Advanced divers and up
Is it worth the trip?
69Good out of 100 for your dates
3 days tie for best
Tue 3 · 70 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.7 m
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 4kn
- Air
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 67 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.7 m
- Wind
- 8 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 67 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.8 m
- Wind
- 10 kn
- Gusts
- 18kn
- Air
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 67 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.8 m
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 14kn
- Air
- 27°C
Sat 7 · 67 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.6 m
- Wind
- 9 kn
- Gusts
- 14kn
- Air
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 70 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.6 m
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 28°C
Mon 9 · 70 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 28°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 274, good
- Tue 370, good
- Wed 467, good
- Thu 567, good
- Fri 667, good
- Sat 767, good
- Sun 870, good
- Mon 970, good
- Tue 1078, good
The site in five facts
- Down to 20 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Advancedand up
- Water 28 °C3 mm wetsuit
- Faces NWswell 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 74, good | 0.7 m | 2 kn | 5kn | 26°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 70, good | 0.7 m | 1 kn | 4kn | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 67, good | 0.7 m | 8 kn | 12kn | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 67, good | 0.8 m | 10 kn | 18kn | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 67, good | 0.8 m | 7 kn | 14kn | 27°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 67, good | 0.6 m | 9 kn | 14kn | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 70, good | 0.6 m | 6 kn | 10kn | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 70, good | 0.5 m | 3 kn | 10kn | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 78, good | 0.5 m | 0 kn | 5kn | 29°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 02:50 −1.0 mHigh 09:00 +1.1 mLow 15:21 −1.2 mHigh 21:47 +1.2 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:05 −1.0 mHigh 10:15 +1.0 mLow 16:33 −1.1 mHigh 22:59 +1.2 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 05:21 −1.0 mHigh 11:32 +1.0 mLow 17:44 −1.1 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
Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz
A reef dive. It goes down to 20 m. You get in from a boat. It suits Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces NW: swell from the NW reaches it, and wind from the SE blows out to sea. No dive centre within 50 km on the map: book a liveaboard or a boat from further off. The sea is about 28°C in October, its coldest month (3 mm wetsuit), and 29°C in January, its warmest (rash vest or 1 to 2 mm). The town to stay in is Santa Catalina.
- What it is Reef.
- How deep Down to 20 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 50 km on the map: book a liveaboard or a boat from further off.
Water about 28°C: 3 mm wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility about 15 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Clearest in Jan and Feb (about 20 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$690–US$1,320 each
about US$690–US$1,320 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 DAV, estimated from distance and season, changing at PTY, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$301–US$630 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$74–US$127 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$147–US$248 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$167–US$315 |
| Total | about US$690–US$1,320 |
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: Santa Catalina
about 1h 45m by car · 30 places to stay
about US$54/nightcountry average
About Santa Catalina its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$54 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 15m
About 15h 15m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → DAV, changing at Tocumen International Airport (PTY), then 2h 15m by road
Flights ORD → DAV on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Santa Catalina · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Santa Catalina · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
No dive centre mapped within 50 km.
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.