USS Alligator Shipwreck
Dive site · United States
Is it worth the trip?
76Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: Sea: flat, Visibility about 10 m, Water 27 °C
Tue 3 · 71 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.4 m
- Wind
- 13 kn
- Gusts
- 18kn
- Air
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 71 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 9 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 75 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 8 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 76 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 27°C
Sat 7 · 76 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 77 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.0 mflat
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 6kn
- Air
- 27°C
Mon 9 · 76 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.1 mflat
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Air
- 27°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 269, good
- Tue 371, good
- Wed 471, good
- Thu 575, good
- Fri 676, good
- Sat 776, good
- Sun 877, good
- Mon 976, good
- Tue 1068, good
- Wed 1170, good
The site in five facts
- Down to 4 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Open Waterand up
- Water 27 °C3 mm wetsuit
- Faces SEswell 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 Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it. Scored for Advanced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 69, good | 0.5 m | 8 kn | 17kn | 27°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 71, good | 0.4 m | 13 kn | 18kn | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 71, good | 0.2 mflat | 9 kn | 12kn | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 75, good | 0.1 mflat | 8 kn | 12kn | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 76, good | 0.1 mflat | 6 kn | 10kn | 27°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 76, good | 0.1 mflat | 5 kn | 9kn | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 77, good | 0.0 mflat | 1 kn | 6kn | 27°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 76, good | 0.1 mflat | 7 kn | 13kn | 27°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 68, good | 0.4 m | 14 kn | 26kn | 25°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 70, good | 0.4 m | 14 kn | 20kn | 25°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 02:10 +0.3 mLow 08:36 −0.3 mHigh 15:09 +0.3 mLow 20:53 −0.2 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 03:29 +0.3 mLow 09:38 −0.3 mHigh 16:08 +0.3 mLow 22:01 −0.3 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 04:40 +0.3 mLow 10:35 −0.2 mHigh 17:01 +0.3 mLow 23:02 −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
USS Alligator Shipwreck 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
4 places
- Eagle 5.3 km away
- San Pedro 6.3 km away
- Hen and Chickens reef 11.7 km away
- Davis Reef 14.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About USS Alligator Shipwreck
A wreck dive. It goes down to 4 m. You get in from a boat. It suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces SE: swell from the SE reaches it, and wind from the NW blows out to sea. 1 dive centre or shop within 10 km, the nearest 6.6 km away. The sea is about 24°C in January, its coldest month (5 mm wetsuit), and 30°C in July, its warmest (rash vest or 1 to 2 mm). The town to stay in is Islamorada.
- What it is Wreck.
- How deep Down to 4 m.
- Getting in From a boat.
- Who it suits Suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres 1 dive centre or shop within 10 km, the nearest 6.6 km away.
Water about 27°C: 3 mm wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility about 10 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Clearest in Apr (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$1,000–US$1,810 each
about US$1,000–US$1,810 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 MDW to MIA, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$201–US$416 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$154–US$255 |
| 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$1,000–US$1,810 |
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: Islamorada
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 · 33 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Islamorada 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 7h 10m
About 7h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → MIA, direct, then 2h 15m by road
Flights MDW → MIA on your dates · AviasalesAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Islamorada · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Islamorada · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
Key Dives 6.6 km
Florida Keys Dive Center 19 km
Conch Republic Divers 19 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
Animals divers and surveys have recorded within 2 km of this site in the last 15 years. A record says someone saw it here, not that you will.
Nurse shark Ginglymostoma cirratumShark
Seen in 5 records.
Yellow stingray Urobatis jamaicensisRay
Seen in 11 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Blue mah Thalassoma bifasciatum
Seen in 395 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Slippery Dick Halichoeres bivittatus
Seen in 369 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Bicolor Damselfish Stegastes partitus
Seen in 312 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Yellowhead Wrasse Halichoeres garnoti
Seen in 309 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Clown Wrasse Halichoeres maculipinna
Seen in 302 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Gutong Sparisoma aurofrenatum
Seen in 277 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Barber Acanthurus bahianus
Seen in 267 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Blue tang Acanthurus coeruleus
Seen in 249 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Doctorfish Acanthurus chirurgus
Seen in 177 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Grunt Haemulon plumierii
Seen in 141 records, mostly Jul to Aug.
Records: OBIS (Ocean Biodiversity Information System, IOC-UNESCO), from the datasets named here, CC0 and CC BY records only. Names: WoRMS, through OBIS; common names from Wikidata. Largest datasets here: Florida Keys Reef Visual Census 2014; Florida Keys Reef Visual Census 2018; Florida Keys Reef Visual Census 2016; Florida Keys Reef Visual Census 2012; NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program, Coral Demographic 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
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