Bird Key Reef
Dive site · United States
Is it worth the trip?
77Good out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Mon 2 · 75 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 8 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 26°C
Tue 3 · 70 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 8 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Air
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 72 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 6kn
- Air
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 80 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 6kn
- Air
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 80 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.0 mflat
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 79 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.0 mflat
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 77 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 8 kn
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Air
- 27°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 183, good
- Mon 275, good
- Tue 370, good
- Wed 472, good
- Thu 580, good
- Fri 680, good
- Sat 779, good
- Sun 877, good
- Mon 978, good
- Tue 1040, poor
The site in five facts
- Down to 5 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Open Waterand up
- Water 27 °C3 mm wetsuit
- Faces SWswell 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 83, good | 0.3 m | 10 kn | 14kn | 27°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 75, good | 0.2 mflat | 8 kn | 10kn | 26°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 70, good | 0.2 mflat | 8 kn | 11kn | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 72, good | 0.1 mflat | 4 kn | 6kn | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 80, good | 0.1 mflat | 2 kn | 6kn | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 80, good | 0.0 mflat | 2 kn | 8kn | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 79, good | 0.0 mflat | 7 kn | 10kn | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 77, good | 0.2 mflat | 8 kn | 13kn | 27°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 78, good | 0.2 mflat | 0 kn | 14kn | 27°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 40, poor | 0.9 m | 19 kn | 30knboats in | 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
- Sun 1 NovHigh 01:53 +0.3 mLow 10:03 −0.2 mHigh 17:29 +0.1 mLow 20:35 +0.0 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 03:30 +0.3 mLow 11:08 −0.2 mHigh 17:59 +0.1 mLow 22:32 −0.0 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:13 +0.2 mLow 12:02 −0.1 mHigh 18:27 +0.1 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.
Map
the site and its town
Bird Key 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.
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Bird Key Reef
A reef dive. It goes down to 5 m. You get in from a boat. It suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces SW: swell from the SW reaches it, and wind from the NE 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 23°C in February, its coldest month (5 mm wetsuit), and 30°C in July, its warmest (rash vest or 1 to 2 mm). No town nearby. Nearest beds: Key West, 109 km. Nearest airport: Key West International Airport (EYW), 113 km. Within 5 km we also list 1 wind sports spot and 8 dive sites.
- What it is Reef.
- How deep Down to 5 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 50 km on the map: book a liveaboard or a boat from further off.
Water about 27°C: 3 mm wetsuit. 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 Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov and Dec (about 15 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$703–US$1,320 each
about US$703–US$1,320 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, 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 EYW, estimated from distance and season, 3 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$208–US$429 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$154–US$255 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$636 |
| Total | about US$703–US$1,320 |
No town nearby, so no stay is in it. 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: nearest beds 109 km away
No town nearby
Nearest beds: Key West, 109 km. Nearest airport: Key West International Airport (EYW), 113 km.
See places to stay near Key West, 109 km away · Booking.comDistances are straight lines: a site out at sea is reached by boat.
Getting there: about 7h 30m
About 7h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → EYW, direct, then 2h 15m by road
Flights ORD → EYW on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Bird Key Reef · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Bird Key Reef · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
No dive centre mapped within 50 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.
Gutong Scarus iseri
Seen in 295 records, mostly May to Jul.
Cola Ocyurus chrysurus
Seen in 256 records, mostly Jun to Jul.
Grunt Haemulon plumierii
Seen in 225 records, mostly May to Jul.
Stegastes variabilis
Seen in 210 records, mostly Jun to Jul.
Slippery Dick Halichoeres bivittatus
Seen in 188 records, mostly May to Jul.
Gutong Sparisoma aurofrenatum
Seen in 178 records, mostly May to Jul.
Blue mah Thalassoma bifasciatum
Seen in 135 records, mostly May to Jul.
Blue tang Acanthurus coeruleus
Seen in 128 records, mostly May to Jul.
Gray Snapper Lutjanus griseus
Seen in 104 records, mostly Jun to Jul.
Moontail Sparisoma viride
Seen in 102 records, mostly May to Jul.
Yellow Damselfish Stegastes planifrons
Seen in 89 records, mostly May to Jul.
Seize Haemulon aurolineatum
Seen in 80 records, mostly Jul.
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: Dry Tortugas Reef Visual Census 2012; Dry Tortugas Reef Visual Census 2014; Dry Tortugas Reef Visual Census 2016; NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program, Coral Demographic Data; NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program, Benthic Cover Data. Credits
This week: visibility about 20 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 no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.