Sapphire Beach Reef
Dive site · United States Virgin Islands
Is it worth the trip?
79Good out of 100 for your dates
3 days tie for best
Mon 2 · 68 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.6 m
- Wind
- 15 kn
- Gusts
- 21kn
- Air
- 29°C
Tue 3 · 77 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 12 kn
- Gusts
- 16kn
- Air
- 29°C
Wed 4 · 79 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.4 m
- Wind
- 8 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 29°C
Thu 5 · 81 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.3 m
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 79 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 81 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 81 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.3 m
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Air
- 29°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 168, good
- Mon 268, good
- Tue 377, good
- Wed 479, good
- Thu 581, good
- Fri 679, good
- Sat 781, good
- Sun 881, good
- Mon 981, good
- Tue 1081, good
The site in six facts
- Down to 5 mits deepest
- From the shorehow you get in
- Open Waterand up
- Water 29 °Crash vest or 1 to 2 mm
- Faces NEswell from there reaches it
- Best May–Aug7 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 | 68, good | 0.5 m | 13 kn | 18kn | 29°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 68, good | 0.6 m | 15 kn | 21kn | 29°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 77, good | 0.5 m | 12 kn | 16kn | 29°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 79, good | 0.4 m | 8 kn | 12kn | 29°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 81, good | 0.3 m | 4 kn | 8kn | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 79, good | 0.2 mflat | 7 kn | 10kn | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 81, good | 0.2 mflat | 6 kn | 12kn | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 81, good | 0.3 m | 6 kn | 13kn | 29°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 81, good | 0.3 m | 2 kn | 7kn | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 81, good | 0.3 m | 4 kn | 9kn | 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
- Sun 1 NovHigh 00:29 +0.0 mLow 06:32 −0.2 mHigh 14:05 +0.3 mLow 20:58 −0.1 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 01:52 +0.0 mLow 07:46 −0.1 mHigh 15:04 +0.2 mLow 21:48 −0.1 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 03:18 +0.1 mLow 09:09 −0.1 mHigh 16:01 +0.2 mLow 22:35 −0.1 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.
Best time to go
best May–Aug
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
- Sep6of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov6of 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, its town, photos
Sapphire Beach 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.
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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.
Photos of Sapphire Beach Reef
More diving near here
5 places
- Coral World 2 km away
- Cow and Calf 4.2 km away
- Cartanser Sr Wreck 9.2 km away
- WIT Shoal II Wreck 9.6 km away
- Grain Wreck (SS Grainton) 11.6 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Sapphire Beach 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 NE: swell from the NE reaches it, and wind from the SW blows out to sea. 2 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 2.3 km away. The sea is about 27°C in January, its coldest month (3 mm wetsuit), and 29°C in July, its warmest (rash vest or 1 to 2 mm). For Advanced divers the best months are usually May, June, July and August, with about 7 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Charlotte Amalie. Within 5 km we also list 2 dive sites.
- 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 2 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 2.3 km away.
Water about 29°C: rash vest or 1 to 2 mm. 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 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$724–US$1,370 each
about US$724–US$1,370 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 STT, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$281–US$590 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$33 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$201–US$328 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$221–US$415 |
| Total | about US$724–US$1,370 |
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: Charlotte Amalie
15 min by car · 39 places to stay
About Charlotte Amalie its beds, food and every spot near it
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 9h
About 9h door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → STT, direct, then 25 min by road
Flights ORD → STT on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Charlotte Amalie · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Charlotte Amalie · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
Coki Dive Center 2.3 km
Low Key Watersports 5.7 km
Crabby's 14 km
JVD Scuba 16 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
Animals divers and surveys have recorded within 2 km of this site in the last 15 years. A record says someone saw it here, not that you will.
Mustard hill coral Porites astreoides
Seen in 23 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Finger coral Porites porites
Seen in 20 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Massive Starlet Coral Siderastrea siderea
Seen in 19 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Lesser Starlet Coral Siderastrea radians
Seen in 15 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Lettuce Coral Agaricia agaricites
Seen in 14 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Orbicella annularis
Seen in 8 records.
Pseudodiploria strigosa
Seen in 7 records.
Branched Finger Coral Porites furcata
Seen in 6 records.
Elliptical star coral Dichocoenia stokesii
Seen in 4 records.
Orbicella franksi
Seen in 4 records.
Staghorn coral Acropora cervicornis
Seen in 3 records.
Lowrelief Lettuce Coral Agaricia humilis
Seen in 3 records.
Records: OBIS (Ocean Biodiversity Information System, IOC-UNESCO), from the datasets named here, CC0 and CC BY records only. Names: WoRMS, through OBIS; common names from Wikidata. Largest datasets here: NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program, Coral Demographic Data; NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program, Benthic Cover Data. Credits
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 no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.