Experienced divers only
Is it worth the trip?
80Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: Sea 0.3 m, Visibility about 20 m, Water 26 °C
Tue 3 · 79 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.8 m
- Wind
- 9 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 79 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.8 m
- Wind
- 10 kn
- Gusts
- 15kn
- Air
- 25°C
Thu 5 · 81 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.3 m
- Wind
- 8 kn
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Air
- 25°C
Fri 6 · 82 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.3 m
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 79 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 10 kn
- Gusts
- 17kn
- Air
- 25°C
Sun 8 · 75 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.1 m
- Wind
- 15 kn
- Gusts
- 25kn
- Air
- 24°C
Mon 9 · 78 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.8 m
- Wind
- 12 kn
- Gusts
- 20kn
- Air
- 24°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 279, good
- Tue 379, good
- Wed 479, good
- Thu 581, good
- Fri 682, good
- Sat 779, good
- Sun 875, good
- Mon 978, good
- Tue 1080, good
- Wed 1180, good
The site in four facts
- Down to 44 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Experienced / deepexperienced divers only
- Water 26 °C3 mm wetsuit
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 79, good | 0.7 m | 10 kn | 12kn | 26°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 79, good | 0.8 m | 9 kn | 12kn | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 79, good | 0.8 m | 10 kn | 15kn | 25°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 81, good | 0.3 m | 8 kn | 13kn | 25°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 82, good | 0.3 m | 3 kn | 8kn | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 79, good | 0.5 m | 10 kn | 17kn | 25°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 75, good | 1.1 m | 15 kn | 25kn | 24°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 78, good | 0.8 m | 12 kn | 20kn | 24°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 80, good | 0.6 m | 9 kn | 15kn | 22°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 80, good | 0.4 m | 8 kn | 13kn | 24°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
- Mon 2 NovLow 14:27 −0.2 mHigh 23:23 +0.2 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 05:59 +0.1 mHigh 07:26 +0.1 mLow 15:53 −0.1 mHigh 23:22 +0.1 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 05:03 +0.0 mHigh 10:39 +0.1 mLow 17:27 −0.0 mHigh 23:07 +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.
Best time to go
No month stands out
Good diving days in a typical week, each month, for experienced divers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May7of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun7of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug7of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep7of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov6of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec6of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast: the sea and the mean wind of each day, with no gusts or rain in the history.
Map
the site and its town
McGrail Bank 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 McGrail Bank
A reef dive. It goes down to 44 m. You get in from a boat. It suits experienced divers only, as a dive guide states it. No dive centre within 50 km on the map: book a liveaboard or a boat from further off. The sea is about 22°C in February, its coldest month (5 mm wetsuit), and 30°C in July, its warmest (rash vest or 1 to 2 mm). No town nearby. Nearest beds: Holly Beach, 202 km. Nearest airport: Jack Brooks Regional Airport (BPT), 232 km.
- What it is Reef.
- How deep Down to 44 m: technical diving, past the 40 m recreational limit.
- 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 26°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 Sep (about 25 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$671–US$1,250 each
about US$671–US$1,250 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 MDW to BPT, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$174–US$362 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$154–US$255 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$637 |
| Total | about US$671–US$1,250 |
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 202 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
Nearest beds: Holly Beach, 202 km. Nearest airport: Jack Brooks Regional Airport (BPT), 232 km.
See places to stay near Holly Beach, 202 km away · Booking.comDistances are straight lines: a site out at sea is reached by boat.
Getting there: about 12h 15m
About 12h 15m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → BPT, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), then 4h 20m by road
Flights MDW → BPT on your dates · AviasalesAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in McGrail Bank · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in McGrail Bank · 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.