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USNS General Hoyt S. Vandenberg
Dive site · United States
Experienced divers only
Is it worth the trip?
83Good out of 100 for your dates
4 days tie for best
Tue 3 · 82 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.3 m
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 82 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 82 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 8 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Air
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 83 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Air
- 27°C
Sat 7 · 83 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 83 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Air
- 27°C
Mon 9 · 83 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 27°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Tue 382, good
- Wed 482, good
- Thu 582, good
- Fri 683, good
- Sat 783, good
- Sun 883, good
- Mon 983, good
- Tue 1080, good
- Wed 1181, good
The site in five facts
- Down to 43 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Experienced / deepexperienced divers only
- Water 27 °C3 mm wetsuit
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 82, good | 0.3 m | 7 kn | 12kn | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 82, good | 0.2 mflat | 7 kn | 10kn | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 82, good | 0.1 mflat | 8 kn | 11kn | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 83, good | 0.1 mflat | 6 kn | 11kn | 27°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 83, good | 0.1 mflat | 7 kn | 10kn | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 83, good | 0.1 mflat | 7 kn | 13kn | 27°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 83, good | 0.1 mflat | 6 kn | 12kn | 27°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 80, good | 0.4 m | 14 kn | 21kn | 26°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 81, good | 0.4 m | 12 kn | 18kn | 27°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 04:08 +0.3 mLow 10:36 −0.1 mHigh 16:53 +0.2 mLow 22:39 −0.2 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:23 +0.3 mLow 11:25 −0.1 mHigh 17:39 +0.2 mLow 23:49 −0.2 m
- Thu 5 NovHigh 06:27 +0.2 mLow 12:07 −0.1 mHigh 18:21 +0.3 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
USNS General Hoyt S. Vandenberg 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
- Cayman Salvager 3.4 km away
- Vandenberg Ship Dive Site, Key West, Florida 13.6 km away
- Wisteria 15.3 km away
- USS Amesbury (bow) 17.3 km away
- USS Amesbury(stern) 31.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About USNS General Hoyt S. Vandenberg
A wreck dive. It goes down to 43 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. No dive centre within 10 km, the nearest 13 km away. The sea is about 25°C in January, its coldest month (3 mm wetsuit), and 30°C in July, its warmest (rash vest or 1 to 2 mm). The town to stay in is Key West. Within 5 km we also list 1 dive site.
- What it is Wreck.
- How deep Down to 43 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 10 km, the nearest 13 km away.
Water about 27°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 Mar, Apr, May and Jun (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$879–US$1,620 each
about US$879–US$1,620 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 EYW, estimated from distance and season, 3 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$208–US$429 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$27–US$47 |
| 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$879–US$1,620 |
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: Key West
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 25 min by car · 248 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Key West 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 45m
About 5h 45m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → EYW, direct, then 30 min by road
Flights ORD → EYW on your dates · AviasalesAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Key West · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Key West · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
Finz Dive Center 13 km
Captain Hook 14 km
Lost Reef Adventures 14 km
Divers Direct 14 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.
Nurse shark Ginglymostoma cirratumShark
Seen in 6 records.
Yellow stingray Urobatis jamaicensisRay
Seen in 3 records.
Bluehead wrasse Thalassoma bifasciatum
Seen in 55 records, mostly Dec.
Red parrot fish Sparisoma aurofrenatum
Seen in 46 records, mostly Dec.
Yellowhead wrasse Halichoeres garnoti
Seen in 44 records, mostly Dec.
Bicolor damselfish Stegastes partitus
Seen in 41 records, mostly Dec.
Ocean surgeon Acanthurus bahianus
Seen in 25 records, mostly Dec.
Doctorfish tang Acanthurus chirurgus
Seen in 21 records.
Sharpnose puffer Canthigaster rostrata
Seen in 12 records, mostly Dec.
Hogfish Lachnolaimus maximus
Seen in 12 records, mostly Dec.
Saucereye porgy Calamus calamus
Seen in 10 records.
Red lionfish Pterois volitans
Seen in 10 records, mostly Dec to May.
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: Florida Keys Reef Visual Census 2016; Florida Keys Reef Visual Census 2014; iNaturalist Research-grade Observations; 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.
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.