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Banner Reef
Dive site · Maldives
Advanced divers and up
Is it worth the trip?
80Good out of 100 for your dates
3 days tie for best
Tue 3 · 79 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.6 m
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 80 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.7 m
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 4kn
- Air
- 28°C
Thu 5 · 81 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.6 m
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 4kn
- Air
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 81 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.6 m
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 5kn
- Air
- 29°C
Sat 7 · 81 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 6kn
- Air
- 29°C
Sun 8 · 79 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.6 m
- Wind
- 8 kn
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Air
- 29°C
Mon 9 · 79 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.6 m
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Air
- 28°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 281, good
- Tue 379, good
- Wed 480, good
- Thu 581, good
- Fri 681, good
- Sat 781, good
- Sun 879, good
- Mon 979, good
- Tue 1069, good
The site in five facts
- Down to 22 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Advancedand up
- Water 29 °Crash vest or 1 to 2 mm
- Faces SEswell 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 Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it. Scored for Advanced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 81, good | 0.6 m | 1 kn | 5kn | 29°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 79, good | 0.6 m | 5 kn | 8kn | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 80, good | 0.7 m | 2 kn | 4kn | 28°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 81, good | 0.6 m | 1 kn | 4kn | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 81, good | 0.6 m | 1 kn | 5kn | 29°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 81, good | 0.5 m | 1 kn | 6kn | 29°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 79, good | 0.6 m | 8 kn | 13kn | 29°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 79, good | 0.6 m | 7 kn | 13kn | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 69, good | 0.5 m | 5 kn | 13kn | 27°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 05:44 +0.2 mLow 12:33 −0.1 mHigh 17:48 +0.0 mLow 23:56 −0.1 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 07:18 +0.2 mLow 14:41 −0.1 mHigh 21:16 +0.1 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 02:51 −0.1 mHigh 09:07 +0.2 mLow 15:58 −0.2 mHigh 22:44 +0.2 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
- Jun7of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug6of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep7of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct6of 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
Banner Reef 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
5 places
- Guraidhoo Corner 0.1 km away
- Guradoo Kuda Kandu 0.2 km away
- Guradoo North 0.2 km away
- Guradoo South 0.4 km away
- Guraidhoo Channel 0.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Banner Reef
A reef dive. It goes down to 22 m. You get in from a boat. It suits Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces SE: swell from the SE reaches it, and wind from the NW blows out to sea. 10 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 0.7 km away. The sea is about 29°C in January, its coldest month (rash vest or 1 to 2 mm), and 30°C in April, its warmest (rash vest or 1 to 2 mm). The town to stay in is Guraidhoo. Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots and 12 dive sites.
- What it is Reef.
- How deep Down to 22 m.
- Getting in From a boat.
- Who it suits Suits Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres 10 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 0.7 km away.
Water about 29°C: rash vest or 1 to 2 mm. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility about 15 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Clearest in Mar (about 20 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$1,390–US$2,730 each
about US$1,390–US$2,730 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, 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 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to MLE, estimated from distance and season, changing at FRA, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$904–US$1,880 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$94–US$154 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$188–US$315 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$208–US$389 |
| Total | about US$1,390–US$2,730 |
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: Guraidhoo
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 5 min by car · 22 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Guraidhoo its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$67 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 27h 45m
About 27h 45m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → MLE, changing at Frankfurt Main Airport (FRA), then 55 min by road
Flights ORD → MLE 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 Guraidhoo · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Guraidhoo · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
Dive Center 1.5 km
Sun Diving School 5.1 km
Sirina 5.9 km
Maafushi Scuba 5.9 km
Maafushi Dive Center 6.2 km
The nearest named dive centres and shops within 25 km, in a straight line; training agencies where the map states them. Listings, not a recommendation. Dive centres: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits
What you might see
Too few open records near this site to list its animals. Ask a dive centre what you are likely to see.
This week's visibility, the current and the life no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.