Top scuba diving destinations by month
There is always a good time and place to be underwater. Check out this month to month guide to find out where you need to be when for the best diving experience.
January
Got the winter blues? January is the perfect month to escape and go for an underwater adventure. Head to the Bahamas if you are into sharks where you´ll see tiger sharks at Tiger Beach and hammerheads in Bimini. If you want to have a more tranquil dive, then Turks and Caicos is a great option, where humpback Whales migrate past the islands during the winter months of January-April. There are plenty of reefs and many wall dive sites on the western Caicos Banks, which are only accessed from Providenciales.
Where to stay:
The Ocean Club, A Four Seasons Resort, Bahamas
Amanyara. Turks & Caicos
February
The Maldives is a great destination in February, since there is no monsoon this month. Get ready to meet manta rays, whale sharks and other tropical marine life. Another great place to go to this month is Raja Ampat in Indonesia where the marine diversity here is simply mind blowing and you´ll find the most biodiverse reefs on the planet right here.
Where to stay:
Soneva Fushi, Maldives
Misool Resort, Raja Ampat
March
Dive with blue whales in Sri Lanka where the best months to spot them are March and April. Also great for visiting this month are islands in the South Pacific, such as Fiji. March is the end of summer in Fiji and it is the season to find little critters such as nudibranchs, flatworms, shrimps etc.
Where to stay:
Cape Weligama, Sri Lanka
April
Although you can dive here your round, dry season is from March to October, so Sipadan Island in Malaysia is a great destination in April when visibility can reach 160 feet (50 meters). You’ll see reef sharks, turtles and barracudas.
Belize is also a great destination this month, where you can dive the Big Blue Hole and the Cayes, like Ambergris Caye. It is the season for whale sharks to appear and mating season for turtles begins.
Where to stay:
Mabul Water Bungalows, Malaysia
Matachica Resort, Belize
May
May is a great time to visit Australia. Check out the minke whales at the Great Barrier Reef and whale sharks in Ningaloo this month. Komodo Marine Park, Indonesia, is also an amazing destination in May when there is a perfect balance of calm surface conditions and uncrowded dive sites.
Where to stay:
Shangri-La Cairns, Australia
Komodo Resort, Indonesia
June
All year round The Galapagos in Ecuador is an amazing destination, but June is the end of the rainy season and the water temperatures are still warm. Here you´ll be treated to a unique mix of tropical and temperate species which thrive in the nutrient-rich water that come from the deep surrounding ocean. Some 30 species of shark live here, together with mantas, devil rays, and eagle rays and the unique marine iguanas. The conditions at the majority of sites here however are best suited to advanced divers who are comfortable in deep - and often cold - water, with strong, ripping currents.
Another great spot this month is Bonaire where you´ll find plenty of micro organisms as well as turtles and wrecks. Bonaire has an incredible amount of shore dive sites -54- which give access to impressive walls and coral reefs and gardens full of marine life.
Where to stay:
Pikaia Lodge, Galapagos Islands, Chile
Harbour Village Beach Club, Bonaire
July
Located 550 km off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, Cocos Island is the only island in the tropical eastern Pacific with a tropical rainforest. Here is the first point of contact with the northern equatorial counter-current, which creates an incredible marine ecosystem. It is one of the best places in the world to see large pelagic species such as sharks, rays, tuna and dolphins.
From Isla Holbox, Mexico, you can go dive or snorkel with whale sharks. Combine your trip to explore the amazing underwaterworld in the many cenotes that are spread across the Yucatan/Quintana Roo peninsula.
Where to stay:
Liveaboard Cocos Island, Costa Rica
Viceroy Riviera Maya, Mexico
August
The Portuguese islands of the Azores is the ultimate diving destination in Europe and August is the best month to go. From mobulas to mantas, to whales, in August they can all be found here.
Madagascar is home to over 300 corals, 1,300 bony fish, 56 shark species and 34 different cetaceans. The east coast of Madagascar (for example Saint Marie) is on migratory routes for humpback whales between July and September.
Where to stay:
Santa Barbara Eco-Resort, Portugal
Miavana by TIme + TIde, Madagascar
September
September in Egypt gives you the right balance of nice air temperatures, calm sea conditions, and an abundance of marine species. The Red Sea is a great destination for all sorts of diving: wrecks, walls, drifts, pinnacles, shore dives etc. Just take your pick!
September is the perfect time to dive with manta rays in Fiji (the season lasts from June to October). Check out Yasawas, Kadavu, the Namena Marine Reserve, Wakaya, or Taveuni, where you can find 200 to 300 of these graceful creatures.
Where to stay:
October
The Seychelles offer perfect wind and sea conditions during this time of the year. There is such an abundance of marine life here, so be prepared to see sailfish, turtles, manta rays, and bigger sharks, including hammerheads, butterflyfish, stingrays, and reef sharks.
Oman's coastline is relatively unknown as a travel and diving destination and is therefore a great place if you are looking for uncrowded spots. October is one of the best months to go diving in Oman when the seas are calm and the water is warmer.
Where to stay:
Six Senses Zil Pasyon, Seychelles
The Chedi Muscat, Oman
November
November is one of the prime months for diving in the Similan Islands in Thailand when the water is calm and the weather is generally clear. Around this time you can find manta rays and whale sharks as well as black and white-tipped reef sharks at sites like Koh Bon and Richelieu Rock.
Another great destination, Palau in Micronesia, offers sharks, wreck diving and soft coral reefs. This time of the year is great here because you can see parrotfish spawning for a few weeks of the month.
Where to stay:
The Sarojin, Thailand
Palau Pacific Resort, Palau
December
Some people (not me, haha!) like to go diving in cold waters. If you are one of them, Norway is perfect for you. December is the best month to go see orcas and humpbacks. Humpback whales follow the herring track along the Kaldfjord, a sheltered area outside of Tromsø. After Christmas, they will move out into the open sea, making it harder to spot them.
Because it was once home to a Japanese WWII naval base, Truk Lagoon is a paradise for wreck divers. Chuuk (Truk) Lagoon in The Federated State of Micronesia is best to visit in December. it is a reef-protected lagoon, making for easy dives, and some wrecks are quite deep - with the bottoms around the 100- 150 feet (30 to 45 meters), making it also en excellent destination for technical diving. The wrecks host an abundance of marine life, with many soft corals and schools of small fish.
Where to stay:
Clarion Hotel The Edge, Norway
Truk Blue Lagoon Resort, Micronesia
Liveaboard, Micronesia
Pictures:
All pictures of the hotels are taken from the hotels´ websites.