Eye of the Needle
Dive site · Netherlands
Experienced divers only
Is it worth the trip?
87Good out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Tue 3 · 89 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.6 m
- Wind
- 8 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Air
- 30°C
Wed 4 · 90 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 29°C
Thu 5 · 90 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.4 m
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 89 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.3 m
- Wind
- 10 kn
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Air
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 89 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.4 m
- Wind
- 12 kn
- Gusts
- 17kn
- Air
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 72 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.3 m
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 15kn
- Air
- 28°C
Mon 9 · 74 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.3 m
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 6kn
- Air
- 28°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Tue 389, good
- Wed 490, good
- Thu 590, good
- Fri 689, good
- Sat 789, good
- Sun 872, good
- Mon 974, good
- Tue 1091, good
- Wed 1191, good
The site in five facts
- Down to 27 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Experienced / deepexperienced divers only
- Water 29 °Crash vest or 1 to 2 mm
- Faces Wswell 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 | 89, good | 0.6 m | 8 kn | 11kn | 30°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 90, good | 0.5 m | 6 kn | 9kn | 29°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 90, good | 0.4 m | 6 kn | 10kn | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 89, good | 0.3 m | 10 kn | 13kn | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 89, good | 0.4 m | 12 kn | 17kn | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 72, good | 0.3 m | 7 kn | 15kn | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 74, good | 0.3 m | 1 kn | 6kn | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 91, good | 0.2 mflat | 3 kn | 9kn | 28°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 91, good | 0.2 mflat | 6 kn | 11kn | 29°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 NovLow 07:04 −0.0 mHigh 15:37 +0.1 mLow 23:12 +0.0 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 03:24 +0.0 mLow 08:48 +0.0 mHigh 15:46 +0.1 mLow 22:56 −0.0 m
- Thu 5 NovHigh 05:31 +0.1 mLow 10:57 +0.0 mHigh 15:41 +0.1 mLow 23:03 −0.0 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
Eye of the Needle 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.
Photos of Eye of the Needle
More diving near here
1 place
- Teigland 44.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Eye of the Needle
A pinnacle dive. It goes down to 27 m. You get in from a boat. It suits experienced divers only, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces W: swell from the W reaches it, and wind from the E blows out to sea. 2 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 1.6 km away. The sea is about 27°C in January, its coldest month (3 mm wetsuit), and 29°C in July, its warmest (rash vest or 1 to 2 mm). The town to stay in is Philipsburg. Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot and 8 dive sites.
- What it is Pinnacle.
- How deep Down to 27 m.
- Getting in From a boat.
- Who it suits Suits experienced divers only, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres 2 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 1.6 km away.
Water about 29°C: rash vest or 1 to 2 mm. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility about 25 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Clearest in Feb, Mar and Apr (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$1,070–US$1,960 each
about US$1,070–US$1,960 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 ORD to SXM, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$289–US$604 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$154–US$255 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$295–US$490 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$329–US$611 |
| Total | about US$1,070–US$1,960 |
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: Philipsburg
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 · 24 places to stay
About Philipsburg its beds, food and every spot near it
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 9h 55m
About 9h 55m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → SXM, direct, then 1h 10m by road
Flights ORD → SXM 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 Philipsburg · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Philipsburg · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
Sea Saba 1.6 km
Saba Divers 1.6 km
The nearest named dive centres and shops within 25 km, in a straight line; training agencies where the map states them. Listings, not a recommendation. 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.
Hypanus americanusRay
Seen in 6 records.
Red butterfish Cephalopholis fulva
Seen in 39 records, mostly Dec.
Black triggerfish Melichthys niger
Seen in 22 records, mostly Dec.
Ocean surgeon Acanthurus tractus
Seen in 20 records, mostly Dec.
Smooth trunkfish Lactophrys triqueter
Seen in 20 records, mostly Dec to Jan.
Blue chromis Azurina cyanea
Seen in 19 records, mostly Dec to Jan.
Bluehead wrasse Thalassoma bifasciatum
Seen in 16 records, mostly Dec.
Blue tang Acanthurus coeruleus
Seen in 15 records, mostly Dec.
Banded butterflyfish Chaetodon striatus
Seen in 10 records, mostly Dec.
Royal gramma Gramma loreto
Seen in 10 records, mostly Dec.
Bar jack Caranx ruber
Seen in 9 records.
Foureye butterflyfish Chaetodon capistratus
Seen in 9 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; Happywhale - Humpback whale in North Atlantic Ocean. Credits
This week's visibility and the current no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.
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