

View the HF fax broadcast schedule and frequencies on this page.

MarineLite for satellite internet and areas with limited bandwidth

Forecasts, warnings, and weather charts are available on our text-only web pages – MarineLite.

This is suitable for areas with poor mobile coverage or where information can only be accessed through satellite services.

This service covers:

  • Australian Coastal Waters forecasts and warnings
  • High Seas forecasts and Ocean Wind Warnings
  • charts for Australia, Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean.

You'll find MarineLite on our current website – we're still building this new one.

Satellite communication services

Satellite communications provide global coverage through Enhanced Group Call satellite services.

We provide high seas warnings and forecasts, and some coastal forecasts for Australian high seas and coastal areas.

Our marine forecasts and warnings are broadcast through the Iridium SafetyCast and Inmarsat SafetyNET satellite network systems.

Our warnings and forecast services for METAREA 10 include:

  • Australian high seas areas
  • Bass Strait
  • Torres Strait
  • Western Australian coastal waters
  • Northern Territory coastal waters.

We provide broadcasts as part of the Worldwide Met-Ocean Information and Warning Service to shipping, under the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System.

Broadcast schedules

Weather warnings are broadcast as they are issued.

Weather forecasts are broadcast at the same Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) all year round. For the Bass Strait, UTC time changes 1 hour later during Australian Daylight Saving Time (ADST).

Australian SafetyNET weather bulletin schedule

Forecast typeAreasTimes
High seasNorth Eastern, South Eastern,
Western, Northern
1100, 2300 UTC
High seasSouthern1100 UTC
Coastal watersBass Strait1930, 0715 UTC (+ 1 hour later during ADST)
Coastal watersTorres Strait1845, 0600 UTC
Coastal watersNorthern Territory
(Cape Fourcroy to NT–Qld border)
1915, 0630 UTC
Coastal watersWestern Australia, Northern Australia
(WA–NT border to Cape Fourcroy)
2030, 0830 UTC

Australian SafetyCast weather bulletin schedule

Forecast typeAreasTimes
High seasNorth Eastern, South Eastern,
Western, Northern, Southern
1100, 2300 UTC
Coastal watersBass Strait1930, 0715 UTC (+ 1 hour later during ADST)
Coastal watersTorres Strait1845, 0550 UTC
Coastal watersNorthern Territory1915, 0630 UTC
Coastal watersWestern Australia2000, 0800 UTC

HF radio schedules and frequencies

HF Marine radio voice – Charleville (VMC)

Frequencies (kHz)

  • Day time 0700 – 1800 (EST) on 4426 and 16546.
  • Night time 1800 – 0700 (EST) on 2201 and 6507.
  • Any time on 8176 and 12365.

Broadcast schedule summary

Marine weather warnings:

  • On each hour, Eastern Standard Time (EST) for NT, Qld, NSW, Vic, SA and Tas.
  • At 30 minutes past each hour Central Standard Time (CST).

Navigation Maritime Safety Information notices:

  • At 25 minutes past each hour when applicable.

Marine forecasts and observations:

  • Every 4 hours.

Times are displayed in the schedule as:

  • EST – Eastern Standard Time
  • CST – Central Standard Time
  • WST – Western Standard Time
  • UTC – Coordinated Universal Time.

During daylight saving time, add 1 hour to EST and CST to get Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT) and Australian Central Daylight Time (ACDT) equivalent.

Charleville (VMC) broadcast schedule – HF radio voice

ESTCSTWSTUTCForecasts
0730070005302130Queensland
0830080006302230High Seas (Northern, North Eastern, South Eastern, and Southern areas)
0930090007302330New South Wales
Victoria
1030100008300030Tasmania
1130110009300130Queensland
1230120010300230High Seas (Northern, North Eastern, South Eastern, and Southern areas)
1330130011300330New South Wales
Victoria
1430140012300430Tasmania
1530150013300530Queensland
1630160014300630High Seas (Northern, North Eastern, South Eastern, and Southern areas)
1730170015300730New South Wales
Victoria
1830180016300830Tasmania
1930190017300930Queensland
2030200018301030High Seas (Northern, North Eastern, South Eastern, and Southern areas)
2130210019301130New South Wales
Victoria
2230220020301230Tasmania
2330230021301330Queensland
0030000022301430High Seas (Northern, North Eastern, South Eastern, and Southern areas)
0130010023301530New South Wales
Victoria
0230020000301630Tasmania
0330030001301730Queensland
0430040002301830High Seas (Northern, North Eastern, South Eastern, and Southern areas)
0530050003301930New South Wales
Victoria
0630060004302030Tasmania

HF Marine radio voice – Wiluna (VMW)

Frequencies (kHz)

  • Day time 0700 – 1800 WST on 4149 and 16528.
  • Night time 1800 – 0700 WST on 2056 and 6230.
  • Any time on 8113 and 12362.

