Ilhéu de Vila Franca do Campo
Dive site · Portugal
Is it worth the trip?
68Good out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Tue 3 · 82 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 18°C
Wed 4 · 82 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 5kn
- Air
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 80 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 19kn
- Air
- 19°C
Fri 6 · 67 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.4 m
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 63 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.8 m
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 16kn
- Air
- 17°C
Sun 8 · 5 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.9 m
- Wind
- 15 kn
- Gusts
- 32knboats in
- Air
- 17°C
Mon 9 · 21 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.7 m
- Wind
- 16 kn
- Gusts
- 46knboats in
- Air
- 16°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 280, good
- Tue 382, good
- Wed 482, good
- Thu 580, good
- Fri 667, good
- Sat 763, good
- Sun 85, poor
- Mon 921, poor
- Tue 1082, good
The site in five facts
- Down to 22 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Open Waterand up
- Water 20 °C7 mm wetsuit and hood
- Faces Sswell 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 80, good | 0.7 m | 7 kn | 17kn | 19°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 82, good | 0.5 m | 3 kn | 9kn | 18°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 82, good | 0.5 m | 2 kn | 5kn | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 80, good | 0.5 m | 6 kn | 19kn | 19°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 67, good | 0.4 m | 3 kn | 7kn | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 63, good | 0.8 m | 6 kn | 16kn | 17°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 5, poor | 0.9 m | 15 kn | 32knboats in | 17°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 21, poor | 0.7 m | 16 kn | 46knboats in | 16°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 82, good | 0.4 m | 2 kn | 13kn | 18°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 NovLow 00:43 −0.4 mHigh 07:12 +0.5 mLow 13:52 −0.4 mHigh 20:05 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:09 −0.4 mHigh 08:32 +0.5 mLow 15:09 −0.5 mHigh 21:20 +0.4 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 03:23 −0.4 mHigh 09:40 +0.6 mLow 16:09 −0.6 mHigh 22:19 +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).
- Jan5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar5of 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
- Oct6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov6of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec5of 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, its town, photos
Ilhéu de Vila Franca do Campo 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.
Photos of Ilhéu de Vila Franca do Campo
More diving near here
1 place
- Arcos da Caloura 6.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Ilhéu de Vila Franca do Campo
A reef dive. It goes down to 22 m. You get in from a boat. It suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces S: swell from the S reaches it, and wind from the N blows out to sea. 1 dive centre or shop within 10 km, the nearest 0.6 km away. The sea is about 17°C in February, its coldest month (7 mm wetsuit and hood), and 24°C in August, its warmest (5 mm wetsuit). The town to stay in is Vila Franca do Campo.
- What it is Reef.
- How deep Down to 22 m.
- Getting in From a boat.
- Who it suits Suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres 1 dive centre or shop within 10 km, the nearest 0.6 km away.
Water about 20°C: 7 mm wetsuit and hood. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility about 25 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Clearest in Aug and Sep (over 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$817–US$1,560 each
about US$817–US$1,560 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 PDL, estimated from distance and season, changing at JFK, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$382–US$797 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$54–US$87 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$181–US$301 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$201–US$375 |
| Total | about US$817–US$1,560 |
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: Vila Franca do Campo
2 min by car · 14 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Vila Franca do Campo its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$67 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 15h
About 15h door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → PDL, changing at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), then 45 min by road
Flights ORD → PDL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Vila Franca do Campo · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Vila Franca do Campo · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
AZORES SUB dive center 0.6 km
Season Challenge diving center 21 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's visibility, the current and the life no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.