This is a dated observing guide for one event. Check the source calendar and local conditions before making plans. A later year needs its own fresh forecast.
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A broad maximum with room for another morning
The IMO table lists activity from July 12 to August 23 and gives July 31 as the maximum date, without a peak hour. Compare several late-July mornings rather than building the plan around one minute. The broad season gives weather another chance.
The ZHR benchmark of 25 assumes ideal darkness and radiant height. Aquarius rises higher for southern observers, while northern observers get a shorter and lower window.
One summer sky can contain two showers
Southern Delta Aquariid activity overlaps the Perseids, but their paths point back to different parts of the sky. Delta Aquariid trails converge toward Aquarius; Perseid trails converge toward Perseus in the north.
The Aquarius radiant is listed near right ascension 340 degrees and declination −16 degrees. Its whole-degree coordinates identify a region, and the proposed link to comet 96P/Machholz remains uncertain.
Direction tells more than apparent speed
Choose a wide dark view and keep the Moon outside your main field. Record each complete path before deciding which shower produced it, since speed is difficult to judge from a brief streak.
A line traced backward toward Aquarius is the useful clue. A path toward Perseus may be a Perseid, while other directions can mark sporadic meteors.