Grotta di San Francesco
Dive site · Italy
Is it worth the trip?
68Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: Sea: flat, Visibility about 20 m, Water 19 °C
Mon 2 · 16 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.0 m
- Wind
- 29 kn
- Gusts
- 42knboats in
- Air
- 17°C
Tue 3 · 62 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 12 kn
- Gusts
- 18kn
- Air
- 17°C
Wed 4 · 66 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 8 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Air
- 17°C
Thu 5 · 74 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.3 m
- Wind
- 14 kn
- Gusts
- 19kn
- Air
- 19°C
Fri 6 · 78 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 6kn
- Air
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 68 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 73 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 15 kn
- Gusts
- 20kn
- Air
- 19°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 173, good
- Mon 216, poor
- Tue 362, good
- Wed 466, good
- Thu 574, good
- Fri 678, good
- Sat 768, good
- Sun 873, good
- Mon 980, good
- Tue 1078, good
The site in five facts
- Down to 40 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Open Waterand up
- Water 19 °C7 mm wetsuit and hood
- Faces NEswell 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 Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it. Scored for Advanced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 73, good | 0.3 m | 10 kn | 14kn | 17°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 16, poor | 1.0 m | 29 kn | 42knboats in | 17°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 62, good | 0.5 m | 12 kn | 18kn | 17°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 66, good | 0.2 mflat | 8 kn | 11kn | 17°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 74, good | 0.3 m | 14 kn | 19kn | 19°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 78, good | 0.2 mflat | 4 kn | 6kn | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 68, good | 0.1 mflat | 4 kn | 10kn | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 73, good | 0.2 mflat | 15 kn | 20kn | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 80, good | 0.1 mflat | 3 kn | 9kn | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 78, good | 0.1 mflat | 5 kn | 8kn | 21°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 00:37 +0.1 mLow 06:31 −0.1 mHigh 13:49 +0.2 mLow 20:40 −0.0 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 02:06 +0.0 mLow 07:47 −0.1 mHigh 15:07 +0.1 mLow 22:12 −0.1 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 03:44 +0.1 mLow 09:19 −0.1 mHigh 16:20 +0.2 mLow 23:20 −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.
Map
the site and its town
Grotta di San Francesco on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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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 Grotta di San Francesco
A cave dive. It goes down to 40 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. 3 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 6.8 km away. The sea is about 14°C in February, its coldest month (7 mm semi-dry or a drysuit), and 26°C in August, its warmest (3 mm wetsuit). The town to stay in is La Maddalena.
- What it is Cave.
- How deep Down to 40 m.
- Getting in From a boat.
- Who it suits Suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres 3 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 6.8 km away.
Water about 19°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 Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep (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$1,190–US$2,260 each
about US$1,190–US$2,260 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 OLB, estimated from distance and season, changing at CDG, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$516–US$1,070 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$107–US$174 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$268–US$449 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$301–US$563 |
| Total | about US$1,190–US$2,260 |
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: La Maddalena
11 min by car · 139 places to stay
about US$100/nightcountry average
About La Maddalena its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$100 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. 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 18h 25m
About 18h 25m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → OLB, changing at Charles de Gaulle International Airport (CDG), then 1h by road
Flights ORD → OLB on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in La Maddalena · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in La Maddalena · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
Nautica Sabatani 6.8 km
Nautilus Diving Center 9.8 km
Scuba Point 9.9 km
Iknos Diving 12 km
Orca Diving 24 km
The nearest named dive centres and shops within 25 km, in a straight line; training agencies where the map states them. Listings, not a recommendation. 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.