Thunderball Grotto
Dive site · Bahamas
Is it worth the trip?
84Good out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Tue 3 · 68 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.8 m
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 69 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.8 m
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 28°C
Thu 5 · 85 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.9 m
- Wind
- 12 kn
- Gusts
- 17kn
- Air
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 81 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.1 m
- Wind
- 12 kn
- Gusts
- 17kn
- Air
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 86 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.9 m
- Wind
- 8 kn
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Air
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 88 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.7 m
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Air
- 28°C
Mon 9 · 88 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.6 m
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 28°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 276, good
- Tue 368, good
- Wed 469, good
- Thu 585, good
- Fri 681, good
- Sat 786, good
- Sun 888, good
- Mon 988, good
- Tue 1085, good
The site in five facts
- Down to 8 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Open Waterand up
- Water 28 °C3 mm wetsuit
- Faces NEswell 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 | 76, good | 1.1 m | 9 kn | 18kn | 28°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 68, good | 0.8 m | 5 kn | 9kn | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 69, good | 0.8 m | 3 kn | 8kn | 28°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 85, good | 0.9 m | 12 kn | 17kn | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 81, good | 1.1 m | 12 kn | 17kn | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 86, good | 0.9 m | 8 kn | 13kn | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 88, good | 0.7 m | 5 kn | 13kn | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 88, good | 0.6 m | 7 kn | 12kn | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 85, good | 0.5 m | 10 kn | 19kn | 27°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 01:17 +0.3 mLow 07:15 −0.3 mHigh 13:51 +0.5 mLow 20:17 −0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:24 +0.3 mLow 08:26 −0.3 mHigh 14:51 +0.5 mLow 21:12 −0.3 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 03:26 +0.4 mLow 09:35 −0.3 mHigh 15:48 +0.4 mLow 22:02 −0.3 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
- Sep7of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov6of 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
Thunderball Grotto 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 Thunderball Grotto
A cave dive. It goes down to 8 m. You get in from a boat. 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. No dive centre within 50 km on the map: book a liveaboard or a boat from further off. The sea is about 25°C in January, its coldest month (3 mm wetsuit), and 30°C in August, its warmest (rash vest or 1 to 2 mm). The town to stay in is Black Point.
- What it is Cave.
- How deep Down to 8 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 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 30 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Clearest in Apr, Jul, Aug and Sep (over 30 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$1,080–US$1,960 each
about US$1,080–US$1,960 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 NAS, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$208–US$435 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$167–US$275 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$328–US$549 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$375–US$697 |
| Total | about US$1,080–US$1,960 |
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: Black Point
about 30 min by car
about US$121/nightcountry average
About Black Point its beds, food and every spot near it
Nearest town: Black Point, 17 km. We have not checked places to stay in Black Point yet. The nearest beds we have counted are in Jimmy Hill, 88 km away. Search before you plan on staying there.
About US$121 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 9h 40m
About 9h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → NAS, direct, then 2h 50m by road
Flights ORD → NAS on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Black Point · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Black Point · 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.