USA
Best Time to Dive in the Flower Garden Banks
27.88°N 93.82°W
Plan for May to August once the water has warmed to 29 °C from 25. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month.
- Best time
- May–Aug
- Water
- 22–30 °C
- Visibility
- 15–35 m
- Dived from
- liveaboard
- Tidal range
- 0.2–0.8 m
- Species logged
- 4
Worth knowing: 31% of days gust over 40 km/h.
Where it is
444 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in the Flower Garden Banks — 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 | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Excellent | Good | Good | Excellent | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Poor |
| Water temp (°C) | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 26 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 26 | 24 |
| Visibility (m) | 15–25 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 25–35 | 25–35 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 |
| Marine life | Steady | Busy | Steady | Steady | Busy | Steady | Steady | Busy | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady |
| Best time | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season May–Aug
Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.
The Flower Garden Banks diving season
February to April · Shoulder season
3 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 22–23 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 8 days a month
Diving conditionsThe wind is up. The sea is rougher.
May to August · Peak season
4 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 26–30 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 11 days a month
Diving conditionsThe wind eases. The sea is calmer.
September to January · Off season
5 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 22–30 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 12 days a month
Diving conditionsSwell is common, and crossings can be rough. It rains more.
- Water temperature is satellite sea-surface temperature, so expect it cooler below the thermocline.
- Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a.
Flower Garden Banks water temperature and weather
385 underwater observation records · 21 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Flower Garden Banks 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
3
rough days a month
Seas top 2.5 m on 11% of days. Enough to cancel a liveaboard crossing
6
blowy days a month
Gusts over 40 km/h, about where a day boat stays in port
11
wet days a month
3 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3.2 m | 39% | 12 | 4 | 20 °C | 10.4 h |
| February | 2.7 m | 31% | 9 | 2 | 21 °C | 11.0 h |
| March | 2.8 m | 25% | 7 | 2 | 22 °C | 11.8 h |
| April | 2.8 m | 28% | 6 | 2 | 24 °C | 12.7 h |
| May | 2.0 m | 11% | 9 | 3 | 26 °C | 13.4 h |
| June | 1.8 m | 5% | 9 | 3 | 29 °C | 13.8 h |
| July | 1.1 m | 2% | 12 | 3 | 30 °C | 13.6 h |
| August | 1.2 m | 3% | 13 | 3 | 30 °C | 13.0 h |
| September | 1.7 m | 6% | 15 | 5 | 29 °C | 12.2 h |
| October | 2.4 m | 20% | 11 | 3 | 27 °C | 11.3 h |
| November | 2.8 m | 23% | 10 | 2 | 24 °C | 10.6 h |
| December | 2.7 m | 30% | 12 | 4 | 22 °C | 10.2 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: Poor | February week 1: Poor | March week 1: Moderate | April week 1: Poor | May week 1: Excellent | June week 1: Good | July week 1: Excellent | August week 1: Excellent | September week 1: Poor | October week 1: Moderate | November week 1: Good | December week 1: Moderate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Poor | February week 2: Poor | March week 2: Moderate | April week 2: Poor | May week 2: Excellent | June week 2: Excellent | July week 2: Excellent | August week 2: Excellent | September week 2: Poor | October week 2: Moderate | November week 2: Good | December week 2: Poor |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Poor | February week 3: Poor | March week 3: Moderate | April week 3: Moderate | May week 3: Excellent | June week 3: Excellent | July week 3: Good | August week 3: Excellent | September week 3: Poor | October week 3: Poor | November week 3: Moderate | December week 3: Poor |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Poor | February week 4: Good | March week 4: Moderate | April week 4: Good | May week 4: Excellent | June week 4: Excellent | July week 4: Excellent | August week 4: Good | September week 4: Poor | October week 4: Poor | November week 4: Poor | December week 4: Poor |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: second of May
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 23 °C | 3.2 m | 36 km/h | 40% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 23 °C | 3.3 m | 36 km/h | 39% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 22 °C | 3.3 m | 37 km/h | 37% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 22 °C | 2.8 m | 37 km/h | 37% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 22 °C | 2.6 m | 36 km/h | 35% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 22 °C | 2.7 m | 36 km/h | 34% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 22 °C | 2.8 m | 35 km/h | 34% |
| Week 4 | Good | 22 °C | 2.6 m | 34 km/h | 29% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 22 °C | 2.3 m | 34 km/h | 28% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 22 °C | 2.4 m | 34 km/h | 27% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 22 °C | 2.8 m | 35 km/h | 18% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 22 °C | 3.1 m | 34 km/h | 19% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 23 °C | 3.2 m | 34 km/h | 22% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 23 °C | 2.9 m | 33 km/h | 23% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 24 °C | 2.5 m | 33 km/h | 22% |
