Experienced divers only
Is it worth the trip?
83Good out of 100 for your dates
3 days tie for best
Mon 2 · 84 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 28°C
Tue 3 · 84 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 28°C
Wed 4 · 82 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.3 m
- Wind
- 12 kn
- Gusts
- 17kn
- Air
- 29°C
Thu 5 · 83 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.3 m
- Wind
- 8 kn
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Air
- 29°C
Fri 6 · 84 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Air
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 83 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 11 kn
- Gusts
- 15kn
- Air
- 29°C
Sun 8 · 79 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 17 kn
- Gusts
- 22kn
- Air
- 28°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 187, good
- Mon 284, good
- Tue 384, good
- Wed 482, good
- Thu 583, good
- Fri 684, good
- Sat 783, good
- Sun 879, good
- Mon 975, good
- Tue 1075, good
The site in five facts
- Down to 20 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Experienced / deepexperienced divers only
- Water 29 °Crash vest or 1 to 2 mm
- Faces Eswell 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 | 87, good | 0.3 m | 11 kn | 17kn | 29°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 84, good | 0.2 mflat | 7 kn | 12kn | 28°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 84, good | 0.2 mflat | 7 kn | 10kn | 28°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 82, good | 0.3 m | 12 kn | 17kn | 29°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 83, good | 0.3 m | 8 kn | 13kn | 29°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 84, good | 0.2 mflat | 7 kn | 11kn | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 83, good | 0.2 mflat | 11 kn | 15kn | 29°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 79, good | 0.5 m | 17 kn | 22kn | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 75, good | 0.7 m | 20 kn | 29kn | 27°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 75, good | 0.7 m | 20 kn | 30kn | 26°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 04:37 −0.2 mHigh 11:14 +0.0 mLow 17:17 −0.2 mHigh 23:32 +0.0 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 05:58 −0.2 mHigh 12:28 +0.0 mLow 18:44 −0.2 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 00:57 +0.0 mLow 07:20 −0.2 mHigh 13:37 +0.1 mLow 20:01 −0.2 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
Elba Reef East (Southplateau) 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 Elba Reef East (Southplateau)
A reef dive. It goes down to 20 m. You get in from a boat. It suits experienced divers only, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces E: swell from the E reaches it, and wind from the W 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 25°C in February, its coldest month (3 mm wetsuit), and 32°C in August, its warmest (rash vest or 1 to 2 mm). No town nearby. Thuwal, 216 km away, is the nearest town we list; we have not checked places to stay there. Nearest beds: Rābigh, 224 km. Nearest airport: King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED), 222 km. Within 5 km we also list 7 dive sites.
- What it is Reef.
- How deep Down to 20 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 29°C: rash vest or 1 to 2 mm. 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 Apr, May, Oct and Nov (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$791–US$1,610 each
about US$791–US$1,610 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 JED, estimated from distance and season, changing at LHR, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$710–US$1,470 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$27–US$40 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$54–US$100 |
| Total | about US$791–US$1,610 |
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 224 km away
No town nearby
Thuwal, 216 km away, is the nearest town we list; we have not checked places to stay there. Nearest beds: Rābigh, 224 km. Nearest airport: King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED), 222 km.
See places to stay near Rābigh, 224 km away · Booking.comDistances are straight lines: a site out at sea is reached by boat.
Getting there: about 26h
About 26h door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → JED, changing at London Heathrow Airport (LHR), then 4h 10m by road
Flights ORD → JED on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Elba Reef East (Southplateau) · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Elba Reef East (Southplateau) · 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 25 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 and the life no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.