Canada
Best Time to Dive in Newfoundland
47.62°N 52.94°W
The pull is the Bell Island iron-ore carriers and the cold clear water over them. It runs all year, so pick your month on the sea and the sky: May to August.
- Best time
- May–Aug
- Water
- -0–15 °C
- Visibility
- 5–25 m
- Dived from
- day boat
- Tidal range
- 0.5–1.2 m
- Species logged
- 6
Worth knowing: water around 14 °C.
Where it is
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Newfoundland — 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 | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Moderate | Poor | Poor |
| Water temp (°C) | 1 | 0 | -0 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 7 | 4 |
| Visibility (m) | 15–25 | 10–20 | 10–20 | 5–15 | 10–20 | 10–20 | 10–20 | 10–20 | 10–20 | 5–15 | 5–15 | — |
| Marine life | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Busy | Steady | Steady | Steady | Busy | 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 Newfoundland diving season
May to September · Peak season
5 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 3–15 °C
- Visibility
- 10–20 m
- Rain
- 12 days a month
Diving conditionsThe sea is calmer. The wind eases.
Marine lifeOcean sunfish (likely), Walrus (hit-or-miss) peak at Newfoundland in these months.
October · Shoulder season
1 monthJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 11–11 °C
- Visibility
- 5–15 m
- Rain
- 12 days a month
Diving conditionsExpect some swell.
November to April · Off season
6 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- -0–7 °C
- Visibility
- 5–15 m
- Rain
- 15 days a month
Diving conditionsRain is frequent topside. The sea is rougher. The wind is up.
- Water temperature is satellite sea-surface temperature, so expect it cooler below the thermocline.
- Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a.
Newfoundland water temperature and weather
4,675 underwater observation records · 29 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Newfoundland 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
6
rough days a month
Seas top 1.5 m on 20% of days. Enough to cancel a day boat
3
blowy days a month
Gusts over 40 km/h, about where a day boat stays in port
13
wet days a month
4 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2.1 m | 17% | 15 | 6 | 1 °C | 8.6 h |
| February | 2.4 m | 20% | 14 | 5 | 1 °C | 10.0 h |
| March | 2.2 m | 13% | 14 | 5 | 3 °C | 11.6 h |
| April | 2.1 m | 8% | 15 | 5 | 7 °C | 13.4 h |
| May | 1.2 m | 1% | 12 | 3 | 11 °C | 14.9 h |
| June | 1.0 m | 1% | 12 | 4 | 17 °C | 15.8 h |
| July | 0.7 m | 0% | 12 | 3 | 22 °C | 15.4 h |
| August | 1.1 m | 1% | 11 | 3 | 22 °C | 14.1 h |
| September | 1.5 m | 2% | 12 | 3 | 18 °C | 12.3 h |
| October | 1.7 m | 3% | 12 | 3 | 13 °C | 10.6 h |
| November | 2.2 m | 16% | 16 | 6 | 8 °C | 9.0 h |
| December | 2.6 m | 17% | 17 | 5 | 3 °C | 8.2 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: Moderate | March week 1: Poor | April week 1: Poor | May week 1: Good | June week 1: Excellent | July week 1: Excellent | August week 1: Excellent | September week 1: Excellent | October week 1: Moderate | 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: Excellent | June week 2: Excellent | July week 2: Excellent | August week 2: Excellent | September week 2: Moderate | October week 2: Good | 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: Excellent | June week 3: Excellent | July week 3: Excellent | August week 3: Excellent | September week 3: Moderate | October week 3: Good | November week 3: Poor | December week 3: Poor |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Poor | February week 4: Moderate | March week 4: Poor | April week 4: Poor | May week 4: Excellent | June week 4: Excellent | July week 4: Excellent | August week 4: Good | September week 4: Moderate | 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 | 2 °C | 2.2 m | 27 km/h | 52% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 1 °C | 2.1 m | 28 km/h | 52% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 1 °C | 2.0 m | 28 km/h | 51% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 1 °C | 1.9 m | 28 km/h | 44% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 0 °C | 2.0 m | 30 km/h | 49% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 0 °C | 3.0 m | 32 km/h | 55% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 0 °C | 2.6 m | 31 km/h | 49% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | -0 °C | 2.0 m | 30 km/h | 46% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | -0 °C | 2.0 m | 30 km/h | 46% |
| Week 2 | Poor | -0 °C | 2.3 m | 28 km/h | 44% |
| Week 3 | Poor | -0 °C | 2.2 m | 28 km/h | 48% |
