Santa Monica Rock
Dive site · United States Virgin Islands
Experienced divers only
Is it worth the trip?
77Good out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Tue 3 · 80 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 10 kn
- Gusts
- 16kn
- Air
- 29°C
Wed 4 · 81 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.4 m
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 28°C
Thu 5 · 81 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.3 m
- Wind
- 10 kn
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Air
- 29°C
Fri 6 · 69 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.3 m
- Wind
- 16 kn
- Gusts
- 21kn
- Air
- 27°C
Sat 7 · 71 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.4 m
- Wind
- 14 kn
- Gusts
- 19kn
- Air
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 73 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.3 m
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 28°C
Mon 9 · 74 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 28°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 279, good
- Tue 380, good
- Wed 481, good
- Thu 581, good
- Fri 669, good
- Sat 771, good
- Sun 873, good
- Mon 974, good
- Tue 1083, good
- Wed 1182, good
The site in five facts
- Down to 31 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Experienced / deepexperienced divers only
- Water 29 °Crash vest or 1 to 2 mm
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 79, good | 0.6 m | 15 kn | 21kn | 29°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 80, good | 0.5 m | 10 kn | 16kn | 29°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 81, good | 0.4 m | 6 kn | 10kn | 28°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 81, good | 0.3 m | 10 kn | 13kn | 29°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 69, good | 0.3 m | 16 kn | 21kn | 27°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 71, good | 0.4 m | 14 kn | 19kn | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 73, good | 0.3 m | 6 kn | 12kn | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 74, good | 0.2 mflat | 2 kn | 8kn | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 83, good | 0.2 mflat | 1 kn | 6kn | 28°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 82, good | 0.2 mflat | 4 kn | 9kn | 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
- Mon 2 NovHigh 00:28 −0.0 mLow 07:21 −0.1 mHigh 15:32 +0.2 mLow 23:02 −0.0 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 03:16 +0.0 mLow 09:06 −0.0 mHigh 16:14 +0.1 mLow 23:17 −0.0 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:14 +0.1 mLow 10:50 −0.0 mHigh 16:47 +0.1 mLow 23:37 −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 and its town
Santa Monica Rock 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.
More diving near here
5 places
- Rainbow Canyons 2.3 km away
- Ring Dove Rock 2.9 km away
- The Caves at Norman Island 4.1 km away
- Angelfish Reef 4.4 km away
- Eagle Shoal 7.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Santa Monica Rock
A pinnacle dive. It goes down to 31 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. 1 dive centre or shop within 10 km, the nearest 8.6 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 Coral Bay. Within 5 km we also list 9 dive sites.
- What it is Pinnacle.
- How deep Down to 31 m.
- Getting in From a boat.
- Who it suits Suits experienced divers only, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres 1 dive centre or shop within 10 km, the nearest 8.6 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 15 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Clearest in Mar, Apr, May and Aug (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$805–US$1,510 each
about US$805–US$1,510 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 STT, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$282–US$590 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$101–US$174 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$201–US$329 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$221–US$416 |
| Total | about US$805–US$1,510 |
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: Coral Bay
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 15 min by car · 34 places to stay
About Coral Bay 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 25m
About 9h 25m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → STT, direct, then 50 min by road
Flights ORD → STT 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 Coral Bay · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Coral Bay · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
Crabby's 8.6 km
JVD Scuba 16 km
Low Key Watersports 17 km
Dive BVI 24 km
Coki Dive Center 25 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
Too few records at this site itself, so these are the animals divers and surveys have recorded at other sites within 25 km in the last 15 years. A record says someone saw it there, not that you will.
Mustard hill coral Porites astreoides
Seen in 106 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Massive Starlet Coral Siderastrea siderea
Seen in 102 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Lettuce Coral Agaricia agaricites
Seen in 63 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Finger coral Porites porites
Seen in 53 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Lesser Starlet Coral Siderastrea radians
Seen in 49 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Pseudodiploria strigosa
Seen in 38 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Great star coral Montastraea cavernosa
Seen in 37 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Blushing Star Coral Stephanocoenia intersepta
Seen in 36 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Orbicella franksi
Seen in 27 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Orbicella faveolata
Seen in 25 records, mostly Jul.
Orbicella annularis
Seen in 17 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Maze Coral Meandrina meandrites
Seen in 16 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
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: NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program, Coral Demographic Data; NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program, Benthic Cover Data. Credits
This week's visibility and the current no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.
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