Advanced divers and up
Is it worth the trip?
63Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 9: Sea 0.9 m, Visibility about 8 m, Water 17 °C
Tue 3 · 61 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.0 m
- Wind
- 13 kn
- Gusts
- 17kn
- Air
- 18°C
Wed 4 · 48 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.3 m
- Wind
- 13 kn
- Gusts
- 19kn
- Air
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 64 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.0 m
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 64 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.0 m
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 22°C
Sat 7 · 58 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.2 m
- Wind
- 0 kn
- Gusts
- 4kn
- Air
- 23°C
Sun 8 · 65 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.8 m
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 25°C
Mon 9 · 66 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.9 m
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 22°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 265, good
- Tue 361, good
- Wed 448, fair
- Thu 564, good
- Fri 664, good
- Sat 758, fair
- Sun 865, good
- Mon 966, good
- Tue 1064, good
The site in five facts
- Down to 9 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Advancedand up
- Water 17 °C7 mm wetsuit and hood
- 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 Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it. Scored for Advanced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 65, good | 0.9 m | 3 kn | 6kn | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 61, good | 1.0 m | 13 kn | 17kn | 18°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 48, fair | 1.3 m | 13 kn | 19kn | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 64, good | 1.0 m | 2 kn | 9kn | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 64, good | 1.0 m | 3 kn | 10kn | 22°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 58, fair | 1.2 m | 0 kn | 4kn | 23°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 65, good | 0.8 m | 7 kn | 10kn | 25°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 66, good | 0.9 m | 1 kn | 9kn | 22°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 64, good | 1.0 m | 4 kn | 8kn | 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
- Mon 2 NovHigh 04:53 +0.4 mLow 10:04 −0.1 mHigh 15:38 +0.5 mLow 22:40 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:31 +0.6 mLow 11:22 −0.3 mHigh 17:00 +0.5 mLow 23:30 −0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 06:06 +0.7 mLow 12:20 −0.5 mHigh 18:09 +0.5 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 Advanced divers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan7of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb7of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar7of 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
- Oct7of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov7of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec7of 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
Goldenhorn 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 Goldenhorn
A wreck dive. It goes down to 9 m. You get in from a boat. It suits Advanced 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 50 km on the map: book a liveaboard or a boat from further off. The sea is about 13°C in April, its coldest month (7 mm semi-dry or a drysuit), and 18°C in August, its warmest (7 mm wetsuit and hood). No town nearby. Nearest beds: Isla Vista, 59 km. Nearest airport: Santa Barbara Municipal Airport (SBA), 61 km. Within 5 km we also list 1 dive site.
- What it is Wreck.
- How deep Down to 9 m.
- Getting in From a boat.
- Who it suits Suits Advanced divers and up, 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 17°C: 7 mm wetsuit and hood. 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 Jan, Feb, Jul, Aug, Sep, Nov and Dec (about 10 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$750–US$1,420 each
about US$750–US$1,420 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 SBA, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$255–US$529 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$154–US$255 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$636 |
| Total | about US$750–US$1,420 |
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 59 km away
No town nearby
Nearest beds: Isla Vista, 59 km. Nearest airport: Santa Barbara Municipal Airport (SBA), 61 km.
See places to stay near Isla Vista, 59 km away · Booking.comDistances are straight lines: a site out at sea is reached by boat.
Getting there: about 7h 45m
About 7h 45m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → SBA, direct, then 1h 25m by road
Flights ORD → SBA on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Goldenhorn · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Goldenhorn · 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's visibility, the current and the life no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.