Experienced divers only
Is it worth the trip?
71Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: Sea 1.2 m, Visibility about 20 m, Water 20 °C
Mon 2 · 62 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.8 m
- Wind
- 10 kn
- Gusts
- 15kn
- Air
- 20°C
Tue 3 · 75 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.4 m
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 73 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.6 m
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 74 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.5 m
- Wind
- 9 kn
- Gusts
- 15kn
- Air
- 19°C
Fri 6 · 76 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.2 m
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 14kn
- Air
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 64 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.8 m
- Wind
- 14 kn
- Gusts
- 24kn
- Air
- 20°C
Sun 8 · 43 out of 100
- Sea
- 2.1 m
- Wind
- 21 kn
- Gusts
- 31kn
- Air
- 19°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 133, poor
- Mon 262, good
- Tue 375, good
- Wed 473, good
- Thu 574, good
- Fri 676, good
- Sat 764, good
- Sun 843, poor
- Mon 917, poor
- Tue 1054, fair
The site in five facts
- Down to 60 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Experienced / deepexperienced divers only
- Water 20 °C7 mm wetsuit and hood
- Best Jul–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 | 33, poor | 3.3 m | 22 kn | 28kn | 21°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 62, good | 1.8 m | 10 kn | 15kn | 20°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 75, good | 1.4 m | 6 kn | 9kn | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 73, good | 1.6 m | 6 kn | 9kn | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 74, good | 1.5 m | 9 kn | 15kn | 19°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 76, good | 1.2 m | 6 kn | 14kn | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 64, good | 1.8 m | 14 kn | 24kn | 20°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 43, poor | 2.1 m | 21 kn | 31kn | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 17, poor | 3.7 m | 28 kn | 39knboats in | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 54, fair | 2.1 m | 12 kn | 19kn | 18°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 05:54 +0.5 mLow 12:27 −0.4 mHigh 18:40 +0.3 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 00:44 −0.4 mHigh 07:15 +0.5 mLow 13:54 −0.4 mHigh 20:07 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:10 −0.4 mHigh 08:35 +0.5 mLow 15:11 −0.5 mHigh 21:22 +0.4 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 Jul–Aug
Good diving days in a typical week, each month, for experienced divers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May5of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun6of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug7of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep5of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec2of 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
Dom João de Castro Bank 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 Dom João de Castro Bank
A pinnacle dive. It goes down to 60 m. You get in from a boat. It suits experienced divers only, as a dive guide states it. No dive centre within 50 km on the map: book a liveaboard or a boat from further off. The sea is about 16°C in March, its coldest month (7 mm wetsuit and hood), and 24°C in August, its warmest (5 mm wetsuit). For experienced divers the best months are usually July and August, with about 7 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. Nearest beds: Porto Martins, 64 km. Nearest airport: Lajes Airport (TER), 73 km.
- What it is Pinnacle.
- How deep Down to 60 m: technical diving, past the 40 m recreational limit.
- 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 20°C: 7 mm wetsuit and hood. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility about 20 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Clearest in Jul, Aug, Sep and Oct (about 30 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$683–US$1,350 each
about US$683–US$1,350 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 PDL, estimated from distance and season, changing at JFK, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$382–US$797 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$100–US$174 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$201–US$375 |
| Total | about US$683–US$1,350 |
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 64 km away
No town nearby
Nearest beds: Porto Martins, 64 km. Nearest airport: Lajes Airport (TER), 73 km.
See places to stay near Porto Martins, 64 km away · Booking.comDistances are straight lines: a site out at sea is reached by boat.
Getting there: about 16h 20m
About 16h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → PDL, changing at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), then 2h by road
Flights ORD → PDL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Dom João de Castro Bank · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Dom João de Castro Bank · 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 about 20 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.