Phoenix Barge (aka Lost Barge)
Dive site · United States
Advanced divers and up
Is it worth the trip?
68Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: Sea: flat, Visibility about 8 m, Water 23 °C
Mon 2 · 55 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.0 m
- Wind
- 16 kn
- Gusts
- 20knboats in
- Air
- 25°C
Tue 3 · 54 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.1 m
- Wind
- 15 kn
- Gusts
- 19kn
- Air
- 25°C
Wed 4 · 66 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.7 m
- Wind
- 9 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 25°C
Thu 5 · 70 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.3 m
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 24°C
Fri 6 · 69 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 73 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Air
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 72 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 14kn
- Air
- 22°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 149, fair
- Mon 255, fair
- Tue 354, fair
- Wed 466, good
- Thu 570, good
- Fri 669, good
- Sat 773, good
- Sun 872, good
- Mon 970, good
- Tue 1067, good
The site in five facts
- Down to 23 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Advancedand up
- Water 23 °C5 mm wetsuit
- 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 Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it. Scored for Advanced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 49, fair | 1.2 m | 19 kn | 28knboats in | 23°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 55, fair | 1.0 m | 16 kn | 20knboats in | 25°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 54, fair | 1.1 m | 15 kn | 19kn | 25°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 66, good | 0.7 m | 9 kn | 12kn | 25°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 70, good | 0.3 m | 1 kn | 8kn | 24°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 69, good | 0.1 mflat | 6 kn | 9kn | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 73, good | 0.1 mflat | 1 kn | 13kn | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 72, good | 0.1 mflat | 5 kn | 14kn | 22°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 70, good | 0.4 m | 7 kn | 10kn | 22°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 67, good | 0.5 m | 12 kn | 24knboats in | 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 NovHigh 00:53 +0.3 mLow 13:07 −0.2 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 02:10 +0.3 mLow 14:03 −0.1 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:07 +0.2 mLow 14:48 −0.0 mHigh 20:01 +0.0 mLow 22:27 +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
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).
- Jan6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb7of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar6of 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
- Nov7of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec6of 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
Phoenix Barge (aka Lost Barge) 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
5 places
- Main Stack 6.5 km away
- Eglin Barge (aka Air Force Barge or 100' Barge) 7.1 km away
- Henderson Park West Reef 9.2 km away
- Henderson Park East Reef 9.3 km away
- Crab Trap Destin Reef 9.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Phoenix Barge (aka Lost Barge)
A wreck dive. It goes down to 23 m. You get in from a boat. It suits Advanced 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 11 km away. The sea is about 18°C in January, its coldest month (7 mm wetsuit and hood), and 30°C in August, its warmest (rash vest or 1 to 2 mm). The town to stay in is Destin.
- What it is Wreck.
- How deep Down to 23 m.
- Getting in From a boat.
- Who it suits Suits Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres No dive centre within 10 km, the nearest 11 km away.
Water about 23°C: 5 mm wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility about 8 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Clearest in Feb, Mar, Apr, Jun, Jul, Aug, Nov and Dec (about 10 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$851–US$1,560 each
about US$851–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 MDW to VPS, 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$47–US$80 |
| 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$851–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: Destin
18 min by car · 65 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Destin 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 45m
About 4h 45m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → VPS, direct, then 40 min by road
Flights MDW → VPS on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Destin · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Destin · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
Emerald Coast Scuba 11 km
ScubaTech 12 km
EXND Diving and Marine Services 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 15 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.