Is it worth the trip?
80Good out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Mon 2 · 90 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 28°C
Tue 3 · 72 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 72 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.4 m
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 6kn
- Air
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 73 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.3 m
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Air
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 73 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 30°C
Sat 7 · 72 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Air
- 29°C
Sun 8 · 90 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.3 m
- Wind
- 9 kn
- Gusts
- 25kn
- Air
- 29°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 185, good
- Mon 290, good
- Tue 372, good
- Wed 472, good
- Thu 573, good
- Fri 673, good
- Sat 772, good
- Sun 890, good
- Mon 992, good
- Tue 1091, good
The site in five facts
- Down to 15 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Open Waterand up
- Water 29 °Crash vest or 1 to 2 mm
- 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 | 85, good | 0.5 m | 5 kn | 10kn | 30°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 90, good | 0.5 m | 4 kn | 7kn | 28°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 72, good | 0.5 m | 2 kn | 9kn | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 72, good | 0.4 m | 3 kn | 6kn | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 73, good | 0.3 m | 1 kn | 11kn | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 73, good | 0.2 mflat | 1 kn | 7kn | 30°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 72, good | 0.2 mflat | 6 kn | 11kn | 29°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 90, good | 0.3 m | 9 kn | 25kn | 29°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 92, good | 0.2 mflat | 4 kn | 13kn | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 91, good | 0.3 m | 4 kn | 7kn | 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
- Sun 1 NovHigh 03:39 −0.0 mLow 08:16 −0.1 mHigh 15:53 +0.2 mLow 22:54 −0.1 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 04:53 +0.0 mLow 09:40 −0.1 mHigh 16:45 +0.2 mLow 23:26 −0.1 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:47 +0.1 mLow 10:56 −0.0 mHigh 17:30 +0.1 mLow 23:55 −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.
Map
the site and its town
Bowden 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.
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Bowden Reef
A reef dive. It goes down to 15 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 50 km on the map: book a liveaboard or a boat from further off. The sea is about 27°C in February, 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 Long Bay. Within 5 km we also list 1 dive site.
- What it is Reef.
- How deep Down to 15 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 29°C: rash vest or 1 to 2 mm. 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 Jul and Aug (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$737–US$1,370 each
about US$737–US$1,370 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 MBJ, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$248–US$509 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$94–US$154 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$188–US$315 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$208–US$389 |
| Total | about US$737–US$1,370 |
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: Long Bay
47 min by car · 6 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Long Bay its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$67 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 11h
About 11h door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → MBJ, direct, then 3h 30m by road
Flights MDW → MBJ on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Long Bay · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Long Bay · 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: visibility about 25 m, greener than usual (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 and the life no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.