Advanced divers and up
Is it worth the trip?
78Good out of 100 for your dates
4 days tie for best
Tue 3 · 71 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 72 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 79 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 79 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.0 mflat
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 27°C
Sat 7 · 79 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.0 mflat
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 79 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.0 mflat
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 26°C
Mon 9 · 75 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 13 kn
- Gusts
- 17kn
- Air
- 26°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 274, good
- Tue 371, good
- Wed 472, good
- Thu 579, good
- Fri 679, good
- Sat 779, good
- Sun 879, good
- Mon 975, good
- Tue 1068, good
- Wed 1172, good
The site in five facts
- Down to 21 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Advancedand up
- Water 27 °C3 mm wetsuit
- Faces NWswell 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 Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it. Scored for Advanced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 74, good | 0.2 mflat | 8 kn | 11kn | 26°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 71, good | 0.2 mflat | 7 kn | 12kn | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 72, good | 0.1 mflat | 6 kn | 10kn | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 79, good | 0.1 mflat | 6 kn | 9kn | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 79, good | 0.0 mflat | 5 kn | 8kn | 27°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 79, good | 0.0 mflat | 5 kn | 8kn | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 79, good | 0.0 mflat | 5 kn | 10kn | 26°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 75, good | 0.2 mflat | 13 kn | 17kn | 26°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 68, good | 0.6 m | 16 kn | 25kn | 24°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 72, good | 0.5 m | 14 kn | 22kn | 25°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 03:30 +0.3 mLow 11:08 −0.2 mHigh 17:59 +0.1 mLow 22:32 −0.0 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:13 +0.2 mLow 12:02 −0.1 mHigh 18:27 +0.1 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 00:02 −0.1 mHigh 06:40 +0.2 mLow 12:46 −0.1 mHigh 18:55 +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
Brilliant Shoal on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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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 Brilliant Shoal
A reef dive. It goes down to 21 m. You get in from a boat. It suits Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces NW: swell from the NW reaches it, and wind from the SE 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 23°C in February, its coldest month (5 mm wetsuit), and 30°C in July, its warmest (rash vest or 1 to 2 mm). No town nearby. Nearest beds: Key West, 111 km. Nearest airport: Key West International Airport (EYW), 115 km. Within 5 km we also list 1 wind sports spot and 7 dive sites.
- What it is Reef.
- How deep Down to 21 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 50 km on the map: book a liveaboard or a boat from further off.
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 Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov and Dec (about 15 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$705–US$1,320 each
about US$705–US$1,320 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, 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 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 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$637 |
| Total | about US$705–US$1,320 |
No town nearby, so no stay is in it. 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: nearest beds 111 km away
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
No town nearby
Nearest beds: Key West, 111 km. Nearest airport: Key West International Airport (EYW), 115 km.
See places to stay near Key West, 111 km away · Booking.comDistances are straight lines: a site out at sea is reached by boat.
Getting there: about 7h 35m
About 7h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → EYW, direct, then 2h 20m by road
Flights ORD → EYW on your dates · AviasalesAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Brilliant Shoal · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Brilliant Shoal · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
No dive centre mapped within 50 km.
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.
Gutong Scarus iseri
Seen in 189 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Cola Ocyurus chrysurus
Seen in 181 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Stegastes variabilis
Seen in 144 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Grunt Haemulon plumierii
Seen in 132 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Slippery Dick Halichoeres bivittatus
Seen in 130 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Blue mah Thalassoma bifasciatum
Seen in 120 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Gutong Sparisoma aurofrenatum
Seen in 103 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Seize Haemulon aurolineatum
Seen in 102 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Blue tang Acanthurus coeruleus
Seen in 101 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Caranx ruber
Seen in 89 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Gray Snapper Lutjanus griseus
Seen in 80 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Moontail Sparisoma viride
Seen in 76 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Records: OBIS (Ocean Biodiversity Information System, IOC-UNESCO) and GBIF.org (1 November 2026, doi:10.15468/dl.jeesns), from the datasets named here, CC0 and CC BY records only. Names: WoRMS and GBIF; common names from the Catalogue of Life, the GBIF Backbone and Wikidata. Largest datasets here: Dry Tortugas Reef Visual Census 2012; Dry Tortugas Reef Visual Census 2016; Dry Tortugas Reef Visual Census 2014; 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.
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