Diving and snorkeling in Margate
Today, Thursday, October 29, 2026 · local time (GMT+2) · KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa Today, Thu, Oct 29 · GMT+2- Slack water
- 4:50–5:40 am, 11:00–11:40 am, 5:10–6:00 pm and 11:20 pm–12:10 am
- Swell
- 5.6 ft, 8 s
- Water and suit
- 73.2 °F · 3 mm wetsuit
- Likely visibility
- Fair
Today, Thursday, October 29, the best time to dive in Margate is 10:20 am to 12:10 pm, with slack water at low tide, light wind and the sun high, though with a big swell and current. It's a poor day (0/10). Visibility is likely fair. Water at 73.2 °F: a 3 mm wetsuit. The best day this week is Sunday, November 1, at 4/10.
Not a day for shore diving: swell, wind, current or storms during the best window. If you go, go with a dive shop and only if they give the OK.
Your diving day in Margate at a glance
The strip runs from midnight to midnight, local time. Daylight on top; then the tide with its slack water (purple bands), the conditions hour by hour and the best times.
Today in detail
Likely visibility: fair- Slack water today: high tide 5:15 am (4:50–5:40 am), low tide 11:17 am (11:00–11:40 am), high tide 5:33 pm (5:10–6:00 pm) and low tide 11:44 pm (11:20 pm–12:10 am)
- Likely visibility: fair. Swell (up to 6.4 ft at 7 s) over the last few days has stirred up the water. Based on the last 24 hours of data.
- Water at 73.2 °F: a 3 mm wetsuit.
- Snorkeling: better not, with these waves, wind or current.
- Night dive: dark from 6:45 pm. Waning gibbous (86%), rising at 10:25 pm: a bright night.
How deep it gets off the shore
Shore diving works here: 33 ft at 0.45 mi and 66 ft at 0.75 mi from shore.
Source: NOAA ETOPO 2022 (CC0), cells of about 0.3 mi. For reference only: not for navigation or anchoring.
Slack water comes from the tide: in inlets, channels and between islands the water can keep running for an hour or two after. Ask the local dive shop.
Never dive alone and check with the local dive shop: this rating is a guide, not a substitute for a professional.
Diving forecast for the next 7 days
| Day | Rating | Best times | Swell | Visibility | Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | 0 poor day | 10:20 am–12:10 pm5:10–6:00 am | 5.6 ft · 8 s | Fair | 73.2 °F · 3 mm wetsuit |
| Fri 30 | 3 fair day | 5:30–6:20 pm5:00–7:10 am | 3.1 ft · 9 s | Fair | 73.2 °F · 3 mm wetsuit |
| Sat 31 | 3 fair day | 7:30–8:30 am5:40–6:30 am | 3.0 ft · 7 s | Fair | 72.9 °F · 3 mm wetsuit |
| Sun 1 | 4 fair day | 9:30 am–12:30 pm6:30–7:30 am | 3.9 ft · 6 s | Fair | 72.3 °F · 3 mm wetsuit |
| Mon 2 | 3 fair day | 8:40–11:40 am | 2.0 ft · 10 s | Poor | 72.1 °F · 3 mm wetsuit |
| Tue 3 | 2 poor day | 8:40–11:30 am5:00–7:10 am | 2.8 ft · 8 s | Poor | 72.1 °F · 3 mm wetsuit |
| Wed 4 | 3 fair day | 11:10 am–2:10 pm5:00–7:40 am | 3.1 ft · 10 s | Fair | 72.3 °F · 3 mm wetsuit |
Each day's rating comes from the swell, waves, wind, current, slack water, daylight and likely visibility. The forecast reaches about 7 days.
Dive sites, wrecks and dive shops nearby
Map: OpenFreeMap · © OpenMapTiles · © OpenStreetMap contributors
- Trafalgar Marine Protected Area 7.8 mi
- Protea Banks Marine Protected Area 12 mi
- Protea Banks Southern Pinnacle. African Dive Adventures 0.9 mi
- South Coast Diving Co 4.5 mi
- Shark Diving Protea Banks | Dive In Adventure Tours | shelly beach 4.5 mi
- Diary of a DMT on Protea Banks - Aqua Planet Dive Centre and Charter 5.2 mi
Within 12 mi. Some may be missing or closed; marine reserves usually need a permit. Open the map on OpenStreetMap · Missing one? Add it to OpenStreetMap
Sites: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
How we work out the diving rating
We score every moment of the day, every 10 minutes, from 0 to 10, with simple fixed rules:
- Swell: takes points away based on its height and period (a 10 s swell weighs 50% more than a 6 s one, because it reaches deeper and moves the bottom): nothing under 1.6 ft, up to 6.5 points from 9.8 ft. Surface waves count for getting in and out; we take the worse of the two.
