Is it worth the trip?
78Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 9: Sea 0.4 m, Visibility about 20 m, Water 29 °C
Tue 3 · 80 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 0 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 31°C
Wed 4 · 80 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 4kn
- Air
- 31°C
Thu 5 · 80 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.4 m
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Air
- 29°C
Fri 6 · 78 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Air
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 67 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.6 m
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 19kn
- Air
- 29°C
Sun 8 · 69 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 17kn
- Air
- 30°C
Mon 9 · 81 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.4 m
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 14kn
- Air
- 30°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 280, good
- Tue 380, good
- Wed 480, good
- Thu 580, good
- Fri 678, good
- Sat 767, good
- Sun 869, good
- Mon 981, good
- Tue 1081, good
The site in five facts
- Down to 10 mits deepest
- From the shorehow you get in
- Open Waterand up
- Water 29 °Crash vest or 1 to 2 mm
- 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 Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it. Scored for Advanced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 80, good | 0.5 m | 1 kn | 9kn | 31°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 80, good | 0.5 m | 0 kn | 9kn | 31°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 80, good | 0.5 m | 1 kn | 4kn | 31°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 80, good | 0.4 m | 6 kn | 13kn | 29°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 78, good | 0.5 m | 6 kn | 13kn | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 67, good | 0.6 m | 3 kn | 19kn | 29°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 69, good | 0.5 m | 3 kn | 17kn | 30°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 81, good | 0.4 m | 2 kn | 14kn | 30°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 81, good | 0.4 m | 2 kn | 10kn | 28°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 NovHigh 01:38 +0.1 mLow 07:39 −0.1 mHigh 14:48 +0.2 mLow 21:35 −0.1 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 03:03 +0.1 mLow 08:58 −0.1 mHigh 15:43 +0.2 mLow 22:21 −0.1 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 04:22 +0.1 mLow 10:20 −0.1 mHigh 16:35 +0.2 mLow 23:03 −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
No month stands out
Good diving days in a typical week, each month, for Advanced divers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr7of 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
- Oct7of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov7of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec6of 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 and its town
Steps (Tres Palmas) 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 Steps (Tres Palmas)
A reef dive. It goes down to 10 m. You get in from the shore. It suits Open Water 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. 2 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 0.8 km away. The sea is about 27°C in January, its coldest month (3 mm wetsuit), and 30°C in September, its warmest (rash vest or 1 to 2 mm). The town to stay in is Rincón. Within 5 km we also list 9 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.
- What it is Reef.
- How deep Down to 10 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 0.8 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 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 Apr (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$985–US$1,820 each
about US$985–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 MDW to PUJ, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$268–US$563 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$134–US$228 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$275–US$456 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$308–US$576 |
| Total | about US$985–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: Rincón
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 5 min by car · 59 places to stay
about US$100/nightcountry average
About Rincón its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$100 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 10h 25m
About 10h 25m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → PUJ, direct, then 2h 20m by road
Flights MDW → PUJ on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Rincón · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Rincón · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
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.
Hypanus americanusRay
Seen in 3 records.
Blue mah Thalassoma bifasciatum
Seen in 274 records, mostly May to Oct.
Blue tang Acanthurus coeruleus
Seen in 229 records, mostly May to Oct.
Gutong Sparisoma aurofrenatum
Seen in 169 records, mostly May to Oct.
Five-band Surgeonfish Acanthurus tractus
Seen in 153 records, mostly May to Aug.
Bicolor Damselfish Stegastes partitus
Seen in 151 records, mostly May to Oct.
Coney Cephalopholis fulva
Seen in 147 records, mostly May to Oct.
Dusky Damselfish Stegastes adustus
Seen in 143 records.
French grunt Haemulon flavolineatum
Seen in 123 records.
Blue Chub Scarus taeniopterus
Seen in 115 records, mostly May to Oct.
Slippery Dick Halichoeres bivittatus
Seen in 110 records, mostly May to Oct.
Clown Wrasse Halichoeres maculipinna
Seen in 109 records, mostly May to Oct.
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: Puerto Rico Reef Visual Census; Puerto Rico Coral Reef Monitoring Program Database Compilation; NievesOrtiz_Fish assemblages in artificial and natural reefs in Puerto Rico; NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program, Coral Demographic Data; NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program, Benthic Cover Data. Credits
This week's visibility and the current no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.