Great Bird Island
Dive site · Antigua and Barbuda
Is it worth the trip?
76Good out of 100 for your dates
4 days tie for best
Mon 2 · 70 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.0 m
- Wind
- 13 kn
- Gusts
- 17kn
- Air
- 29°C
Tue 3 · 74 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.9 m
- Wind
- 11 kn
- Gusts
- 15kn
- Air
- 29°C
Wed 4 · 76 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.7 m
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Air
- 29°C
Thu 5 · 77 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.6 m
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 29°C
Fri 6 · 77 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 30°C
Sat 7 · 77 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 29°C
Sun 8 · 77 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 28°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 181, good
- Mon 270, good
- Tue 374, good
- Wed 476, good
- Thu 577, good
- Fri 677, good
- Sat 777, good
- Sun 877, good
- Mon 970, good
- Tue 1070, good
The site in six facts
- Down to 14 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Open Waterand up
- Water 28 °C3 mm wetsuit
- Faces NEswell from there reaches it
- Best Aug–Oct5 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 Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it. Scored for Advanced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 81, good | 0.9 m | 13 kn | 17kn | 29°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 70, good | 1.0 m | 13 kn | 17kn | 29°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 74, good | 0.9 m | 11 kn | 15kn | 29°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 76, good | 0.7 m | 7 kn | 11kn | 29°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 77, good | 0.6 m | 6 kn | 9kn | 29°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 77, good | 0.5 m | 5 kn | 10kn | 30°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 77, good | 0.5 m | 5 kn | 8kn | 29°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 77, good | 0.5 m | 7 kn | 12kn | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 70, good | 0.7 m | 4 kn | 9kn | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 70, good | 0.6 m | 5 kn | 9kn | 29°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 03:36 −0.1 mHigh 14:50 +0.1 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 04:54 −0.1 mHigh 13:48 +0.1 mLow 19:50 +0.1 mHigh 21:51 +0.1 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 06:02 −0.1 mHigh 13:37 +0.1 mLow 19:29 +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.
Best time to go
best Aug–Oct
Good diving days in a typical week, each month, for Advanced 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
- Mar3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr4of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May4of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun4of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug5of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep5of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov4of 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
Great Bird Island 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
2 places
- Sunken Rock 16.2 km away
- Pillars of Hercules 16.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Great Bird Island
A reef dive. It goes down to 14 m. You get in from a boat. It suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces NE: swell from the NE reaches it, and wind from the SW 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 27°C in January, its coldest month (3 mm wetsuit), and 29°C in August, its warmest (rash vest or 1 to 2 mm). For Advanced divers the best months are usually August, September and October, with about 5 good days in 7; in January, February and December, about 2. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is St Philip.
- What it is Reef.
- How deep Down to 14 m.
- Getting in From a boat.
- Who it suits Suits Open Water 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 28°C: 3 mm wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility about 15 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Clearest in Feb, Mar and May (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$811–US$1,520 each
about US$811–US$1,520 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 ORD to SXM, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$288–US$603 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$100–US$174 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$201–US$328 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$221–US$415 |
| Total | about US$811–US$1,520 |
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: St Philip
19 min by car
About St Philip its beds, food and every spot near it
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 12h 10m
About 12h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → SXM, direct, then 3h 25m by road
Flights ORD → SXM on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in St Philip · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in St Philip · 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.