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Cades Reef
Dive site · Antigua and Barbuda
Is it worth the trip?
80Good out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Tue 3 · 78 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 12 kn
- Gusts
- 16kn
- Air
- 29°C
Wed 4 · 80 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.4 m
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 29°C
Thu 5 · 81 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.3 m
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 80 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.3 m
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 78 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 8 kn
- Gusts
- 16kn
- Air
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 77 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 10 kn
- Gusts
- 19kn
- Air
- 27°C
Mon 9 · 81 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.3 m
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 29°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 277, good
- Tue 378, good
- Wed 480, good
- Thu 581, good
- Fri 680, good
- Sat 778, good
- Sun 877, good
- Mon 981, good
- Tue 1081, good
The site in five facts
- Down to 15 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Open Waterand up
- Water 29 °Crash vest or 1 to 2 mm
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 77, good | 0.6 m | 11 kn | 19kn | 29°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 78, good | 0.5 m | 12 kn | 16kn | 29°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 80, good | 0.4 m | 7 kn | 10kn | 29°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 81, good | 0.3 m | 4 kn | 10kn | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 80, good | 0.3 m | 7 kn | 10kn | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 78, good | 0.5 m | 8 kn | 16kn | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 77, good | 0.5 m | 10 kn | 19kn | 27°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 81, good | 0.3 m | 5 kn | 9kn | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 81, good | 0.2 mflat | 6 kn | 10kn | 29°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 NovLow 04:33 −0.1 mHigh 13:46 +0.1 mLow 19:25 +0.1 mHigh 20:12 +0.1 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 05:37 −0.1 mHigh 13:28 +0.1 mLow 19:10 +0.0 mHigh 23:58 +0.1 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 06:33 −0.0 mHigh 13:27 +0.1 mLow 19:45 −0.0 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
Cades 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.
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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
2 places
- Ariadne Shoal 11.5 km away
- Carpenter's Reef 11.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Cades Reef
A reef dive. It goes down to 15 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 10 km, the nearest 41 km away. The sea is about 27°C in January, its coldest month (3 mm wetsuit), and 29°C in August, its warmest (rash vest or 1 to 2 mm). The town to stay in is Old Road.
- What it is Reef.
- How deep Down to 15 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 41 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 Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov and Dec (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$811–US$1,520 each
about US$811–US$1,520 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 SXM, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$288–US$603 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$100–US$174 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$201–US$328 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$221–US$415 |
| Total | about US$811–US$1,520 |
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: Old Road
about 10 min by car · 4 places to stay
About Old Road 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 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 12h 05m
About 12h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → SXM, direct, then 3h 20m by road
Flights ORD → SXM on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Old Road · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Old Road · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
No dive centre mapped within 25 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's visibility, the current and the life no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.