Shirt Tail Reef
Dive site · United States
Advanced divers and up
Is it worth the trip?
63Good out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Mon 2 · 65 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.0 mflat
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 3kn
- Air
- 10°C
Tue 3 · 65 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.0 mflat
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 3kn
- Air
- 13°C
Wed 4 · 64 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.0 mflat
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Air
- 11°C
Thu 5 · 63 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Air
- 12°C
Fri 6 · 59 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 11 kn
- Gusts
- 29knboats in
- Air
- 11°C
Sat 7 · 64 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.0 mflat
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 12°C
Sun 8 · 58 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 28knboats in
- Air
- 12°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 165, good
- Mon 265, good
- Tue 365, good
- Wed 464, good
- Thu 563, good
- Fri 659, fair
- Sat 764, good
- Sun 858, fair
- Mon 965, good
- Tue 100, poor
The site in five facts
- Down to 18 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Advancedand up
- Water 9 °Cdrysuit
- Faces Wswell 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 | 65, good | 0.0 mflat | 2 kn | 5kn | 10°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 65, good | 0.0 mflat | 1 kn | 3kn | 10°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 65, good | 0.0 mflat | 2 kn | 3kn | 13°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 64, good | 0.0 mflat | 4 kn | 11kn | 11°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 63, good | 0.1 mflat | 7 kn | 13kn | 12°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 59, fair | 0.2 mflat | 11 kn | 29knboats in | 11°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 64, good | 0.0 mflat | 3 kn | 12kn | 12°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 58, fair | 0.1 mflat | 7 kn | 28knboats in | 12°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 65, good | 0.0 mflat | 1 kn | 12kn | 12°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, poor | 0.3 m | 17 kn | 31knboats in | 14°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 06:21 +0.5 mLow 11:41 +0.0 mHigh 16:56 +0.9 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 00:42 −1.4 mHigh 07:32 +0.6 mLow 13:27 −0.2 mHigh 18:25 +0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 01:53 −1.2 mHigh 08:29 +0.7 mLow 14:47 −0.5 mHigh 20:05 +0.6 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
Shirt Tail 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.
More diving near here
2 places
- Turn Rock 7.2 km away
- Shark Reef 13.6 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Shirt Tail Reef
A reef dive. It goes down to 18 m. You get in from a boat. It suits Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces W: swell from the W reaches it, and wind from the E blows out to sea. No dive centre within 10 km, the nearest 31 km away. The sea is about 8°C in January, its coldest month (drysuit), and 14°C in August, its warmest (7 mm semi-dry or a drysuit). The town to stay in is Friday Harbor.
- What it is Reef.
- How deep Down to 18 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 31 km away.
Water about 9°C: drysuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
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$1,050–US$1,910 each
about US$1,050–US$1,910 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 MDW to SEA, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$248–US$516 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$154–US$255 |
| 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$1,050–US$1,910 |
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: Friday Harbor
10 min by car · 33 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Friday Harbor 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 8h 35m
About 8h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SEA, direct, then 2h 35m by road
Flights MDW → SEA on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Friday Harbor · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Friday Harbor · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
No dive centre mapped within 25 km.
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.
Liparis dennyi
Seen in 5 records.
Agonopsis vulsa
Seen in 4 records.
Dasycottus setiger
Seen in 4 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: 4e88f9c8-868e-4b0a-bc48-3d409a5448fe. Credits
What is under the water this week (visibility, current) no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.