Experienced divers only
Is it worth the trip?
72Good out of 100 for your dates
3 days tie for best
Mon 2 · 68 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.7 m
- Wind
- 14 kn
- Gusts
- 19kn
- Air
- 25°C
Tue 3 · 68 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.6 m
- Wind
- 15 kn
- Gusts
- 20kn
- Air
- 24°C
Wed 4 · 69 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.3 m
- Wind
- 8 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Air
- 24°C
Thu 5 · 73 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 25°C
Fri 6 · 72 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 23°C
Sat 7 · 73 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 14kn
- Air
- 21°C
Sun 8 · 73 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Air
- 21°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 167, good
- Mon 268, good
- Tue 368, good
- Wed 469, good
- Thu 573, good
- Fri 672, good
- Sat 773, good
- Sun 873, good
- Mon 971, good
- Tue 1068, good
The site in five facts
- Down to 31 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Experienced / deepexperienced divers only
- Water 23 °C5 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 experienced divers only, as a dive guide states it. Scored for experienced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 67, good | 0.6 m | 16 kn | 24kn | 23°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 68, good | 0.7 m | 14 kn | 19kn | 25°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 68, good | 0.6 m | 15 kn | 20kn | 24°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 69, good | 0.3 m | 8 kn | 11kn | 24°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 73, good | 0.1 mflat | 4 kn | 10kn | 25°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 72, good | 0.2 mflat | 7 kn | 12kn | 23°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 73, good | 0.1 mflat | 5 kn | 14kn | 21°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 73, good | 0.1 mflat | 5 kn | 11kn | 21°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 71, good | 0.3 m | 11 kn | 25kn | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 68, good | 0.5 m | 15 kn | 28kn | 17°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 00:46 +0.3 mLow 13:08 −0.2 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 02:01 +0.2 mLow 14:00 −0.1 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:34 +0.2 mLow 14:41 −0.1 mHigh 20:11 +0.1 mLow 22:56 +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
Courtney Knight Gaines 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
- MB-256 21.2 km away
- Fish America Foundation Reef 22.2 km away
- Mexico Beach 2002 Grant Reef 22.9 km away
- Tennessee Chuck McKibbonville Reef 23.5 km away
- Garfield Wilson Reef 23.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Courtney Knight Gaines Reef
A reef dive. It goes down to 31 m. You get in from a boat. It suits experienced divers only, 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 39 km away. The sea is about 18°C in February, its coldest month (7 mm wetsuit and hood), and 30°C in July, its warmest (rash vest or 1 to 2 mm). The town to stay in is Mexico Beach. Within 5 km we also list 2 dive sites.
- What it is Reef.
- How deep Down to 31 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 10 km, the nearest 39 km away.
Water about 23°C: 5 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 Apr, May, Jun, Jul and Aug (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$965–US$1,740 each
about US$965–US$1,740 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 MDW to ECP, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$167–US$342 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$154–US$255 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$301–US$502 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$636 |
| Total | about US$965–US$1,740 |
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: Mexico Beach
61 min by car · 25 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Mexico Beach its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$114 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 5h 35m
About 5h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → ECP, direct, then 1h 30m by road
Flights MDW → ECP on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Mexico Beach · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Mexico Beach · 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: visibility about 8 m, about usual for the month (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.