Brazil
Best Time to Dive in Fernando de Noronha
3.83°S 32.44°W
Aim for September to January, when the downpours ease — 0 days a month of heavy rain instead of 6. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month. Diving holds up from August to January.
- Best time
- Sep–Jan
- Water
- 27–29 °C
- Visibility
- 20–35 m
- Season runs
- Aug–Jan
- Dived from
- day boat
- Tidal range
- 1.1–2.3 m
- Species logged
- 7
Worth knowing: 92% of days see seas over 1.5 m.
Where it is
888 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Fernando de Noronha — 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 | Excellent | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Poor | Good | Good | Good | Good | Excellent |
| Water temp (°C) | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 |
| Visibility (m) | 20–30 | 20–30 | 25–35 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 |
| Marine life | Busy | Steady | Steady | Busy | Busy | Steady | Steady | Busy | Busy | Steady | Steady | Busy |
| Best time | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season Sep–Jan
Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.
The Fernando de Noronha diving season
February to July · Off season
6 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 27–29 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 21 days a month
Diving conditionsIt rains more. The wind eases.
August to January · Peak season
6 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 27–28 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 10 days a month
Diving conditionsThe wind is up. It rains less.
- Spring tides run 2.3 m against 1.1 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.
Fernando de Noronha water temperature and weather
234 underwater observation records · 23 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Fernando de Noronha 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
28
rough days a month
Seas top 1.5 m on 93% of days. Enough to cancel a day boat
0
blowy days a month
Gusts over 40 km/h, about where a day boat stays in port
15
wet days a month
3 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2.1 m | 0% | 16 | 1 | 28 °C | 12.2 h |
| February | 2.2 m | 0% | 21 | 6 | 28 °C | 12.1 h |
| March | 2.2 m | 0% | 24 | 10 | 28 °C | 12.0 h |
| April | 2.1 m | 0% | 24 | 11 | 28 °C | 11.9 h |
| May | 2.3 m | 0% | 20 | 7 | 28 °C | 11.8 h |
| June | 2.4 m | 1% | 18 | 3 | 28 °C | 11.8 h |
| July | 2.6 m | 5% | 17 | 2 | 27 °C | 11.8 h |
| August | 2.5 m | 3% | 13 | 1 | 27 °C | 11.9 h |
| September | 2.4 m | 4% | 9 | 0 | 27 °C | 12.0 h |
| October | 2.3 m | 2% | 7 | 0 | 27 °C | 12.1 h |
| November | 2.1 m | 0% | 5 | 0 | 27 °C | 12.2 h |
| December | 2.2 m | 0% | 9 | 1 | 27 °C | 12.2 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: Excellent | February week 1: Moderate | March week 1: Poor | April week 1: Poor | May week 1: Poor | June week 1: Good | July week 1: Poor | August week 1: Moderate | September week 1: Moderate | October week 1: Moderate | November week 1: Excellent | December week 1: Excellent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Excellent | February week 2: Poor | March week 2: Poor | April week 2: Poor | May week 2: Poor | June week 2: Good | July week 2: Poor | August week 2: Moderate | September week 2: Moderate | October week 2: Moderate | November week 2: Excellent | December week 2: Excellent |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Excellent | February week 3: Poor | March week 3: Poor | April week 3: Poor | May week 3: Poor | June week 3: Poor | July week 3: Poor | August week 3: Good | September week 3: Excellent | October week 3: Excellent | November week 3: Good | December week 3: Good |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Excellent | February week 4: Poor | March week 4: Poor | April week 4: Poor | May week 4: Poor | June week 4: Poor | July week 4: Moderate | August week 4: Excellent | September week 4: Excellent | October week 4: Excellent | November week 4: Good | December week 4: Good |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: fourth of September
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 28 °C | 2.1 m | 28 km/h | 47% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 28 °C | 2.2 m | 27 km/h | 48% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 28 °C | 2.1 m | 26 km/h | 51% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 28 °C | 2.0 m | 27 km/h | 57% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 28 °C | 2.1 m | 27 km/h | 66% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 28 °C | 2.2 m | 27 km/h | 72% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 2.3 m | 26 km/h | 72% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 2.3 m | 25 km/h | 75% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 2.3 m | 25 km/h | 80% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 2.2 m | 24 km/h | 76% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 29 °C | 2.1 m | 23 km/h | 66% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 2.2 m | 23 km/h | 77% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 2.2 m | 24 km/h | 90% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 2.2 m | 24 km/h | 84% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 29 °C | 2.2 m | 25 km/h | 78% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 2.1 m | 26 km/h | 74% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 2.2 m | 27 km/h | 75% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 2.2 m | 28 km/h | 74% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 29 °C | 2.3 m | 27 km/h | 62% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 2.3 m | 27 km/h | 57% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 28 °C | 2.2 m | 28 km/h | 58% |
