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Western Reef
Dive site · Canada
Advanced divers and up
Is it worth the trip?
55Fair out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Tue 3 · 60 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.6 m
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 13°C
Wed 4 · 58 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.8 m
- Wind
- 9 kn
- Gusts
- 16kn
- Air
- 11°C
Thu 5 · 60 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.8 m
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 5kn
- Air
- 15°C
Fri 6 · 59 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.7 m
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 16°C
Sat 7 · 56 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.9 m
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 17°C
Sun 8 · 23 out of 100
- Sea
- 2.1 m
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 21kn
- Air
- 15°C
Mon 9 · 43 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.4 m
- Wind
- 8 kn
- Gusts
- 21kn
- Air
- 14°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 254, fair
- Tue 360, good
- Wed 458, fair
- Thu 560, good
- Fri 659, fair
- Sat 756, fair
- Sun 823, poor
- Mon 943, poor
- Tue 1035, poor
- Wed 1147, fair
The site in six facts
- Down to 20 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Advancedand up
- Water 10 °C7 mm semi-dry or a drysuit
- Faces SEswell from there reaches it
- Best in Jul7 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 Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it. Scored for Advanced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 54, fair | 1.1 m | 7 kn | 15kn | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 60, good | 0.6 m | 4 kn | 9kn | 13°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 58, fair | 0.8 m | 9 kn | 16kn | 11°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 60, good | 0.8 m | 1 kn | 5kn | 15°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 59, fair | 0.7 m | 6 kn | 12kn | 16°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 56, fair | 0.9 m | 5 kn | 8kn | 17°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 23, poor | 2.1 m | 5 kn | 21kn | 15°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 43, poor | 1.4 m | 8 kn | 21kn | 14°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 35, poor | 1.3 m | 13 kn | 27knboats in | 11°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 47, fair | 1.2 m | 9 kn | 27kn | 9°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 01:39 +0.6 mLow 08:08 −0.5 mHigh 13:48 +0.6 mLow 20:40 −0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:46 +0.6 mLow 09:19 −0.5 mHigh 14:59 +0.6 mLow 21:44 −0.7 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 03:49 +0.7 mLow 10:23 −0.6 mHigh 16:07 +0.6 mLow 22:43 −0.7 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 in Jul
Good diving days in a typical week, each month, for Advanced divers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr5of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May6of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun6of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug6of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep6of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov4of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec4of 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
Western 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
5 places
- Dominion Coal Company barges Freeman (date unknown) and Lucia P. Dow (1957) 3.2 km away
- American (Virginia) brig, name unknown (1824) 3.9 km away
- Norwegian barque Tordenskjold (1879) 3.9 km away
- Royal Canadian Navy gate vessel HMCS Ypres (1940) 3.9 km away
- Sea Fury fighter bomber plane (1952) 5.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Western Reef
A reef dive. It goes down to 20 m. You get in from a boat. It suits Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces SE: swell from the SE reaches it, and wind from the NW blows out to sea. No dive centre within 10 km, the nearest 21 km away. The sea is about 2°C in February, its coldest month (drysuit), and 18°C in August, its warmest (7 mm wetsuit and hood). For Advanced divers the best month is usually July, with about 7 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Halifax. Within 5 km we also list 4 dive sites and 1 climbing area.
- What it is Reef.
- How deep Down to 20 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 21 km away.
Water about 10°C: 7 mm semi-dry or a drysuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility under 5 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Clearest in Jan, Feb, Mar, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Nov and Dec (under 5 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$852–US$1,560 each
about US$852–US$1,560 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 2 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to YHZ, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$201–US$423 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$67–US$107 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$275–US$456 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$309–US$577 |
| Total | about US$852–US$1,560 |
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: Halifax
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 20 min by car · 53 places to stay
about US$101/nightcountry average
About Halifax its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$101 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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 7h 30m
About 7h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → YHZ, direct, then 50 min by road
Flights ORD → YHZ 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 Halifax · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Halifax · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
East Coast Scuba and Watersports 21 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
Too few records at this site itself, so these are the animals divers and surveys have recorded at other sites within 25 km in the last 15 years. A record says someone saw it there, not that you will.
Blue shark Prionace glaucaShark
Seen in 26 records, mostly Sep to Oct.
Joey Scomber scombrus
Seen in 776 records, mostly Jun 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: Mackerel tracking in the Northwest Arm; Scotian Shelf Snow Crab Tagging; Canadian Maritimes Fishermen and Scientists Research Society Lobster Recruitment Index from Standard Traps- 2003+; OTN NS Blue Shark Tracking; EC-CWS Eastern Canada Seabirds at Sea. Credits
This week's visibility and the current no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.