Surprise Reef
Dive site · Canada
Advanced divers and up
Is it worth the trip?
23Poor out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Tue 3 · 25 out of 100
- Sea
- 2.3 m
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 11°C
Wed 4 · 18 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.9 m
- Wind
- 17 kn
- Gusts
- 21kn
- Air
- 11°C
Thu 5 · 24 out of 100
- Sea
- 3.0 m
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 11°C
Fri 6 · 24 out of 100
- Sea
- 5.3 m
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 14kn
- Air
- 11°C
Sat 7 · 16 out of 100
- Sea
- 3.4 m
- Wind
- 16 kn
- Gusts
- 19knboats in
- Air
- 13°C
Sun 8 · 25 out of 100
- Sea
- 4.4 m
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 14knboats in
- Air
- 12°C
Mon 9 · 16 out of 100
- Sea
- 3.2 m
- Wind
- 15 kn
- Gusts
- 20kn
- Air
- 12°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 222, poor
- Tue 325, poor
- Wed 418, poor
- Thu 524, poor
- Fri 624, poor
- Sat 716, poor
- Sun 825, poor
- Mon 916, poor
- Tue 1020, poor
- Wed 110, poor
The site in six facts
- Down to 18 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Advancedand up
- Water 10 °C7 mm semi-dry or a drysuit
- Faces SWswell from there reaches it
- Best Jul–Aug6 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
Suits Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it. Scored for Advanced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 22, poor | 2.7 m | 11 kn | 14kn | 11°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 25, poor | 2.3 m | 6 kn | 7kn | 11°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 18, poor | 1.9 m | 17 kn | 21kn | 11°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 24, poor | 3.0 m | 7 kn | 9kn | 11°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 24, poor | 5.3 m | 5 kn | 14kn | 11°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 16, poor | 3.4 m | 16 kn | 19knboats in | 13°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 25, poor | 4.4 m | 3 kn | 14knboats in | 12°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 16, poor | 3.2 m | 15 kn | 20kn | 12°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 20, poor | 4.4 m | 6 kn | 25knboats in | 12°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 0, poor | 3.8 m | 15 kn | 32knboats in | 12°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 06:51 +0.8 mLow 12:31 −0.4 mHigh 18:17 +0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 01:02 −1.3 mHigh 07:50 +0.9 mLow 13:52 −0.7 mHigh 19:44 +0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 02:05 −1.2 mHigh 08:41 +1.1 mLow 14:59 −0.9 mHigh 20:59 +0.8 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
best Jul–Aug
Good diving days in a typical week, each month, for Advanced divers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May5of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun5of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug6of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep5of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec1of 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
Surprise Reef 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
1 place
- Thorn Reef 1.6 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Surprise Reef
A reef dive. It goes down to 18 m. You get in from a boat. It suits Advanced divers and up, 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 50 km on the map: book a liveaboard or a boat from further off. The sea is about 9°C in January, its coldest month (drysuit), and 14°C in July, its warmest (7 mm semi-dry or a drysuit). For Advanced divers the best months are usually July and August, with about 6 good days in 7; in January and December, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Tofino. Within 5 km we also list 5 surf spots, 1 dive site and 1 kayak spot.
- What it is Reef.
- How deep Down to 18 m.
- Getting in From a boat.
- Who it suits Suits Advanced divers and up, 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 10°C: 7 mm semi-dry or a drysuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility under 5 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Clearest in Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct and Nov (under 5 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$966–US$1,780 each
about US$966–US$1,780 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 YVR, estimated from distance and season, 3 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$248–US$523 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$134–US$228 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$275–US$456 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$309–US$577 |
| Total | about US$966–US$1,780 |
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: Tofino
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 10 min by car · 44 places to stay
about US$101/nightcountry average
About Tofino its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$101 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 11h 35m
About 11h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → YVR, direct, then 3h 45m by road
Flights ORD → YVR 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 Tofino · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Tofino · 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.