Sombrero Reef
Dive site · United States
Is it worth the trip?
79Good out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Mon 2 · 65 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.4 m
- Wind
- 15 kn
- Gusts
- 21kn
- Air
- 27°C
Tue 3 · 70 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 9 kn
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Air
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 72 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 82 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 83 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 5kn
- Air
- 27°C
Sat 7 · 83 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 80 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 9 kn
- Gusts
- 15kn
- Air
- 27°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 179, good
- Mon 265, good
- Tue 370, good
- Wed 472, good
- Thu 582, good
- Fri 683, good
- Sat 783, good
- Sun 880, good
- Mon 982, good
- Tue 1019, poor
The site in five facts
- Down to 9 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Open Waterand up
- Water 27 °C3 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 Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it. Scored for Advanced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 79, good | 0.3 m | 12 kn | 18kn | 27°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 65, good | 0.4 m | 15 kn | 21kn | 27°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 70, good | 0.2 mflat | 9 kn | 13kn | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 72, good | 0.1 mflat | 6 kn | 9kn | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 82, good | 0.1 mflat | 4 kn | 7kn | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 83, good | 0.1 mflat | 3 kn | 5kn | 27°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 83, good | 0.1 mflat | 2 kn | 9kn | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 80, good | 0.1 mflat | 9 kn | 15kn | 27°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 82, good | 0.2 mflat | 3 kn | 12kn | 27°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 19, poor | 0.6 m | 22 kn | 31knboats in | 23°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 01:08 +0.3 mLow 08:04 −0.3 mHigh 14:37 +0.1 mLow 19:47 −0.1 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 02:30 +0.3 mLow 09:08 −0.2 mHigh 15:40 +0.2 mLow 21:07 −0.1 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 03:52 +0.3 mLow 10:09 −0.2 mHigh 16:36 +0.2 mLow 22:23 −0.2 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
Sombrero 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.
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.
More diving near here
4 places
- North America 1.9 km away
- Rachel Bank 13.9 km away
- Thunderbolt 15.1 km away
- Coffins Patch 15.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Sombrero Reef
A reef dive. It goes down to 9 m. You get in from a boat. It suits Open Water 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 10 km away. The sea is about 24°C in January, its coldest month (5 mm wetsuit), and 30°C in July, its warmest (rash vest or 1 to 2 mm). The town to stay in is Marathon. Within 5 km we also list 1 dive site.
- What it is Reef.
- How deep Down to 9 m.
- Getting in From a boat.
- Who it suits Suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres No dive centre within 10 km, the nearest 10 km away.
Water about 27°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 Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul and Aug (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$1,000–US$1,820 each
about US$1,000–US$1,820 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 EYW, estimated from distance and season, 3 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$208–US$429 |
| 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$1,000–US$1,820 |
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: Marathon
18 min by car · 32 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Marathon 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 6h 45m
About 6h 45m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → EYW, direct, then 1h 30m by road
Flights ORD → EYW on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Marathon · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Marathon · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
Tilden's Scuba Center 10 km
Abyss Dive Center 15 km
Dive Shop 18 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.
Nurse shark Ginglymostoma cirratumShark
Seen in 5 records.
Yellow stingray Urobatis jamaicensisRay
Seen in 7 records.
Blue mah Thalassoma bifasciatum
Seen in 365 records, mostly Jul to Sep.
Yellowhead Wrasse Halichoeres garnoti
Seen in 286 records, mostly Jul to Sep.
Bicolor Damselfish Stegastes partitus
Seen in 277 records, mostly Jul to Sep.
Gutong Sparisoma aurofrenatum
Seen in 274 records, mostly Jul to Sep.
Gutong Scarus iseri
Seen in 238 records, mostly Jul to Sep.
Barber Acanthurus bahianus
Seen in 216 records, mostly Jul to Sep.
Cola Ocyurus chrysurus
Seen in 198 records, mostly Jul to Sep.
Slippery Dick Halichoeres bivittatus
Seen in 191 records, mostly Jul to Sep.
Clown Wrasse Halichoeres maculipinna
Seen in 179 records, mostly Jul to Sep.
Blue tang Acanthurus coeruleus
Seen in 178 records, mostly Jul to Sep.
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: Florida Keys Reef Visual Census 2016; Florida Keys Reef Visual Census 2014; Florida Keys Reef Visual Census 2018; Florida Keys Reef Visual Census 2012; NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program, Coral Demographic Data. Credits
This week: visibility about 15 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.