Le ponton de la bordelaise
Dive site · France
Is it worth the trip?
64Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: Sea: flat, Visibility about 7 m, Water 17 °C
Tue 3 · 69 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 14°C
Wed 4 · 49 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.1 m
- Wind
- 17 kn
- Gusts
- 25knboats in
- Air
- 12°C
Thu 5 · 52 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.0 m
- Wind
- 13 kn
- Gusts
- 25kn
- Air
- 16°C
Fri 6 · 64 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 15°C
Sat 7 · 67 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 14°C
Sun 8 · 66 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 9 kn
- Gusts
- 20kn
- Air
- 17°C
Mon 9 · 58 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.6 m
- Wind
- 16 kn
- Gusts
- 21kn
- Air
- 18°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Tue 369, good
- Wed 449, fair
- Thu 552, fair
- Fri 664, good
- Sat 767, good
- Sun 866, good
- Mon 958, fair
- Tue 1064, good
- Wed 1165, good
The site in three facts
- Open Waterand up
- Water 17 °C7 mm wetsuit and hood
- Faces SEswell 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 | 69, good | 0.1 mflat | 2 kn | 7kn | 14°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 49, fair | 1.1 m | 17 kn | 25knboats in | 12°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 52, fair | 1.0 m | 13 kn | 25kn | 16°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 64, good | 0.5 m | 7 kn | 12kn | 15°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 67, good | 0.1 mflat | 3 kn | 7kn | 14°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 66, good | 0.1 mflat | 9 kn | 20kn | 17°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 58, fair | 0.6 m | 16 kn | 21kn | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 64, good | 0.4 m | 10 kn | 17kn | 17°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 65, good | 0.4 m | 5 kn | 7kn | 17°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 04:29 −0.0 mLow 08:43 −0.1 mHigh 15:57 +0.1 mLow 23:19 −0.1 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:33 +0.0 mLow 10:06 −0.1 mHigh 16:53 +0.1 mLow 23:53 −0.1 m
- Thu 5 NovHigh 06:12 +0.0 mLow 11:12 −0.1 mHigh 17:35 +0.1 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
Le ponton de la bordelaise 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 Le ponton de la bordelaise
It suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces SE: swell from the SE reaches it, and wind from the NW blows out to sea. 2 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 1.8 km away. The sea is about 12°C in February, its coldest month (7 mm semi-dry or a drysuit), and 23°C in August, its warmest (5 mm wetsuit). The town to stay in is Sète. Within 5 km we also list 5 wind sports spots and 1 kayak spot.
- What it is No source states what kind of site it is.
- How deep No source states how deep it goes.
- Who it suits Suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres 2 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 1.8 km away.
Water about 17°C: 7 mm wetsuit and hood. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility about 7 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Clearest in Jan, Apr, Jun, Aug, Oct and Nov (about 8 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$1,150–US$2,170 each
about US$1,150–US$2,170 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 MPL, estimated from distance and season, changing at CDG, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$490–US$1,010 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$60–US$101 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$282–US$470 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$315–US$584 |
| Total | about US$1,150–US$2,170 |
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: Sète
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 5 min by car · 44 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Sète its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$107 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 17h 40m
About 17h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → MPL, changing at Charles de Gaulle International Airport (CDG), then 50 min by road
Flights ORD → MPL 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 Sète · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Sète · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
Pesca Sète 1.8 km
Plongée Passion 6.3 km
Bulles Plongée 20 km
Club de la mer 22 km
Octopus 22 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.
Common octopus Octopus vulgarisOctopus
Seen in 5 records.
Dendrodoris limbataNudibranch
Seen in 258 records.
Cratena peregrinaNudibranch
Seen in 213 records, mostly May to Oct.
Warty dorid Doris verrucosaNudibranch
Seen in 156 records.
Felimare villafrancaNudibranch
Seen in 125 records.
Dark crowned dorid Polycera hedgpethiNudibranch
Seen in 79 records.
Fourline nudibranch Polycera quadrilineataNudibranch
Seen in 55 records, mostly Mar to May.
Aeolidiella alderiNudibranch
Seen in 46 records, mostly Oct to Mar.
Facelina vicinaNudibranch
Seen in 42 records, mostly Mar to Jun.
Four-colour nudibranch Godiva quadricolorNudibranch
Seen in 34 records.
Smoky sucking dorid Dendrodoris fumataNudibranch
Seen in 32 records, mostly May to Oct.
Slit limpets Flabellina affinisNudibranch
Seen in 29 records, mostly Apr to Jul.
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: Programme BioObs: observations naturalistes en milieux aquatiques-Observations de BioObs.; Programme CROMIS: carnet de plongée en ligne de la FFESSM-Observations d'espèces subaquatiques collectées par les utilisateurs de CROMIS; iNaturalist Research-grade Observations; EnQuête d'Hippocampes-Observations de syngnathes en France métropolitaine; Réseau Tortues Marines de Méditerranée Française (RTMMF)-Observations de tortues marines en mer rapportées par le RTMMF en mer méditerranée française. 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.