| Week 2 | Good | 28 °C | 2.3 m | 28 km/h | 55% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 2.5 m | 30 km/h | 60% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 28 °C | 2.4 m | 31 km/h | 63% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 28 °C | 2.6 m | 30 km/h | 59% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 27 °C | 2.6 m | 31 km/h | 60% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 27 °C | 2.5 m | 33 km/h | 54% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 27 °C | 2.3 m | 33 km/h | 49% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 27 °C | 2.5 m | 33 km/h | 49% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 27 °C | 2.5 m | 33 km/h | 42% |
| Week 3 | Good | 27 °C | 2.6 m | 34 km/h | 36% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 27 °C | 2.4 m | 34 km/h | 36% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 27 °C | 2.5 m | 35 km/h | 38% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 27 °C | 2.5 m | 35 km/h | 36% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 27 °C | 2.3 m | 34 km/h | 28% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 27 °C | 2.3 m | 33 km/h | 26% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 27 °C | 2.3 m | 33 km/h | 27% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 27 °C | 2.3 m | 33 km/h | 25% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 27 °C | 2.3 m | 32 km/h | 21% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 27 °C | 2.4 m | 32 km/h | 17% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 27 °C | 2.3 m | 32 km/h | 12% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 27 °C | 2.2 m | 32 km/h | 15% |
| Week 3 | Good | 27 °C | 2.1 m | 31 km/h | 22% |
| Week 4 | Good | 27 °C | 2.1 m | 31 km/h | 21% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 28 °C | 2.2 m | 30 km/h | 21% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 28 °C | 2.2 m | 30 km/h | 24% |
| Week 3 | Good | 28 °C | 2.1 m | 31 km/h | 30% |
| Week 4 | Good | 28 °C | 2.2 m | 30 km/h | 38% |
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: skin | February: skin | March: skin | April: skin | May: skin | June: skin | July: 3 mm | August: 3 mm | September: 3 mm | October: 3 mm | November: 3 mm | December: skin |
- Dec–Junskin or 3 mm shorty
- Jul–Nov3 mm full suit
Swell through the year
The rough end of each month — nine days in ten come in under it.
Amber is over 1.5 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
Fernando de Noronha marine life — what you'll see diving
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spinner dolphin | All year | Near-guaranteed | 59 | ||
| Green turtle | All year | Near-guaranteed | 47 | ||
| Southern stingray | Nov | Hit-or-miss | 11 | ||
| Lemon shark | Dec–Jan, Apr–May | Likely | 32 | ||
| Nurse shark | Jan, Aug–Sep | Likely | 37 | ||
| Yellowfin tuna | Jan, Apr, Jul | Hit-or-miss | 21 | ||
| Hawksbill turtle | Apr, Aug–Sep | Hit-or-miss | 12 |
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 Fernando de Noronha — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Fernando de Noronha?
- Aim for September to January, when the downpours ease — 0 days a month of heavy rain instead of 6. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month. Diving holds up from August to January.
- When is the diving season in Fernando de Noronha?
- The diving season in Fernando de Noronha runs August to January, and it is at its best September to January.
- Is the diving in Fernando de Noronha good for beginners?
- Yes. It suits Open Water divers, so it works for a first trip after certification.
- How warm is the water in Fernando de Noronha?
- Between 27 and 29 °C at the surface across the year, coldest in September and warmest in April. It runs cooler below the thermocline.
- What wetsuit do I need in Fernando de Noronha?
- A 3 mm full suit covers the coldest water of the year. In the warmest months a skin or 3 mm shorty is enough.
- What is the visibility like in Fernando de Noronha?
- Roughly 20 to 35 m depending on the month. That is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a rather than measured in the water.
- What will I see diving Fernando de Noronha?
- The most consistently recorded species are Spinner dolphin (near-guaranteed), Green turtle (near-guaranteed) and Southern stingray (hit-or-miss), from 234 records within 60 km.
- Does Fernando de Noronha get tropical storms?
- No. None has passed within 250 km in 30 years of records.
- Is there current in Fernando de Noronha?
- The tide rises and falls 2.3 m around the full and new moon, against 1.1 m in between. How much of that becomes current depends on the shape of the channel.
- When should I avoid Fernando de Noronha?
- March–April are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive Fernando de Noronha?
- Mostly from day boats. Trips run through the season, Aug–Jan.