Broadcast schedule summary

Marine weather warnings:

  • On each hour, Eastern Standard Time (EST) for Qld Gulf, NT, WA and SA.
  • At 30 minutes past each hour Central Standard Time (CST).

Navigation Maritime Safety Information notices:

  • At 25 minutes past each hour when applicable.

Marine forecasts and observations:

  • Every 4 hours.

Times are displayed in the schedule as:

  • WST – Western Standard Time
  • CST – Central Standard Time
  • EST – Eastern Standard Time
  • UTC – Coordinated Universal Time.

During daylight saving time, add 1 hour to EST and CST to get Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT) and Australian Central Daylight Time (ACDT) equivalent.

Wiluna (VMW) broadcast schedule – HF radio voice

WSTCSTESTUTCForecasts
0730090009302330Western Australia (Northern Zones: NT–WA border to North West Cape)
Northern Territory
0830100010300030Western Australia (Western Zones: North West Cape to Cape Naturaliste)
Western Australia (Southern Zones: Cape Naturaliste to WA–SA border)
0930110011300130South Australia
1030120012300230Queensland (Gulf waters)
High Seas (Northern, Western, and Southern areas)
1130130013300330Western Australia (Northern Zones: NT–WA border to North West Cape)
Northern Territory
1230140014300430Western Australia (Western Zones: North West Cape to Cape Naturaliste)
Western Australia (Southern Zones: Cape Naturaliste to WA–SA border)
1330150015300530South Australia
1430160016300630Queensland (Gulf waters)
High Seas (Northern, Western, and Southern areas)
1530170017300730Western Australia (Northern Zones: NT–WA border to North West Cape)
Northern Territory
1630180018300830Western Australia (Western Zones: North West Cape to Cape Naturaliste)
Western Australia (Southern Zones: Cape Naturaliste to WA–SA border)
1730190019300930South Australia
1830200020301030Queensland (Gulf waters)
High Seas (Northern, Western, and Southern areas)
1930210021301130Western Australia (Northern Zones: NT–WA border to North West Cape)
Northern Territory
2030220022301230Western Australia (Western Zones: North West Cape to Cape Naturaliste)
Western Australia (Southern Zones: Cape Naturaliste to WA–SA border)
2130230023301330South Australia
2230000000301430Queensland (Gulf waters)
High Seas (Northern, Western, and Southern areas)
2330010001301530Western Australia (Northern Zones: NT–WA border to North West Cape)
Northern Territory
0030020002301630Western Australia (Western Zones: North West Cape to Cape Naturaliste)
Western Australia (Southern Zones: Cape Naturaliste to WA–SA border)
0130030003301730South Australia
0230050005301930Queensland (Gulf waters)
High Seas (Northern, Western, and Southern areas)
0330050005301930Western Australia (Northern Zones: NT–WA border to North West Cape)
Northern Territory
0430060006302030Western Australia (Western Zones: North West Cape to Cape Naturaliste)
Western Australia (Southern Zones: Cape Naturaliste to WA–SA border)
0530070007302130South Australia
0630080008302230Queensland (Gulf waters)
High Seas (Northern, Western, and Southern areas)

HF Marine radio fax – Charleville (VMC) and Wiluna (VMW)

The station identifiers are:

  • VMC – Charleville
  • VMW – Wiluna.

VMC Fax frequencies (kHz):

  • Day time 0500 – 1900 (EST) on 4149 and 16528.
  • Night time 1900 – 0500 (EST) on 2628.
  • Any time on 5100, 11030 and 13920.

VMW Fax frequencies (kHz):

  • Day time 0500 – 1900 (WST) on 18060.
  • Night time 1900 – 0500 (WST) on 5755.
  • Any time on 7535, 10555 and 15615.

The broadcasts at 0000, 0345 and 0500 are repeat broadcasts on 11030 kHz only.