| Week 4 | Good | 24 °C | 2.3 m | 33 km/h | 18% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 25 °C | 2.3 m | 33 km/h | 20% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 25 °C | 2.0 m | 32 km/h | 24% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 26 °C | 2.0 m | 31 km/h | 29% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 27 °C | 2.0 m | 30 km/h | 33% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 28 °C | 1.8 m | 26 km/h | 31% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 28 °C | 1.6 m | 27 km/h | 28% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.9 m | 29 km/h | 29% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.7 m | 27 km/h | 34% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 25 km/h | 37% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.2 m | 24 km/h | 35% |
| Week 3 | Good | 30 °C | 1.0 m | 23 km/h | 41% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.0 m | 22 km/h | 45% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.0 m | 22 km/h | 39% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.1 m | 22 km/h | 35% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.3 m | 23 km/h | 39% |
| Week 4 | Good | 30 °C | 1.2 m | 24 km/h | 55% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.4 m | 24 km/h | 60% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.6 m | 24 km/h | 52% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.3 m | 25 km/h | 48% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.9 m | 26 km/h | 44% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 29 °C | 2.3 m | 28 km/h | 38% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 29 °C | 2.3 m | 29 km/h | 31% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 2.4 m | 30 km/h | 35% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 28 °C | 2.6 m | 32 km/h | 39% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 27 °C | 2.7 m | 31 km/h | 35% |
| Week 2 | Good | 26 °C | 2.9 m | 30 km/h | 33% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 26 °C | 2.9 m | 34 km/h | 34% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 25 °C | 2.6 m | 35 km/h | 37% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 25 °C | 2.4 m | 35 km/h | 40% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 24 °C | 2.8 m | 35 km/h | 40% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 24 °C | 2.9 m | 34 km/h | 37% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 23 °C | 2.8 m | 34 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: 5 mm | February: 5 mm + | March: 5 mm | April: 5 mm | May: 3 mm | June: skin | July: skin | August: skin | September: skin | October: skin | November: 3 mm | December: 5 mm |
- Dec–Jan5 mm full suit
- Feb5 mm with hood and gloves
- Mar–Apr5 mm full suit
- May3 mm full suit
- Jun–Octskin or 3 mm shorty
- 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 2.5 m.
Tides
Tropical storms
11 of the last 30 Septembers saw a tropical storm pass within 250 km. Anything has been recorded Jun–Oct.
Share of the last 30 years with a storm that month.
- 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
Flower Garden Banks marine life — what you'll see diving
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellowfin tuna | All year | Likely | 277 | ||
| Silky shark | Apr | Hit-or-miss | 14 | ||
| Sperm whale | Jun, Aug, Dec | Hit-or-miss | 51 | ||
| Bottlenose dolphin | Feb, May, Aug | Likely | 27 |
Peak Present No survey data
- 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 the Flower Garden Banks — common questions
- When is the best time to dive the Flower Garden Banks?
- Plan for May to August once the water has warmed to 29 °C from 25. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month.
- When is the diving season at the Flower Garden Banks?
- The diving season at the Flower Garden Banks runs May to August.
- Is the diving at the Flower Garden Banks good for beginners?
- It is better with some experience. It suits Advanced Open Water divers or equivalent, so newer divers should ask the local operator which sites fit their level.
- How warm is the water at the Flower Garden Banks?
- Between 22 and 30 °C at the surface across the year, coldest in February and warmest in August. It runs cooler below the thermocline.
- What wetsuit do I need at the Flower Garden Banks?
- A 5 mm with hood and gloves covers the coldest water of the year. In the warmest months a skin or 3 mm shorty is enough.
- What is the visibility like at the Flower Garden Banks?
- Roughly 15 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 the Flower Garden Banks?
- The most consistently recorded species are Yellowfin tuna (likely), Silky shark (hit-or-miss) and Sperm whale (hit-or-miss), from 385 records within 60 km.
- Does the Flower Garden Banks get tropical storms?
- Yes. Over 30 years of records a storm passed within 250 km in Jun–Oct, most often in September at 11 of 30 years.
- Is there current at the Flower Garden Banks?
- The tide rises and falls 0.8 m around the full and new moon, against 0.2 m in between. How much of that becomes current depends on the shape of the channel.
- When should I avoid the Flower Garden Banks?
- January, September are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive the Flower Garden Banks?
- Mostly from liveaboards. Trips run through the season, May–Aug.