Experienced divers only
Is it worth the trip?
78Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: Sea 0.4 m, Visibility about 20 m, Water 26 °C
Mon 2 · 81 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.6 m
- Wind
- 8 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Air
- 27°C
Tue 3 · 80 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.8 m
- Wind
- 8 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 79 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.7 m
- Wind
- 11 kn
- Gusts
- 15kn
- Air
- 24°C
Thu 5 · 82 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.4 m
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 24°C
Fri 6 · 76 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.6 m
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 24°C
Sat 7 · 76 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.0 m
- Wind
- 17 kn
- Gusts
- 24kn
- Air
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 62 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.5 m
- Wind
- 21 kn
- Gusts
- 28kn
- Air
- 23°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 182, good
- Mon 281, good
- Tue 380, good
- Wed 479, good
- Thu 582, good
- Fri 676, good
- Sat 776, good
- Sun 862, good
- Mon 971, good
- Tue 1079, good
The site in four facts
- Down to 18 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Experienced / deepexperienced divers only
- Water 26 °C3 mm wetsuit
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 | 82, good | 0.7 m | 7 kn | 11kn | 26°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 81, good | 0.6 m | 8 kn | 11kn | 27°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 80, good | 0.8 m | 8 kn | 12kn | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 79, good | 0.7 m | 11 kn | 15kn | 24°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 82, good | 0.4 m | 4 kn | 7kn | 24°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 76, good | 0.6 m | 5 kn | 8kn | 24°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 76, good | 1.0 m | 17 kn | 24kn | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 62, good | 1.5 m | 21 kn | 28kn | 23°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 71, good | 1.5 m | 19 kn | 28kn | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 79, good | 0.8 m | 10 kn | 19kn | 20°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 NovLow 13:11 −0.3 mHigh 23:14 +0.3 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 14:27 −0.2 mHigh 23:26 +0.2 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 06:24 +0.1 mHigh 07:18 +0.1 mLow 15:53 −0.1 mHigh 23:22 +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.
Best time to go
No month stands out
Good diving days in a typical week, each month, for experienced divers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb6of 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
- Sep7of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov6of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec6of 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
East Flower Garden Stairway 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 East Flower Garden Stairway
A reef dive. It goes down to 18 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 22°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: Galveston, 194 km. Nearest airport: Jack Brooks Regional Airport (BPT), 231 km. Within 5 km we also list 1 dive site.
- What it is Reef.
- How deep Down to 18 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 26°C: 3 mm wetsuit. 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 Sep (about 25 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$670–US$1,250 each
about US$670–US$1,250 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 MDW to BPT, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$174–US$362 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$154–US$255 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$636 |
| Total | about US$670–US$1,250 |
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 194 km away
No town nearby
Nearest beds: Galveston, 194 km. Nearest airport: Jack Brooks Regional Airport (BPT), 231 km.
See places to stay near Galveston, 194 km away · Booking.comDistances are straight lines: a site out at sea is reached by boat.
Getting there: about 12h 15m
About 12h 15m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → BPT, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), then 4h 15m by road
Flights MDW → BPT on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in East Flower Garden Stairway · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in East Flower Garden Stairway · 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.
Mustard hill coral Porites astreoides
Seen in 222 records, mostly Jul to Sep.
Orbicella franksi
Seen in 211 records, mostly Jul to Sep.
Pseudodiploria strigosa
Seen in 209 records, mostly Jul to Sep.
Boulder brain coral Colpophyllia natans
Seen in 177 records, mostly Jul to Sep.
Great star coral Montastraea cavernosa
Seen in 172 records, mostly Jul to Sep.
Orbicella faveolata
Seen in 156 records, mostly Jul to Sep.
Lettuce Coral Agaricia agaricites
Seen in 140 records, mostly Jul to Sep.
Blushing Star Coral Stephanocoenia intersepta
Seen in 115 records, mostly Jun to Aug.
Ten-ray Star Coral Madracis decactis
Seen in 76 records, mostly Aug to Sep.
Massive Starlet Coral Siderastrea siderea
Seen in 38 records, mostly Aug to Sep.
Spiny Flower Coral Mussa angulosa
Seen in 32 records, mostly Jul to Sep.
Orbicella annularis
Seen in 26 records, mostly Jun to Aug.
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: 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, 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 no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.