SS Tarpon
Dive site · United States
Experienced divers only
Is it worth the trip?
72Good out of 100 for your dates
3 days tie for best
Wed 4 · 68 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.0 m
- Wind
- 8 kn
- Gusts
- 15kn
- Air
- 24°C
Thu 5 · 72 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.3 m
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 24°C
Fri 6 · 72 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 24°C
Sat 7 · 73 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 73 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 14kn
- Air
- 21°C
Mon 9 · 71 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.3 m
- Wind
- 9 kn
- Gusts
- 20kn
- Air
- 21°C
Tue 10 · 73 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Air
- 20°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Tue 367, good
- Wed 468, good
- Thu 572, good
- Fri 672, good
- Sat 773, good
- Sun 873, good
- Mon 971, good
- Tue 1073, good
- Wed 1173, good
The site in five facts
- Down to 29 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Experienced / deepexperienced divers only
- Water 23 °C5 mm wetsuit
- Faces SWswell 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 | 67, good | 1.1 m | 15 kn | 20kn | 25°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 68, good | 1.0 m | 8 kn | 15kn | 24°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 72, good | 0.3 m | 4 kn | 8kn | 24°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 72, good | 0.2 mflat | 4 kn | 9kn | 24°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 73, good | 0.1 mflat | 3 kn | 10kn | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 73, good | 0.2 mflat | 6 kn | 14kn | 21°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 71, good | 0.3 m | 9 kn | 20kn | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 73, good | 0.1 mflat | 2 kn | 13kn | 20°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 73, good | 0.1 mflat | 2 kn | 13kn | 22°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 05:29 +0.2 mLow 14:38 −0.1 mHigh 19:57 +0.0 mLow 22:52 +0.0 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 07:25 +0.1 mLow 12:45 +0.0 mHigh 19:35 +0.1 m
- Thu 5 NovLow 01:27 −0.0 mHigh 09:11 +0.1 mLow 11:57 +0.1 mHigh 19:26 +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
SS Tarpon 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.
More diving near here
5 places
- Commander 4.6 km away
- Black Bart 12.1 km away
- Hathaway Bridge Span #14 12.6 km away
- Jeff-A Hovercraft 12.9 km away
- St. Andrews Jetty 20.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About SS Tarpon
A wreck dive. It goes down to 29 m. You get in from a boat. It suits experienced divers only, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces SW: swell from the SW reaches it, and wind from the NE blows out to sea. No dive centre within 10 km, the nearest 17 km away. The sea is about 17°C in February, its coldest month (7 mm wetsuit and hood), and 30°C in July, its warmest (rash vest or 1 to 2 mm). The town to stay in is Panama City. Within 5 km we also list 2 dive sites.
- What it is Wreck.
- How deep Down to 29 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 10 km, the nearest 17 km away.
Water about 23°C: 5 mm wetsuit. 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, Apr, May, Jun, Jul and Aug (about 10 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$886–US$1,600 each
about US$886–US$1,600 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 MDW to ECP, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$168–US$342 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$74–US$121 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$302–US$503 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$637 |
| Total | about US$886–US$1,600 |
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: Panama City
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 30 min by car · 169 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Panama City its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$114 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 5h
About 5h door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → ECP, direct, then 55 min by road
Flights MDW → ECP on your dates · AviasalesAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Panama City · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Panama City · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
Big Willy's Surf & Swim 17 km
Diver's Den 20 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.
Loggerhead sea turtle Caretta carettaSea turtle
Seen in 40 records, mostly May to Jun.
Kemp's ridley sea turtle Lepidochelys kempiiSea turtle
Seen in 3 records.
Common bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatusWhale or dolphin
Seen in 8 records.
Mangrove snapper Lutjanus griseus
Seen in 9 records.
Slippery dick Halichoeres bivittatus
Seen in 7 records.
Gulf killifish Fundulus grandis
Seen in 3 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; Sightings for SSAM2-BOSS Sonar Test Event - June 2013; Sightings for AN/AQS-20 Sonar Aerial Monitoring in the NSWC PCD Study Area from July 2011 and May 2012; USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database; Sightings for REMUS Sonar Test Event - July 2013. 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.