Clipper
Dive site · Australia
Is it worth the trip?
83Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: Sea: flat, Visibility about 20 m, Water 28 °C
Tue 3 · 82 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 26°C
Wed 4 · 82 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 26°C
Thu 5 · 83 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 84 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 0 kn
- Gusts
- 3kn
- Air
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 83 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 83 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 27°C
Mon 9 · 83 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 28°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Tue 382, good
- Wed 482, good
- Thu 583, good
- Fri 684, good
- Sat 783, good
- Sun 883, good
- Mon 983, good
- Tue 1081, good
- Wed 1181, good
- Thu 1283, good
The site in five facts
- Down to 17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 82, good | 0.2 mflat | 6 kn | 9kn | 26°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 82, good | 0.2 mflat | 6 kn | 9kn | 26°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 83, good | 0.2 mflat | 4 kn | 7kn | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 84, good | 0.2 mflat | 0 kn | 3kn | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 83, good | 0.2 mflat | 4 kn | 7kn | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 83, good | 0.2 mflat | 3 kn | 7kn | 27°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 83, good | 0.2 mflat | 4 kn | 9kn | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 81, good | 0.3 m | 10 kn | 16kn | 27°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 81, good | 0.3 m | 10 kn | 14kn | 27°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 83, good | – | 7 kn | 11kn | 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
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:59 +0.3 mLow 10:34 −0.7 mHigh 17:12 +1.1 mLow 23:53 −0.9 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:48 +0.5 mLow 11:30 −0.7 mHigh 17:53 +1.1 m
- Thu 5 NovLow 00:25 −1.0 mHigh 06:31 +0.7 mLow 12:19 −0.7 mHigh 18:28 +1.0 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, its town, photos
Clipper 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.
Photos of Clipper
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Clipper
A reef dive. It goes down to 17 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 10 km, the nearest 37 km away. The sea is about 24°C in July, its coldest month (5 mm wetsuit), and 30°C in February, its warmest (rash vest or 1 to 2 mm). The town to stay in is Clifton Beach. Within 5 km we also list 2 dive sites.
- What it is Reef.
- How deep Down to 17 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 10 km, the nearest 37 km away.
Water about 28°C: 3 mm wetsuit. 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 Jul, Aug and Sep (about 20 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$1,710–US$3,280 each
about US$1,710–US$3,280 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 2 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to CNS, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX and BNE, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$886–US$1,850 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$148–US$242 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$356–US$597 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$322–US$597 |
| Total | about US$1,710–US$3,280 |
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: Clifton Beach
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 1h 30m by car · 42 places to stay
about US$134/nightcountry average
About Clifton Beach its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$134 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 32h 35m
About 32h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → CNS, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Brisbane International Airport (BNE), then 1h 20m by road
Flights MDW → CNS 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 Clifton Beach · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Clifton Beach · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
No dive centre mapped within 25 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.
Cetoscarus ocellatusWrasse
Seen in 7 records.
Scarus frenatusWrasse
Seen in 7 records.
Black and white snapper Macolor niger
Seen in 6 records.
Lined Bristletooth Ctenochaetus striatus
Seen in 5 records.
Orangespine unicornfish Naso lituratus
Seen in 5 records.
Titan triggerfish Balistoides viridescens
Seen in 4 records.
Gibbus Parrotfish Chlorurus microrhinos
Seen in 4 records.
Checkerboard wrasse Halichoeres hortulanus
Seen in 4 records.
Lutjanus boharSnappers
Seen in 4 records.
Parupeneus crassilabrisGoatfishes
Seen in 4 records.
Blue-spotted spinefoot Siganus corallinus
Seen in 4 records.
Stegastes lacrymatusDamselfishes
Seen in 4 records.
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: iNaturalist Research-grade Observations; Sightings and tracking of Whale Sharks (Rhincodon typus) in the Coral Sea (2007-2024); WildNet - Queensland Wildlife Data. Credits
This week's visibility and the current 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.