| Week 4 | Poor | -0 °C | 2.2 m | 29 km/h | 49% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 0 °C | 2.1 m | 27 km/h | 49% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 0 °C | 2.0 m | 27 km/h | 49% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 1 °C | 2.0 m | 28 km/h | 49% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 1 °C | 2.0 m | 27 km/h | 48% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 2 °C | 1.7 m | 24 km/h | 42% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 2 °C | 1.2 m | 23 km/h | 38% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 3 °C | 1.0 m | 23 km/h | 35% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 4 °C | 1.1 m | 23 km/h | 37% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 5 °C | 1.1 m | 23 km/h | 41% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 6 °C | 1.0 m | 22 km/h | 43% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 7 °C | 0.9 m | 22 km/h | 39% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 8 °C | 0.9 m | 22 km/h | 41% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 10 °C | 0.7 m | 21 km/h | 44% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 11 °C | 0.7 m | 20 km/h | 36% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 12 °C | 0.8 m | 21 km/h | 33% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 13 °C | 0.8 m | 20 km/h | 31% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 14 °C | 0.9 m | 19 km/h | 28% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 15 °C | 1.1 m | 20 km/h | 32% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 15 °C | 1.1 m | 21 km/h | 40% |
| Week 4 | Good | 15 °C | 1.1 m | 22 km/h | 42% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 14 °C | 1.1 m | 23 km/h | 40% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 14 °C | 1.4 m | 23 km/h | 39% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 13 °C | 1.6 m | 24 km/h | 40% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 13 °C | 1.7 m | 24 km/h | 40% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 12 °C | 1.8 m | 23 km/h | 38% |
| Week 2 | Good | 11 °C | 1.8 m | 24 km/h | 39% |
| Week 3 | Good | 10 °C | 1.6 m | 25 km/h | 40% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 9 °C | 1.5 m | 25 km/h | 38% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 8 °C | 1.9 m | 27 km/h | 44% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 7 °C | 2.3 m | 29 km/h | 52% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 6 °C | 2.3 m | 30 km/h | 55% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 6 °C | 2.2 m | 29 km/h | 53% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 5 °C | 2.3 m | 27 km/h | 53% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 4 °C | 2.7 m | 29 km/h | 54% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 3 °C | 2.7 m | 32 km/h | 54% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 3 °C | 2.3 m | 29 km/h | 56% |
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: dry | August: 7 mm | September: dry | October: dry | November: dry | December: dry |
- Sep–Juldrysuit
- Aug7 mm semi-dry
Swell through the year
The rough end of each month — nine days in ten come in under it.
Amber is over 1.5 m.
Tides
Tropical storms
6 of the last 30 Septembers saw a tropical storm pass within 250 km. Anything has been recorded Aug–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
Newfoundland marine life — what you'll see diving
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humpback whale | Jul | Near-guaranteed | 3771 | ||
| Minke whale | Jul–Aug | Likely | 69 | ||
| Harbour seal | All year | Likely | 31 | ||
| Ocean sunfish | Sep | Likely | 36 | ||
| Walrus | May | Hit-or-miss | 11 | ||
| Orca | Apr, Jul, Sep | Hit-or-miss | 10 |
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 Newfoundland — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Newfoundland?
- The pull is the Bell Island iron-ore carriers and the cold clear water over them. It runs all year, so pick your month on the sea and the sky: May to August.
- When is the diving season in Newfoundland?
- The diving season in Newfoundland runs May to August.
- Is the diving in Newfoundland 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 Newfoundland?
- Between -0 and 15 °C at the surface across the year, coldest in March and warmest in August. It runs cooler below the thermocline.
- What wetsuit do I need in Newfoundland?
- 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 Newfoundland?
- Roughly 5 to 25 m depending on the month. That is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a rather than measured in the water.
- What will I see diving Newfoundland?
- The most consistently recorded species are Humpback whale (near-guaranteed), Minke whale (likely) and Harbour seal (likely), from 4,675 records within 60 km.
- Does Newfoundland get tropical storms?
- Yes. Over 30 years of records a storm passed within 250 km in Aug–Oct, most often in September at 6 of 30 years.
- Is there current in Newfoundland?
- The tide rises and falls 1.2 m around the full and new moon, against 0.5 m in between. How much of that becomes current depends on the shape of the channel.
- When should I avoid Newfoundland?
- November–February are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive Newfoundland?
- Mostly from day boats. Trips run through the season, May–Aug.