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Ex-Tortuga
Dive site · United States
Experienced divers only
Is it worth the trip?
64Good out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Mon 2 · 66 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.0 m
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 20°C
Tue 3 · 64 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.1 m
- Wind
- 13 kn
- Gusts
- 19kn
- Air
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 56 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.4 m
- Wind
- 20 kn
- Gusts
- 26kn
- Air
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 64 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.1 m
- Wind
- 9 kn
- Gusts
- 17kn
- Air
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 63 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.2 m
- Wind
- 12 kn
- Gusts
- 20kn
- Air
- 21°C
Sat 7 · 65 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.2 m
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 14kn
- Air
- 22°C
Sun 8 · 66 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.0 m
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 23°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 176, good
- Mon 266, good
- Tue 364, good
- Wed 456, fair
- Thu 564, good
- Fri 663, good
- Sat 765, good
- Sun 866, good
- Mon 966, good
- Tue 1065, good
The site in five facts
- Down to 20 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Experienced / deepexperienced divers only
- Water 16 °C7 mm wetsuit and hood
- 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 experienced divers only, as a dive guide states it. Scored for experienced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 76, good | 0.9 m | 21 kn | 30knboats in | 19°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 66, good | 1.0 m | 3 kn | 7kn | 20°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 64, good | 1.1 m | 13 kn | 19kn | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 56, fair | 1.4 m | 20 kn | 26kn | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 64, good | 1.1 m | 9 kn | 17kn | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 63, good | 1.2 m | 12 kn | 20kn | 21°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 65, good | 1.2 m | 2 kn | 14kn | 22°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 66, good | 1.0 m | 4 kn | 10kn | 23°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 66, good | 1.0 m | 2 kn | 8kn | 22°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 65, good | 1.0 m | 9 kn | 17kn | 21°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 04:06 +0.3 mLow 08:15 +0.1 mHigh 14:07 +0.6 mLow 21:44 −0.9 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 04:54 +0.4 mLow 10:06 −0.1 mHigh 15:39 +0.5 mLow 22:42 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:33 +0.6 mLow 11:23 −0.3 mHigh 17:02 +0.5 mLow 23:32 −0.8 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
Ex-Tortuga 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 Ex-Tortuga
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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Ex-Tortuga
A wreck 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 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 13°C in April, its coldest month (7 mm semi-dry or a drysuit), and 18°C in September, its warmest (7 mm wetsuit and hood). No town nearby. Jalama, 56 km away, is the nearest town we list; we have not checked places to stay there. Nearest beds: Isla Vista, 60 km. Nearest airport: Santa Barbara Municipal Airport (SBA), 63 km.
- What it is Wreck.
- 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 16°C: 7 mm wetsuit and hood. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility about 8 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Clearest in Jan, Feb, Nov and Dec (about 9 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$750–US$1,420 each
about US$750–US$1,420 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 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to SBA, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$255–US$529 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$154–US$255 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$636 |
| Total | about US$750–US$1,420 |
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 60 km away
No town nearby
Jalama, 56 km away, is the nearest town we list; we have not checked places to stay there. Nearest beds: Isla Vista, 60 km. Nearest airport: Santa Barbara Municipal Airport (SBA), 63 km.
See places to stay near Isla Vista, 60 km away · Booking.comDistances are straight lines: a site out at sea is reached by boat.
Getting there: about 7h 50m
About 7h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → SBA, direct, then 1h 25m by road
Flights ORD → SBA on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Ex-Tortuga · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Ex-Tortuga · 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.
Anthopleura sola
Seen in 402 records, mostly Nov.
Sunflower star Pycnopodia helianthoides
Seen in 365 records, mostly Nov.
Cribrinopsis albopunctata
Seen in 237 records, mostly Nov.
Oxyjulis californica
Seen in 70 records, mostly Oct.
Brachyistius frenatus
Seen in 69 records, mostly Oct.
Sebastes atrovirens
Seen in 57 records, mostly Oct.
Aulorhynchus flavidus
Seen in 36 records, mostly Oct.
Phanerodon vacca
Seen in 35 records, mostly Oct.
Giant Kelpfish Heterostichus rostratus
Seen in 34 records, mostly Oct.
Hypsurus caryi
Seen in 33 records, mostly Oct.
Oxylebius pictus
Seen in 33 records, mostly Oct.
Embiotoca jacksoni
Seen in 32 records, mostly Oct.
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: PISCO swath transects; PISCO swath transects. Credits
This week: visibility about 30 m, clearer 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 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.