USA
Best Time to Dive in Monterey
36.62°N 121.90°W
Plan for July to October once the water has warmed to 15 °C from 13. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month.
- Best time
- Jul–Oct
- Water
- 12–16 °C
- Visibility
- 0–15 m
- Dived from
- shore diving
- Tidal range
- 1.2–2.2 m
- Species logged
- 12
Worth knowing: 91% of days see seas over 1 m.
Where it is
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Monterey — monthly breakdown
A year of scuba diving conditions at a glance. Hover a month to isolate it.
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conditions | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Good | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Poor | Poor |
| Water temp (°C) | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 |
| Visibility (m) | 5–15 | 5–15 | 0–10 | 0–10 | 0–10 | 0–10 | 5–15 | 0–10 | 0–10 | 0–10 | 0–10 | 5–15 |
| Marine life | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak |
| Best time | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season Jul–Oct
Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.
The Monterey diving season
June · Shoulder season
1 monthJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 13–13 °C
- Visibility
- under 10 m
- Rain
- 1 days a month
Diving conditionsIt rains less. The wind eases.
Marine lifeCalifornia sea lion (near-guaranteed) peaks at Monterey in these months.
July to October · Peak season
4 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 14–16 °C
- Visibility
- under 10 m
- Rain
- 1 days a month
Diving conditionsThe wind eases. It rains less.
Marine lifeOcean sunfish (near-guaranteed), Blue shark (near-guaranteed), Sardine (near-guaranteed), California sea lion (near-guaranteed) peak at Monterey in these months.
November to May · Off season
7 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 12–14 °C
- Visibility
- under 10 m
- Rain
- 8 days a month
Diving conditionsIt rains more. The wind is up.
Marine lifeCalifornia sea lion (near-guaranteed) peaks at Monterey in these months.
- Spring tides run 2.2 m against 1.2 m on neaps, so currents build around the full and new moon.
- Water temperature is satellite sea-surface temperature, so expect it cooler below the thermocline.
- Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a.
Monterey water temperature and weather
9,884 underwater observation records · 32 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Monterey water temperature by month
The dashed line is the monthly average. Eight days in ten fall inside the band.
10th to 90th percentile rangemonthly mean
29
rough days a month
Seas top 1.0 m on 96% of days. Enough to cancel a shore entry
1
blowy days a month
Gusts over 40 km/h, about where a day boat stays in port
5
wet days a month
2 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3.9 m | 7% | 10 | 4 | 15 °C | 9.8 h |
| February | 4.2 m | 7% | 9 | 4 | 15 °C | 10.7 h |
| March | 3.7 m | 3% | 13 | 4 | 15 °C | 11.7 h |
| April | 3.4 m | 2% | 4 | 1 | 15 °C | 12.9 h |
| May | 2.9 m | 0% | 4 | 1 | 15 °C | 14.0 h |
| June | 2.5 m | 0% | 1 | 0 | 17 °C | 14.5 h |
| July | 1.9 m | 0% | 0 | 0 | 17 °C | 14.3 h |
| August | 1.8 m | 0% | 0 | 0 | 19 °C | 13.4 h |
| September | 2.2 m | 0% | 1 | 0 | 20 °C | 12.2 h |
| October | 2.9 m | 1% | 3 | 0 | 19 °C | 11.0 h |
| November | 3.4 m | 1% | 6 | 2 | 17 °C | 10.0 h |
| December | 4.2 m | 3% | 10 | 3 | 15 °C | 9.5 h |
Swell is the rough end of the month: nine days in ten come in under it. Sea temperature covers 10 years, waves 4.
Pick your week
48 weeks from the daily record. Darker is better, against this site's own year. Pick a month for the detail.
| Week 1 | January week 1: Poor | February week 1: Poor | March week 1: Poor | April week 1: Poor | May week 1: Poor | June week 1: Poor | July week 1: Good | August week 1: Excellent | September week 1: Excellent | October week 1: Excellent | November week 1: Moderate | December week 1: Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Poor | February week 2: Poor | March week 2: Poor | April week 2: Poor | May week 2: Poor | June week 2: Moderate | July week 2: Good | August week 2: Excellent | September week 2: Good | October week 2: Excellent | November week 2: Poor | December week 2: Poor |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Poor | February week 3: Poor | March week 3: Poor | April week 3: Poor | May week 3: Poor | June week 3: Good | July week 3: Excellent | August week 3: Excellent | September week 3: Good | October week 3: Moderate | November week 3: Poor | December week 3: Poor |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Poor | February week 4: Poor | March week 4: Poor | April week 4: Moderate | May week 4: Moderate | June week 4: Good | July week 4: Excellent | August week 4: Good | September week 4: Good | October week 4: Moderate | November week 4: Poor | December week 4: Poor |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: first of August
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 13 °C | 4.5 m | 19 km/h | 37% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 13 °C | 4.2 m | 18 km/h | 37% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 13 °C | 3.4 m | 18 km/h | 30% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 13 °C | 3.3 m | 17 km/h | 27% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 13 °C | 3.8 m | 18 km/h | 29% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 13 °C | 4.2 m | 19 km/h | 29% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 13 °C | 4.3 m | 20 km/h | 28% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 13 °C | 4.1 m | 20 km/h | 32% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 13 °C | 4.0 m | 21 km/h | 41% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 13 °C | 3.6 m | 20 km/h | 43% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 13 °C | 3.5 m | 20 km/h | 39% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 12 °C | 3.6 m | 21 km/h | 32% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 12 °C | 3.6 m | 20 km/h | 23% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 12 °C | 3.4 m | 19 km/h | 18% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 12 °C | 3.1 m | 20 km/h | 14% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 12 °C | 3.0 m | 20 km/h | 11% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 13 °C | 3.1 m | 20 km/h | 12% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 13 °C | 2.9 m | 19 km/h | 15% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 13 °C | 2.7 m | 20 km/h | 13% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 13 °C | 2.7 m | 19 km/h | 7% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 13 °C | 2.6 m | 19 km/h | 5% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 13 °C | 2.6 m | 19 km/h | 3% |
