June–September
30–40 m visibility
The peak. Ten to twelve hours of sun, 26 to 30°C, the flattest water of the year and the clearest diving.
April to October, and Why
The dry season runs April to October. June to September is the peak. Everything else on this page is the evidence behind those two sentences.
Dry season is April to October, peak June to September, wet November to March. Water sits at 26 to 29°C the whole year, so temperature is never the deciding factor.
- Dry season winds are light southeasterlies, roughly 5 to 15 knots.
- Underwater visibility runs 20 to 30 metres, and past 30 at the peak.
- Wet season brings 150 to 300 mm of rain a month and gusts to 25 knots.
What each part of the year feels like
Conditions, not crowds. Crowds and pricing are on the calendar page.
April, May, October
15–30 m visibility
Shoulder. Almost the same conditions, occasional brief showers, and greener hills in April and May.
April–October overall
5–15 kn wind
Light southeasterlies across the whole dry season, with daytime air at 28 to 32°C.
November–March
5–15 m visibility
Wet. Rain of 150 to 300 mm a month, gusts to 25 knots, choppier channels — and empty anchorages.
January and February are the wettest months. Sea conditions in exposed channels are the real constraint in the wet season, not the rain itself.
November to March is not a write-off
Rain does not close the park. Air holds at 26 to 30°C, water at 26 to 29, and the hills turn green in a way most visitors never see. What changes is the sea: gusts reach 20 to 25 knots and exposed channels get choppy, so itineraries get reordered rather than cancelled. Visibility drops to five to fifteen metres from runoff, which matters to divers and barely registers for snorkelling.
If you are prone to seasickness, this is the season where that stops being theoretical.
- 26–29°C
- Sea temperature, all year
- 28–32°C
- Daytime air, dry season
- 5–15 kn
- Dry-season wind
- 10–12 h
- Daily sunshine at the peak
The months worth singling out
Six that behave differently from the season they sit in.
May
The landscape is still green from the wet season and the sea has settled. Arguably the best single month of the year.
June
Peak conditions arrive, crowds have not. Clear water, light wind, and the hills only starting to dry.
July and August
The best weather and the most boats. Conditions are excellent; you will not have the viewpoints to yourself.
September
Cooler breezes as the dry season wanes, skies still clear, water still flat. A quiet favourite.
October
The last shoulder month. Conditions hold, first showers appear, and rates start to move.
January and February
The wettest of the wet. Green, empty and cheap, with the roughest channels of the year.
What the season does to visibility
This is the one number that swings hard. In the June to September peak, visibility routinely passes thirty metres and sometimes forty. Through the shoulder months it holds at fifteen to thirty. In the wet season, runoff drops it to five to fifteen. Snorkellers barely notice the difference at Pink Beach; divers on the northern pinnacles notice nothing else.
Seasons, answered
When is the dry season?
April to October, with June to September the peak. November to March is the wet season. Water stays at 26 to 29°C all year regardless.
What is the single best month?
May, June or September. May and June still have green hills after the rains; September has settled seas and thinning crowds. All three sit outside the July–August peak.
Can I sail in the wet season?
Yes. Rain of 150 to 300 mm a month and gusts to 25 knots mean choppier channels and reordered itineraries, not cancelled trips. Visibility drops to 5 to 15 metres.
How rough does it get?
Dry-season winds are light southeasterlies at 5 to 15 knots. In the wet season they reach 20 to 25, and exposed channels are where you feel it.
When are mantas most likely?
April to October, aligning with the dry season and clearer water. They are resident year round, but sightings are most reliable then.
Tell us your month
If your dates are fixed, we will tell you honestly what the sea is likely to do and which itinerary suits it.