Hen and Chickens reef
Dive site · United States
Is it worth the trip?
71Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: Sea: flat, Visibility about 5 m, Water 27 °C
Mon 2 · 62 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.8 m
- Wind
- 14 kn
- Gusts
- 21kn
- Air
- 26°C
Tue 3 · 69 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.4 m
- Wind
- 10 kn
- Gusts
- 15kn
- Air
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 71 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 28°C
Thu 5 · 72 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 72 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 27°C
Sat 7 · 73 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 5kn
- Air
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 69 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.4 m
- Wind
- 10 kn
- Gusts
- 16kn
- Air
- 27°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 165, good
- Mon 262, good
- Tue 369, good
- Wed 471, good
- Thu 572, good
- Fri 672, good
- Sat 773, good
- Sun 869, good
- Mon 972, good
- Tue 1064, good
The site in five facts
- Down to 5 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Open Waterand up
- Water 27 °C3 mm wetsuit
- Faces SEswell 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 | 65, good | 0.8 m | 14 kn | 18kn | 27°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 62, good | 0.8 m | 14 kn | 21kn | 26°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 69, good | 0.4 m | 10 kn | 15kn | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 71, good | 0.2 mflat | 6 kn | 9kn | 28°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 72, good | 0.1 mflat | 4 kn | 7kn | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 72, good | 0.1 mflat | 3 kn | 8kn | 27°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 73, good | 0.1 mflat | 1 kn | 5kn | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 69, good | 0.4 m | 10 kn | 16kn | 27°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 72, good | 0.2 mflat | 4 kn | 10kn | 27°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 64, good | 0.7 m | 14 kn | 26knboats in | 22°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 00:47 +0.4 mLow 07:23 −0.3 mHigh 13:53 +0.3 mLow 19:37 −0.2 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 02:03 +0.3 mLow 08:28 −0.3 mHigh 14:58 +0.3 mLow 20:47 −0.2 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 03:19 +0.3 mLow 09:31 −0.3 mHigh 15:57 +0.3 mLow 21:54 −0.3 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
Hen and Chickens reef 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.
More diving near here
4 places
- Davis Reef 4.7 km away
- Eagle 7.6 km away
- USS Alligator Shipwreck 11.7 km away
- San Pedro 15.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Hen and Chickens reef
A reef dive. It goes down to 5 m. You get in from a boat. It suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces SE: swell from the SE reaches it, and wind from the NW blows out to sea. 2 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 7.5 km away. The sea is about 24°C in January, its coldest month (5 mm wetsuit), and 30°C in July, its warmest (rash vest or 1 to 2 mm). The town to stay in is Islamorada. Within 5 km we also list 1 dive site.
- What it is Reef.
- How deep Down to 5 m.
- Getting in From a boat.
- Who it suits Suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres 2 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 7.5 km away.
Water about 27°C: 3 mm wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility about 5 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Much the same all year (about 6 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$998–US$1,810 each
about US$998–US$1,810 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 MDW to MIA, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$201–US$415 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$154–US$255 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$301–US$502 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$636 |
| Total | about US$998–US$1,810 |
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: Islamorada
14 min by car · 33 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Islamorada its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$114 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 7h 10m
About 7h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → MIA, direct, then 2h 15m by road
Flights MDW → MIA on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Islamorada · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Islamorada · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
Florida Keys Dive Center 7.5 km
Conch Republic Divers 7.7 km
Key Dives 12 km
Dive In Watersports 18 km
Scuba Tech 20 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
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.
Nurse shark Ginglymostoma cirratumShark
Seen in 3 records.
Hypanus americanusRay
Seen in 4 records.
Grunt Haemulon plumierii
Seen in 187 records, mostly Aug.
Gutong Scarus iseri
Seen in 173 records, mostly Aug.
Bluestriped Grunt Haemulon sciurus
Seen in 168 records, mostly Aug.
Blue tang Acanthurus coeruleus
Seen in 155 records, mostly Aug.
Moontail Sparisoma viride
Seen in 154 records, mostly Aug.
Cola Ocyurus chrysurus
Seen in 152 records, mostly Aug.
Gutong Sparisoma aurofrenatum
Seen in 118 records, mostly Aug.
Blue mah Thalassoma bifasciatum
Seen in 117 records, mostly Aug.
Slippery Dick Halichoeres bivittatus
Seen in 116 records, mostly Aug.
Pilotfish Abudefduf saxatilis
Seen in 106 records, mostly 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: Florida Keys Reef Visual Census 2012; Florida Keys Reef Visual Census 2016; Florida Keys Reef Visual Census 2014; Florida Keys Reef Visual Census 2018; NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program, Coral Demographic Data. Credits
This week: visibility about 7 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 no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.