HF Marine radio fax schedule

Time (UTC)Description of item and current chart
0000Indian Ocean Mean Sea Level Pressure Analysis valid 0000
0015VMC and VMW schedule – 2 pages
0045VMC and VMW Broadcast information
0100Recommended frequencies for VMC – Charleville – 3 pages
0131Recommended Frequencies for VMW – Wiluna – 3 pages
0203Australian Mean Sea Level Pressure Forecast (H+36) valid 0000
0245Australian Mean Sea Level Pressure Analysis valid 0000
0300Australian Primary Swell Waves Forecast (H+24) valid 0000
0315Voice Broadcast Information for VMC and VMW
0345Australian Mean Sea Level Pressure Analysis valid 0000
0400South Pacific Ocean Mean Sea Level Pressure Analysis valid 0000
0430Australian Mean Sea Level Pressure 4-day forecast – 2 pages
0500Australian Mean Sea Level Pressure 4-day forecast – 2 pages
0600Asian (Area A) Gradient Level Wind Analysis valid 0000
0623Asian (Area B) Gradient Level Wind Analysis valid 0000
0645Asian Mean Sea Level Pressure Analysis valid 0000
0730Indian Ocean Mean Sea Level Pressure Analysis valid 0000
0745Australian Total Wave Height and Direction Forecast (H+24) valid 0000
0800Australian Primary Swell Waves Forecast (H+24) valid 0000
0830South Pacific Ocean Mean Sea Level Pressure Analysis valid 0000
0845Australian Mean Sea Level Pressure Analysis valid 0600
0900Australian Mean Sea Level Pressure Forecast (H+36) valid 0000
0915Australian Mean Sea Level Pressure 4-day forecast – 2 pages
1015Southern Ocean Total Wave Height and Direction (H+24) valid 0000
1030Indian Ocean Mean Sea Level Pressure Analysis valid 0000
1045Southern Hemisphere Mean Sea Level Pressure Forecast (H+48) valid 0000
1100Southern Ocean Total Wave Height and Direction (H+36) valid 0000
1115Australian Mean Sea Level Pressure Analysis valid 0600
1130Asian Sea Surface Temperature Analysis
1145VMC and VMW Information notice
1200Australian Mean Sea Level Pressure Forecast (H+36) valid 1200
1215VMC and VMW Schedule – 2 pages
1245Indian Ocean Mean Sea Level Pressure Forecast (H+36) valid 1200
1315South Pacific Ocean Total Waves (H+48) valid 0000
1330Indian Ocean Total Waves (H+48) valid 0000
1345Pacific Ocean Sea Surface Temperatures
1400Indian Ocean Sea Surface Temperatures
1415Southern Ocean Total Wave Height and Direction (H+48) valid 0000
1430Australian Mean Sea Level Pressure Analysis valid 1200
1500Australian Primary Swell Waves Forecast (H+24) valid 0000
1515Australian Mean Sea Level Pressure Forecast (H+36) valid 1200
1530Australian Mean Sea Level Pressure 4-day forecast – 2 pages
1600Asian Mean Sea Level Pressure Analysis valid 0000
1630Recommended Frequencies for VMC – Charleville – 3 pages
1701Recommended Frequencies for VMW – Wiluna – 3 pages
1800Asian (Area A) Gradient Level Wind Analysis valid 1200
1823Asian (Area B) Gradient Level Wind Analysis valid 1200
1915Indian Ocean Mean Sea Level Pressure Analysis valid 0000
1930Australian Total Wave Height and Direction Forecast (H+24) valid 1200
1945Australian Primary Swell Waves Height Forecast (H+24) valid 1200
2000South Pacific Ocean Mean Sea Level Pressure Analysis valid 0000
2015Southern Ocean Total Wave Height and Direction (H+24) valid 0000
2030Australian Mean Sea Level Pressure Analysis (Manual) valid 1800
2215Southern Ocean Total Wave Height and Direction (H+36) valid 0000
2230Australian Mean Sea Level Pressure 4-day forecast, Days 1 and 2
2245Southern Hemisphere Mean Sea Level Pressure Forecast (H+48) valid 1200
2300Australian Mean Sea Level Pressure 4-day forecast, Days 3 and 4
2315Southern Ocean Total Wave Height and Direction (H+48) valid 0000
2330Australian Mean Sea Level Pressure Forecast (H+36) valid 0000
2345Indian Ocean Mean Sea Level Pressure Forecast (H+48) valid 1200

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