- Wind: takes points away from force 4, about 12 mph (1 point), up to 6 points in a gale; half a point more when it blows offshore, because it pushes surface swimmers away from shore.
- Current: Météo-France's model current takes points away from half a knot (1 point) up to 6 points from 2 knots.
- Slack water: where we show the tide, up to 3 points come off when the water rises or falls fast (mid-tide, especially on spring tides) and none at slack, around each high and low tide.
- Light: half a point more with the sun high (3 hours either side of solar noon), 1.5 less at twilight and 3 less at night. Thunderstorms take away 5 and heavy rain 1.
- Likely visibility: good, fair or poor from the swell of the previous 48 hours, the rain of the previous 72 and the wind of the previous 24. Fair takes 1 point off the day's rating and poor, 2.
- Day's rating: the average of the best window (the stretch of 40 minutes to 3 hours with the best conditions), adjusted for likely visibility.
- Wetsuit, by water temperature: below 50 °F, drysuit; from 50 °F, 7 mm semi-dry; from 57 °F, 7 mm wetsuit; from 64 °F, 5 mm; from 72 °F, 3 mm; from 79 °F, shorty or rash guard.
Today: the best window scores 1.2 out of 10 and visibility is likely fair, so it takes 1 off.
It's an estimate from the swell, rain and wind of the previous days, not a measurement: real visibility also depends on the bottom, plankton and nearby rivers.
Slack water comes from the tide: in inlets, channels and between islands the water can keep running for an hour or two after. Ask the local dive shop.
It is a guide built from models, not a guarantee: every site has its own currents and bottom. Look at the water when you get there and ask the dive shop.
Before you get in the water
- Never dive alone: always with a buddy and, if you don't know the site, with a dive shop.
- Check with the local dive shop or club: they know the currents, the no-dive zones and how the water is today.
- Dive within your certification and experience, and stay within depth and no-decompression limits.
- Fly a dive flag (diver-down or alpha flag) on a float and watch for boat traffic.
- Marine reserves need a permit and often have quotas: ask before you go.
- This rating doesn't replace a professional's judgment or what you see when you arrive: if the sea doesn't look right, don't go in.
Questions about diving in Margate
Can you dive in Margate today?
Today isn't a good day (0/10). The best time is 10:20 am to 12:10 pm, with slack water at low tide, light wind and the sun high, though with a big swell and current. If you go, go with a dive shop.
What about tomorrow? When's the best time to dive in Margate?
Tomorrow, Friday, October 30: 5:30 pm to 6:20 pm, with a rating of 3/10.
Which day this week is best for diving in Margate?
Sunday, November 1, at 4/10. Its best time is 9:30 am to 12:30 pm.
When is slack water in Margate today?
Today the water barely runs at these times: high tide 5:15 am (4:50–5:40 am), low tide 11:17 am (11:00–11:40 am), high tide 5:33 pm (5:10–6:00 pm) and low tide 11:44 pm (11:20 pm–12:10 am). It's an estimate from the tide: in inlets and channels slack water can come later. Ask the local dive shop.
What will the visibility be like in Margate?
Likely fair. Swell (up to 6.4 ft at 7 s) over the last few days has stirred up the water. Based on the last 24 hours of data. It's an estimate, not a measurement.
What wetsuit do I need to dive in Margate?
Water at 73.2 °F: a 3 mm wetsuit. If you get cold easily or plan several dives, go thicker.
Can you dive at night?
Yes, with experience, a primary and a backup light, and ideally with a dive shop. Night dive: dark from 6:45 pm. Waning gibbous (86%), rising at 10:25 pm: a bright night.
How is the rating worked out?
From the swell and its period, the waves, the wind, the current, slack water, daylight and likely visibility. Each factor adds or takes away a fixed number of points and the rating sums up the best window of the day out of 10.
More about Margate today
Learn more
Our own calculation: tide from FES2022 (AVISO/CNES), sun and moon with astronomy-engine, and sea and weather from Open-Meteo (Météo-France, ECMWF, NOAA GFS and Copernicus Marine, CC BY 4.0). Dive sites: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). FES2022 Tide was produced by LEGOS, NOVELTIS and CLS, funded by CNES, and distributed by AVISO (https://doi.org/10.24400/527896/a01-2024.004), AVISO licence (https://www.aviso.altimetry.fr/fileadmin/documents/data/License_Aviso.pdf). Modified by TidePlanet: constants interpolated from the nearest model cells offshore; heights above mean sea level.