Best time to dive the Americas
31 scuba diving destinations across 11 countries, scored month by month from sea temperature, wave height, wind, rain and storm records. It spans a drysuit at one end of the region and a skin or 3 mm shorty at the other, so there is no single season. Storm season runs Jul–Oct.
Compare all 31 destinations →Across 11 countries
Recorded within 60 km of a dive area
Monthly surface means, coldest to warmest
Months at least one destination calls its best
Diving in the Americas month by month
January is the strongest month in the Americas: 13 of the 27 rated destinations are at their peak. September is the thinnest, with 4. There is somewhere worth diving all year.
"In best conditions" means the month ranks in the top third worldwide, not just against the rest of this region. Only the 27 rated destinations count towards it.
What you can see scuba diving in the Americas
Counted from OBIS records within 60 km of each dive area. Presence-only data: an animal absent from a month may simply not have been logged there.
Every dive destination in the Americas
| Destination | Country / area | Best time | Conditions | What you'll see |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coiba | Panama | Jan–Mar | Good | |
| Loreto / Sea of Cortez NorthThe sea lion colony at Coronado and the island walls | Mexico Pacific | Mar–Apr | Good | |
| Channel Islands | USA | Jun–Oct | Good | |
| Guanacaste / Catalinas | Costa Rica | Dec–Apr | Good | |
| Western (Isabela/Fernandina), Galapagos | Ecuador | Oct–Jan | Good | |
| Cabo San Lucas | Mexico Pacific | Nov–Mar | Good | |
| Cano Island / Drake Bay | Costa Rica | Dec–Apr | Good | |
| Catalina Island | USA | Jun–Oct | Good | |
| Puerto Vallarta / Banderas | Mexico Pacific | Dec–Apr | Good | |
| La Jolla / San Diego | USA | Jun–Oct | Good | |
| Vancouver IslandThe invertebrate-covered walls of Browning Pass | Canada | Aug–Sep | Good | |
| NewfoundlandThe Bell Island iron-ore carriers and the cold clear water over them | Canada | May–Aug | Good | |
| Monterey | USA | Jul–Oct | Poor | |
| Bermuda | Bermuda | May–Aug | Moderate | |
| AlaskaSitka's cold-water walls, kelp and Steller sea lions | USA | May–Aug | Moderate | |
| Flower Garden Banks | USA | May–Aug | Moderate | |
| Peninsula ValdesThe southern sea lion colony at Punta Loma | Argentina | Oct–Feb | Moderate | |
| Outer Banks | USA | Apr–Aug | Poor | |
| Fernando de Noronha | Brazil | Sep–Jan | Moderate | |
| Sea of Cortez / La PazWhale shark | Mexico Pacific | Nov–Feb | Good | |
| MalpeloSchooling scalloped hammerheads | Colombia | Feb–Mar | Good | |
| Socorro / RevillagigedoOceanic manta | Mexico Pacific | Nov–May | Moderate | |
| Isla de la PlataHumpback whale | Ecuador | Any month | Same all year | |
| Galapagos CentralScalloped hammerhead | Ecuador | Any month | Same all year | |
| Cabo PulmoBigeye trevally | Mexico Pacific | Jul–Nov | Good | |
| Darwin & Wolf, GalapagosWhale sharks and the schooling scalloped hammerheads of Darwin's Arch | Ecuador | Any month | Same all year | |
| Cocos IslandScalloped hammerhead | Costa Rica | Jun–Nov | Poor | |
| Easter Island (Rapa Nui) | Chile | Nov–Mar | Not rated | |
| Guadalupe Island | Mexico Pacific | Jan–May | Not rated | |
| Puget Sound | USA | Nov–Mar | Not rated | |
| Roca Partida, Socorro / RevillagigedoOceanic manta | Mexico Pacific | Nov–May | Not rated |
Best-scoring first. Rating a place against the rest of the world needs enough marine life recorded nearby, and 4 of these 31 do not have it yet — those read "Not rated" and are listed after, alphabetically. Their months, temperatures and sea state are measured the same way as everywhere else.
Dive areas in the Americas
Diving in the Americas: common questions
- When is the best time to dive the Americas?
- January. 13 of the 27 rated destinations are at their best then, and 5 months of the year are close behind.
- What is the worst month to dive the Americas?
- September, when only 4 of 27 are at their best. You can still dive: Channel Islands, Western (Isabela/Fernandina), Galapagos, Vancouver Island hold up best that month.
- How warm is the water in the Americas?
- Between 0 °C and 30 °C, depending where you go and when. That is a drysuit at the cold end and a skin or 3 mm shorty at the mildest. Those are surface numbers; it is cooler at depth.
- Does the Americas have a hurricane or cyclone season?
- Yes, Jul–Oct. It peaks in September, when a destination in the Americas has roughly a 19% chance of a storm passing nearby in any given year. Measured from NOAA storm tracks since 1980.
- Where can you dive the Americas year-round?
- Galapagos Central, Darwin & Wolf, Galapagos, Isla de la Plata. The weather barely changes across the year at these, so pick your month on wildlife or on price.
- What marine life can you see scuba diving in the Americas?
- Rays at 21 destinations, seals and sea lions at 17, sharks at 11, sunfish at 8 — those are the animals the Americas is known for. 51 species in all have been recorded near a dive area. The records only show what people logged, so a quiet month may just mean nobody logged a record.
- How many dive destinations are there in the Americas?
- besttimetodive.com logs 31 across 11 countries. Not an exhaustive list — these are the sites we hold verified data for.