Is it worth the trip?
83Good out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Tue 3 · 84 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 29°C
Wed 4 · 81 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.3 m
- Wind
- 16 kn
- Gusts
- 21kn
- Air
- 29°C
Thu 5 · 82 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.4 m
- Wind
- 11 kn
- Gusts
- 17kn
- Air
- 29°C
Fri 6 · 84 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.3 m
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 16kn
- Air
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 83 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 11 kn
- Gusts
- 18kn
- Air
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 81 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 15 kn
- Gusts
- 21kn
- Air
- 27°C
Mon 9 · 78 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.7 m
- Wind
- 18 kn
- Gusts
- 26kn
- Air
- 27°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Tue 384, good
- Wed 481, good
- Thu 582, good
- Fri 684, good
- Sat 783, good
- Sun 881, good
- Mon 978, good
- Tue 1077, good
- Wed 1180, good
The site in five facts
- Down to 20 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Experienced / deepexperienced divers only
- Water 29 °Crash vest or 1 to 2 mm
- Faces Eswell 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 experienced divers only, as a dive guide states it. Scored for experienced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 84, good | 0.2 mflat | 7 kn | 10kn | 29°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 81, good | 0.3 m | 16 kn | 21kn | 29°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 82, good | 0.4 m | 11 kn | 17kn | 29°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 84, good | 0.3 m | 7 kn | 16kn | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 83, good | 0.2 mflat | 11 kn | 18kn | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 81, good | 0.5 m | 15 kn | 21kn | 27°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 78, good | 0.7 m | 18 kn | 26kn | 27°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 77, good | 0.7 m | 18 kn | 26kn | 27°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 80, good | 0.7 m | 16 kn | 25kn | 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 00:57 +0.0 mLow 07:20 −0.2 mHigh 13:37 +0.1 mLow 20:01 −0.2 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 02:12 +0.1 mLow 08:30 −0.2 mHigh 14:37 +0.1 mLow 21:03 −0.2 m
- Thu 5 NovHigh 03:16 +0.1 mLow 09:29 −0.2 mHigh 15:28 +0.1 mLow 21:55 −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
Elba Reef, South Plateau 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 Elba Reef, South Plateau
A reef dive. It goes down to 20 m. You get in from a boat. It suits experienced divers only, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces E: swell from the E reaches it, and wind from the W 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 February, its coldest month (3 mm wetsuit), and 32°C in August, its warmest (rash vest or 1 to 2 mm). No town nearby. Thuwal, 218 km away, is the nearest town we list; we have not checked places to stay there. Nearest beds: Rābigh, 226 km. Nearest airport: King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED), 223 km. Within 5 km we also list 6 dive sites.
- What it is Reef.
- How deep Down to 20 m.
- Getting in From a boat.
- Who it suits Suits experienced divers only, 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 20 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Clearest in Apr, May, Oct and Nov (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$792–US$1,620 each
about US$792–US$1,620 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 JED, estimated from distance and season, changing at LHR, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$711–US$1,480 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$27–US$40 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$54–US$101 |
| Total | about US$792–US$1,620 |
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 226 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
Thuwal, 218 km away, is the nearest town we list; we have not checked places to stay there. Nearest beds: Rābigh, 226 km. Nearest airport: King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED), 223 km.
See places to stay near Rābigh, 226 km away · Booking.comDistances are straight lines: a site out at sea is reached by boat.
Getting there: about 26h 05m
About 26h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → JED, changing at London Heathrow Airport (LHR), then 4h 10m by road
Flights ORD → JED 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 Elba Reef, South Plateau · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Elba Reef, South Plateau · 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.
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.