Experienced divers only
Is it worth the trip?
54Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: Sea 0.7 m, Visibility under 5 m, Water 9 °C
Mon 2 · 58 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.2 m
- Wind
- 8 kn
- Gusts
- 14kn
- Air
- 12°C
Tue 3 · 61 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.7 m
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 9°C
Wed 4 · 60 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 10 kn
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Air
- 7°C
Thu 5 · 60 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.2 m
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 5kn
- Air
- 10°C
Fri 6 · 59 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.9 m
- Wind
- 13 kn
- Gusts
- 18kn
- Air
- 13°C
Sat 7 · 16 out of 100
- Sea
- 2.3 m
- Wind
- 20 kn
- Gusts
- 28knboats in
- Air
- 12°C
Sun 8 · 23 out of 100
- Sea
- 2.6 m
- Wind
- 13 kn
- Gusts
- 25kn
- Air
- 11°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 160, good
- Mon 258, fair
- Tue 361, good
- Wed 460, good
- Thu 560, good
- Fri 659, fair
- Sat 716, poor
- Sun 823, poor
- Mon 956, fair
- Tue 1062, good
The site in six facts
- Down to 36 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Experienced / deepexperienced divers only
- Water 9 °Cdrysuit
- Faces SEswell from there reaches it
- Best May–Aug7 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know currents, the visibility on the day or your certification.
Suits experienced divers only, as a dive guide states it. Scored for experienced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 60, good | 0.7 m | 11 kn | 16kn | 7°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 58, fair | 1.2 m | 8 kn | 14kn | 12°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 61, good | 0.7 m | 6 kn | 9kn | 9°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 60, good | 0.5 m | 10 kn | 13kn | 7°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 60, good | 1.2 m | 4 kn | 5kn | 10°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 59, fair | 0.9 m | 13 kn | 18kn | 13°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 16, poor | 2.3 m | 20 kn | 28knboats in | 12°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 23, poor | 2.6 m | 13 kn | 25kn | 11°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 56, fair | 1.4 m | 11 kn | 21kn | 9°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 62, good | 0.7 m | 2 kn | 10kn | 10°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
- Sun 1 NovHigh 00:01 +0.7 mLow 06:51 −0.5 mHigh 12:26 +0.5 mLow 19:03 −0.6 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 01:06 +0.7 mLow 08:01 −0.5 mHigh 13:34 +0.4 mLow 20:15 −0.6 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:15 +0.6 mLow 09:09 −0.5 mHigh 14:46 +0.4 mLow 21:25 −0.6 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
best May–Aug
Good diving days in a typical week, each month, for experienced divers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May7of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun7of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug7of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep6of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov5of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec5of 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
Basque 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
1 place
- Mathesons Rock 11.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Basque Reef
A reef dive. It goes down to 36 m. You get in from a boat. It suits experienced divers only, 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. No dive centre within 50 km on the map: book a liveaboard or a boat from further off. The sea is about 0°C in March, its coldest month (drysuit), and 19°C in August, its warmest (7 mm wetsuit and hood). For experienced divers the best months are usually May, June, July and August, with about 7 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is St. Esprit. Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
- What it is Reef.
- How deep Down to 36 m.
- Getting in From a boat.
- Who it suits Suits experienced divers only, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres No dive centre within 50 km on the map: book a liveaboard or a boat from further off.
Water about 9°C: drysuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility under 5 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Clearest in Jan, Feb, May, Jun and Jul (about 8 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$918–US$1,680 each
about US$918–US$1,680 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 YHZ, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$201–US$422 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$134–US$228 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$275–US$456 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$308–US$576 |
| Total | about US$918–US$1,680 |
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: St. Esprit
19 min by car
about US$100/nightcountry average
About St. Esprit its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$100 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 11h 05m
About 11h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → YHZ, direct, then 4h 25m by road
Flights ORD → YHZ on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in St. Esprit · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in St. Esprit · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
No dive centre mapped within 50 km.
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: visibility under 5 m, clearer than usual (satellite plankton reading, 24 Oct). Estimated from the month's typical visibility and this week's satellite chlorophyll against the site's normal; heavy rain before a dive can still muddy it.
The current and the life no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.