Ata
Dive site · Tonga
Is it worth the trip?
67Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: Sea 0.6 m, Visibility about 8 m, Water 26 °C
Tue 3 · 64 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.9 m
- Wind
- 15 kn
- Gusts
- 18kn
- Air
- 23°C
Wed 4 · 68 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.7 m
- Wind
- 12 kn
- Gusts
- 16kn
- Air
- 23°C
Thu 5 · 68 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.7 m
- Wind
- 12 kn
- Gusts
- 16kn
- Air
- 23°C
Fri 6 · 67 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.6 m
- Wind
- 12 kn
- Gusts
- 17kn
- Air
- 23°C
Sat 7 · 66 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.7 m
- Wind
- 14 kn
- Gusts
- 18kn
- Air
- 23°C
Sun 8 · 69 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.6 m
- Wind
- 11 kn
- Gusts
- 16kn
- Air
- 23°C
Mon 9 · 67 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.7 m
- Wind
- 14 kn
- Gusts
- 18kn
- Air
- 24°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 262, good
- Tue 364, good
- Wed 468, good
- Thu 568, good
- Fri 667, good
- Sat 766, good
- Sun 869, good
- Mon 967, good
- Tue 1070, good
- Wed 1163, good
The site in five facts
- Down to 12 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Open Waterand up
- Water 26 °C3 mm wetsuit
- Faces Nswell from there reaches it
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know currents, the visibility on the day or your certification.
Suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it. Scored for Advanced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 62, good | 1.0 m | 14 kn | 20kn | 23°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 64, good | 0.9 m | 15 kn | 18kn | 23°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 68, good | 0.7 m | 12 kn | 16kn | 23°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 68, good | 0.7 m | 12 kn | 16kn | 23°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 67, good | 0.6 m | 12 kn | 17kn | 23°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 66, good | 0.7 m | 14 kn | 18kn | 23°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 69, good | 0.6 m | 11 kn | 16kn | 23°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 67, good | 0.7 m | 14 kn | 18kn | 24°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 70, good | 0.6 m | 10 kn | 15kn | 24°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 63, good | 0.9 m | 13 kn | 18kn | 24°C |
Sea is the waves near the site, in metres; wind and gusts in knots. "Boats in": gusts that keep dive boats in. More
Tide
- Mon 2 NovHigh 00:38 +0.6 mLow 07:03 −0.6 mHigh 13:23 +0.5 mLow 19:30 −0.5 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 01:42 +0.5 mLow 08:02 −0.6 mHigh 14:22 +0.5 mLow 20:34 −0.5 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 02:45 +0.5 mLow 09:00 −0.5 mHigh 15:19 +0.5 mLow 21:36 −0.5 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Slack water, the safest time to dive where there is current, is about half an hour either side of each high and low. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
No month stands out
Good diving days in a typical week, each month, for Advanced divers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan7of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb7of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar7of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May6of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun6of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug7of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep7of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct7of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov7of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec7of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast: the sea and the mean wind of each day, with no gusts or rain in the history.
Map
the site and its town
Ata on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
More diving near here
4 places
- Marmer 0.5 km away
- Hakau Mounu 2.6 km away
- Hakau Ualanga 'Uta 4 km away
- Hakau Tapu 17.6 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Ata
A wreck dive. It goes down to 12 m. You get in from a boat. It suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces N: swell from the N reaches it, and wind from the S blows out to sea. No dive centre within 10 km, the nearest 32 km away. The sea is about 24°C in July, its coldest month (5 mm wetsuit), and 28°C in January, its warmest (3 mm wetsuit). The town to stay in is Nukuʻalofa. Within 5 km we also list 3 dive sites.
- What it is Wreck.
- How deep Down to 12 m.
- Getting in From a boat.
- Who it suits Suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres No dive centre within 10 km, the nearest 32 km away.
Water about 26°C: 3 mm wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility about 8 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Clearest in Jan and Dec (about 10 m).
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,180–US$2,310 each
about US$1,180–US$2,310 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 2 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to TBU, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$725–US$1,510 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$34–US$54 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$201–US$329 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$221–US$416 |
| Total | about US$1,180–US$2,310 |
Guided dives are not priced yet: we have no sourced price, so it is not in it. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Nukuʻalofa
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 10 min by car · 31 places to stay
About Nukuʻalofa its beds, food and every spot near it
Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 31h
About 31h door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → TBU, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 35 min by road
Flights MDW → TBU on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Nukuʻalofa · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Nukuʻalofa · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
No dive centre mapped within 25 km.
Dive centres: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits
What you might see
Animals divers and surveys have recorded within 2 km of this site in the last 15 years. A record says someone saw it here, not that you will.
Blue-green Damselfish Pomacentrus callainus
Seen in 22 records, mostly Oct.
Burnt Parrotfish Chlorurus sordidus
Seen in 21 records, mostly Oct.
Brown Tang Zebrasoma scopas
Seen in 18 records, mostly Oct.
Pomacentrus vaiuli
Seen in 12 records, mostly Oct.
Black Parrotfish Scarus niger
Seen in 12 records, mostly Oct.
Coral Beauty Centropyge bispinosa
Seen in 11 records, mostly Sep to Oct.
Twospot Surgeonfish Ctenochaetus binotatus
Seen in 11 records, mostly Oct.
Bandcheek wrasse Oxycheilinus digramma
Seen in 10 records, mostly Oct.
Parupeneus ciliatus
Seen in 10 records, mostly Oct.
Amblyglyphidodon melanopterus
Seen in 8 records.
Cream Parrotfish Scarus ghobban
Seen in 8 records.
Sunset Butterflyfish Chaetodon pelewensis
Seen in 7 records.
Records: OBIS (Ocean Biodiversity Information System, IOC-UNESCO), from the datasets named here, CC0 and CC BY records only. Names: WoRMS, through OBIS; common names from Wikidata. Largest datasets here: Tonga Reef survey data 2016-2018; Reef Life Survey (RLS): Reef fish dataset; Reef Life Survey (RLS): Cryptic Fish; Reef Life Survey (RLS): Invertebrates. Credits
This week's visibility and the current no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.