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Map of East Flower Garden Bank (Flower Garden Banks NMS)
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East Flower Garden Bank (Flower Garden Banks NMS)

Texas, United States
AOW suggested17–40 m depthBoat entryRash guard or 2mm shorty typical

Boat dive — see Entry & access.

East Flower Garden Bank (Flower Garden Banks NMS) at a glance

East Flower Garden Bank (Flower Garden Banks NMS) is an advanced boat dive site in Texas, United States with depths of 16.8–39.6 m (55–130 ft). Typically most favorable Jul–Aug · from 3 years of archive data. Divers commonly see Great barracuda, Creole-fish, and Scalloped hammerhead. Recent reports put the water around 31°C (87°F). Check the latest conditions and entry details before you go.

Marine model · graded 14h ago
0.5 mwaves — under a meter expected

Tap a factor for its source and model point · Forecast 31°C · seasonal avg 30°C

Site hazards: Open-ocean conditions and currents; long distance from shore/medical care; depth; occasional strong surface chop; fire coral.

Read the full hazards ↓

Dive windows this week

Best: Fri
Fri6:00–19:00
Sat6:00–19:00
Sun6:00–19:00
Mon6:00–19:00
Tue6:00–19:00
Wed7:00–19:00
Thu—

Favorable windowModerate window— no window

First light 5:34 · Sunrise 5:57 · Sunset 18:23

Source: Open-Meteo marine · model point 4.6 km from site · graded 14h ago

Forecast only — always assess conditions on site.

Recent diver reports

Dated firsthand observations from divers — not current conditions.

No diver reports for this site yet. — one dated observation helps every diver after you.

Dived here today — did the forecast match?

What Divers Say

Known for: Great barracuda, Creole-fish, Queen angelfish
Best time: July-September for calm seas, coral spawning (August) and whale sharks; February-April for hammerhead schools.

Based on community reviews and site data. Conditions vary — always verify before diving.

Best months, historically

What conditions have historically been typical at this site, month by month — not a forecast.

  1. Jan23%23°C2.1 m
  2. Feb42%22°C1.7 m
  3. Mar37%22°C1.7 m
  4. Apr40%23°C1.8 m
  5. May47%26°C1.4 m
  6. Jun72%29°C1.2 m
  7. Jul96%30°C0.9 m
  8. Aug96%31°C0.7 m
  9. Sep87%30°C1.0 m
  10. Oct48%28°C1.6 m
  11. Nov43%26°C1.6 m
  12. Dec48%24°C1.6 m

July and August havetypically had the largest share of favorable days here. Conditions vary year to year — this is historical context, not a forecast.

Based on 3 years of archive data. Bar height shows the share of days each month whose conditions have historically scored favorably.

Marine life seen at this site

Species noted at this site — not a promise of what you’ll encounter.

Species seen here

The underwater calendar

When these animals are most recorded around Gulf of Mexico — from open sighting data, not a promise.

Watch the whole year animate on the Migrations map

Fills & rentals nearby

No dive shops mapped within 25 km. Know one? Add it to the map.

Data updated June 2026

Site details

A salt-dome-capped coral bank about 100 miles off the Texas coast in the Gulf of Mexico, part of Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary and home to some of the healthiest coral reef in the western Atlantic region. The reef cap sits at roughly 55-90 ft with massive boulder star and brain coral heads, and is reached by overnight liveaboard charters out of Freeport/Galveston using sanctuary mooring buoys. Famous for mass coral spawning about a week after the August full moon and seasonal manta and whale shark encounters.

boatreef

Open-ocean conditions and currents; long distance from shore/medical care; depth; occasional strong surface chop; fire coral.

Reviews

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