Pinnacles Sodwana
Dive site · South Africa
Advanced divers and up
Is it worth the trip?
72Good out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Mon 2 · 73 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.2 m
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 26°C
Tue 3 · 69 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.2 m
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 26°C
Wed 4 · 63 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.4 m
- Wind
- 12 kn
- Gusts
- 24knboats in
- Air
- 28°C
Thu 5 · 61 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.4 m
- Wind
- 12 kn
- Gusts
- 24knboats in
- Air
- 29°C
Fri 6 · 68 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.3 m
- Wind
- 8 kn
- Gusts
- 23kn
- Air
- 27°C
Sat 7 · 78 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.0 m
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 19kn
- Air
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 78 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.0 m
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 21kn
- Air
- 26°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 161, good
- Mon 273, good
- Tue 369, good
- Wed 463, good
- Thu 561, good
- Fri 668, good
- Sat 778, good
- Sun 878, good
- Mon 921, poor
- Tue 1033, poor
The site in six facts
- Down to 15 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Advancedand up
- Water 25 °C3 mm wetsuit
- Faces Eswell from there reaches it
- Best in Jan4 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 Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it. Scored for Advanced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 61, good | 1.5 m | 12 kn | 25kn | 28°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 73, good | 1.2 m | 1 kn | 8kn | 26°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 69, good | 1.2 m | 5 kn | 10kn | 26°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 63, good | 1.4 m | 12 kn | 24knboats in | 28°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 61, good | 1.4 m | 12 kn | 24knboats in | 29°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 68, good | 1.3 m | 8 kn | 23kn | 27°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 78, good | 1.0 m | 5 kn | 19kn | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 78, good | 1.0 m | 7 kn | 21kn | 26°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 21, poor | 2.6 m | 17 kn | 32knboats in | 22°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 33, poor | 2.1 m | 2 kn | 7knboats in | 25°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 01:12 −0.6 mHigh 07:28 +0.5 mLow 13:49 −0.4 mHigh 19:56 +0.4 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:28 −0.4 mHigh 09:06 +0.4 mLow 15:40 −0.3 mHigh 21:55 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:23 −0.4 mHigh 11:15 +0.4 mLow 17:41 −0.4 mHigh 23:53 +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.
Best time to go
best in Jan
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
- Feb3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May3of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun3of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov3of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec3of 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
Pinnacles Sodwana 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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Photos of Pinnacles Sodwana
More diving near here
5 places
- Cathedral Sodwana 1.2 km away
- Two Mile Reef Sodwana 1.2 km away
- Amoray 2.2 km away
- Coral Divers 2.2 km away
- Pisces Diving 2.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Pinnacles Sodwana
A pinnacle dive. It goes down to 15 m. You get in from a boat. It suits Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces E: swell from the E reaches it, and wind from the W blows out to sea. 1 dive centre or shop within 10 km, the nearest 3.4 km away. The sea is about 23°C in July, its coldest month (5 mm wetsuit), and 28°C in February, its warmest (3 mm wetsuit). For Advanced divers the best month is usually January, with about 4 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Sodwana Bay. Within 5 km we also list 1 wind sports spot and 6 dive sites.
- What it is Pinnacle.
- How deep Down to 15 m.
- Getting in From a boat.
- Who it suits Suits Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres 1 dive centre or shop within 10 km, the nearest 3.4 km away.
Water about 25°C: 3 mm wetsuit. 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 Jan, Feb, Mar and May (about 25 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$1,270–US$2,510 each
about US$1,270–US$2,510 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 MPM, estimated from distance and season, changing at LIS, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$891–US$1,860 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$67–US$114 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$161–US$275 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$147–US$268 |
| Total | about US$1,270–US$2,510 |
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: Sodwana Bay
6 min by car · 5 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Sodwana Bay its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$60 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 30h 30m
About 30h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → MPM, changing at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), then 3h 25m by road
Flights ORD → MPM on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Sodwana Bay · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Sodwana Bay · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
Scuba center 3.4 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.