| Week 3 | Good | 13 °C | 2.5 m | 19 km/h | 1% |
| Week 4 | Good | 14 °C | 2.1 m | 18 km/h | 2% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 14 °C | 1.8 m | 17 km/h | 1% |
| Week 2 | Good | 14 °C | 1.9 m | 16 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 14 °C | 2.1 m | 16 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 15 °C | 1.7 m | 16 km/h | 1% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 15 °C | 1.6 m | 15 km/h | 1% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 15 °C | 1.7 m | 15 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 15 °C | 1.7 m | 16 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Good | 15 °C | 1.8 m | 16 km/h | 0% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 16 °C | 1.8 m | 15 km/h | 1% |
| Week 2 | Good | 16 °C | 1.9 m | 15 km/h | 4% |
| Week 3 | Good | 16 °C | 2.1 m | 16 km/h | 6% |
| Week 4 | Good | 16 °C | 2.5 m | 16 km/h | 7% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 15 °C | 2.4 m | 16 km/h | 6% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 15 °C | 2.5 m | 15 km/h | 7% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 15 °C | 3.0 m | 15 km/h | 11% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 15 °C | 3.2 m | 15 km/h | 13% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 14 °C | 3.3 m | 15 km/h | 14% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 14 °C | 3.7 m | 15 km/h | 17% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 14 °C | 3.6 m | 16 km/h | 21% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 14 °C | 3.0 m | 16 km/h | 24% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 14 °C | 2.8 m | 16 km/h | 25% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 13 °C | 3.7 m | 16 km/h | 29% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 13 °C | 4.1 m | 17 km/h | 33% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 13 °C | 4.6 m | 18 km/h | 35% |
10 years of daily records, averaged into weeks.
Gear & storms
What to wear
Off the coldest water of each month, not the average — that is what the suit has to cope with.
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suit | January: dry | February: dry | March: dry | April: dry | May: dry | June: dry | July: 7 mm | August: 7 mm | September: 7 mm | October: 7 mm | November: dry | December: dry |
- Nov–Jundrysuit
- Jul–Oct7 mm semi-dry
Swell through the year
The rough end of each month — nine days in ten come in under it.
Amber is over 1.0 m.
Tides
Tropical storms
No tropical storm has come within 250 km in 30 years of records. Swell and wind set the season, not cyclones.
- NOAASea surface temperature, from OISST and MUR
- ERA5Wind, waves, rain and air temperature, via Open-Meteo
- OBISMarine species records within 60 km
- IBTrACSTropical cyclone tracks, 1996 to 2025
Monterey marine life — what you'll see diving
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humpback whale | All year | Near-guaranteed | 2999 | ||
| Ocean sunfish | Aug–Oct | Near-guaranteed | 1265 | ||
| Blue shark | Aug–Sep | Near-guaranteed | 1232 | ||
| Sardine | Aug–Oct | Near-guaranteed | 1248 | ||
| Common thresher | Aug–Oct | Near-guaranteed | 1170 | ||
| California sea lion | All year | Near-guaranteed | 332 | ||
| Harbour seal | All year | Near-guaranteed | 313 | ||
| Blue whale | Dec–Jan, Sep–Oct | Likely | 151 | ||
| Orca | Apr–May | Likely | 111 | ||
| Bottlenose dolphin | All year | Likely | 39 | ||
| Grey whale | Jan–Feb | Likely | 1000 | ||
| Common dolphin | Mar–Apr, Sep, Dec | Hit-or-miss | 17 |
Peak Present
- Observed window
- Months with records. Peak is where most of them fall.
- Reliability
- Near-guaranteed in 60% of surveyed years or more
- Likely 30% to 60%
- Hit-or-miss under 30%
- Evidence
- Years it was seen, out of the years anyone surveyed.
- Records
- OBIS sightings within 60 km.
These are sightings people logged, not a full survey of the reef. A species missing from a month may just mean nobody recorded one.
Diving Monterey — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Monterey?
- Plan for July to October once the water has warmed to 15 °C from 13. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month.
- When is the diving season in Monterey?
- The diving season in Monterey runs July to October.
- Is the diving in Monterey good for beginners?
- Not really. It is for experienced divers, so it is not a place to learn or to make your first dives after certification.
- How warm is the water in Monterey?
- Between 12 and 16 °C at the surface across the year, coldest in April and warmest in September. It runs cooler below the thermocline.
- What wetsuit do I need in Monterey?
- A drysuit covers the coldest water of the year. In the warmest months a 7 mm semi-dry is enough.
- What is the visibility like in Monterey?
- Roughly 0 to 15 m depending on the month. That is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a rather than measured in the water.
- What will I see diving Monterey?
- The most consistently recorded species are Humpback whale (near-guaranteed), Ocean sunfish (near-guaranteed) and Blue shark (near-guaranteed), from 9,884 records within 60 km.
- Does Monterey get tropical storms?
- No. None has passed within 250 km in 30 years of records.
- Is there current in Monterey?
- The tide rises and falls 2.2 m around the full and new moon, against 1.2 m in between. How much of that becomes current depends on the shape of the channel.
- When should I avoid Monterey?
- December–March are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive Monterey?
- Mostly from the shore. Trips run through the season, Jul–Oct.