Perdido Key Reef
Dive site · United States
Is it worth the trip?
62Good out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Mon 2 · 26 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.1 m
- Wind
- 16 kn
- Gusts
- 22kn
- Air
- 24°C
Tue 3 · 22 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.2 m
- Wind
- 19 kn
- Gusts
- 24kn
- Air
- 25°C
Wed 4 · 64 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 8 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 25°C
Thu 5 · 68 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 24°C
Fri 6 · 69 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 68 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Air
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 69 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Air
- 23°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 131, poor
- Mon 226, poor
- Tue 322, poor
- Wed 464, good
- Thu 568, good
- Fri 669, good
- Sat 768, good
- Sun 869, good
- Mon 966, good
- Tue 1066, good
The site in six facts
- Down to 5 mits deepest
- From the shorehow you get in
- Open Waterand up
- Water 22 °C5 mm wetsuit
- Faces Sswell from there reaches it
- Best in Jul7 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 | 31, poor | 1.0 m | 15 kn | 23kn | 23°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 26, poor | 1.1 m | 16 kn | 22kn | 24°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 22, poor | 1.2 m | 19 kn | 24kn | 25°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 64, good | 0.5 m | 8 kn | 10kn | 25°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 68, good | 0.2 mflat | 3 kn | 9kn | 24°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 69, good | 0.1 mflat | 3 kn | 7kn | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 68, good | 0.1 mflat | 7 kn | 13kn | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 69, good | 0.1 mflat | 5 kn | 11kn | 23°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 66, good | 0.2 mflat | 12 kn | 20kn | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 66, good | 0.3 m | 11 kn | 20kn | 17°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 12:14 −0.2 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 00:55 +0.3 mLow 13:06 −0.1 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:01 +0.2 mLow 13:45 −0.0 mHigh 19:02 +0.0 mLow 21:26 +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 in Jul
Good diving days in a typical week, each month, for Advanced divers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr5of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May6of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun6of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug6of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep6of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov5of 7: a trip from Mon 2 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 and its town
Perdido Key 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.
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 Perdido Key Reef
A reef dive. It goes down to 5 m. You get in from the shore. 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. No dive centre within 10 km, the nearest 18 km away. The sea is about 18°C in January, its coldest month (7 mm wetsuit and hood), and 30°C in July, its warmest (rash vest or 1 to 2 mm). For Advanced divers the best month is usually July, with about 7 good days in 7; in January, about 4. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Orange Beach.
- What it is Reef.
- How deep Down to 5 m.
- Getting in From the shore.
- Who it suits Suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres No dive centre within 10 km, the nearest 18 km away.
Water about 22°C: 5 mm wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility under 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 (under 5 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$871–US$1,590 each
about US$871–US$1,590 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 MDW to PNS, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$161–US$342 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$67–US$114 |
| 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$871–US$1,590 |
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: Orange Beach
28 min by car · 56 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Orange Beach 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 4h 55m
About 4h 55m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → PNS, direct, then 50 min by road
Flights MDW → PNS on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Orange Beach · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Orange Beach · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
MBT Divers 18 km
Scuba Shack 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 under 5 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.