Argentina
Best Time to Dive in Peninsula Valdes
42.55°S 64.35°W
The reason to dive it is the southern sea lion colony at Punta Loma. It runs all year, so pick your month on the sea and the sky: October to February. The wider season runs September to March.
- Best time
- Oct–Feb
- Water
- 11–18 °C
- Visibility
- 5–20 m
- Season runs
- Sep–Mar
- Dived from
- snorkelling
- Tidal range
- 2.9–4.7 m
- Species logged
- 3
Worth knowing: water around 17 °C.
Where it is
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Peninsula Valdes — 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 | Excellent | Excellent | Moderate | Moderate | Poor | Moderate | Poor | Good | Good | Excellent | Excellent |
| Water temp (°C) | 17 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 15 |
| Visibility (m) | 10–20 | 10–20 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 10–20 | 10–20 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 10–20 |
| Marine life | Steady | Steady | Steady | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Steady | Quiet | Steady | Steady |
| Best time | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season Oct–Feb
Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.
The Peninsula Valdes diving season
April to July · Shoulder season
4 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 12–16 °C
- Visibility
- 5–15 m
- Rain
- 5 days a month
Diving conditionsThe sea is rougher. It rains more.
August · Off season
1 monthJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 11–11 °C
- Visibility
- 10–20 m
- Rain
- 4 days a month
Diving conditionsSeas stay mostly calm.
September to March · Peak season
7 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 11–18 °C
- Visibility
- 5–15 m
- Rain
- 3 days a month
Diving conditionsIt rains less. The sea is calmer.
Marine lifeSouthern elephant seal (near-guaranteed) peaks at Peninsula Valdes in these months.
- Spring tides run 4.7 m against 2.9 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.
Peninsula Valdes water temperature and weather
1,778 underwater observation records · 28 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Peninsula Valdes 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 1.5 m on 10% of days. Enough to cancel a day boat
4
blowy days a month
Gusts over 40 km/h, about where a day boat stays in port
4
wet days a month
0 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1.2 m | 15% | 3 | 0 | 27 °C | 14.8 h |
| February | 1.7 m | 17% | 3 | 0 | 25 °C | 13.7 h |
| March | 1.5 m | 17% | 3 | 1 | 22 °C | 12.3 h |
| April | 1.5 m | 15% | 4 | 1 | 18 °C | 10.8 h |
| May | 1.6 m | 10% | 5 | 0 | 14 °C | 9.6 h |
| June | 1.7 m | 15% | 6 | 1 | 12 °C | 8.9 h |
| July | 1.5 m | 12% | 6 | 0 | 11 °C | 9.2 h |
| August | 1.6 m | 17% | 4 | 0 | 13 °C | 10.3 h |
| September | 1.4 m | 13% | 4 | 0 | 15 °C | 11.7 h |
| October | 1.3 m | 13% | 3 | 0 | 19 °C | 13.2 h |
| November | 1.3 m | 15% | 3 | 1 | 22 °C | 14.5 h |
| December | 1.2 m | 14% | 3 | 0 | 25 °C | 15.1 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: Good | February week 1: Excellent | March week 1: Excellent | April week 1: Poor | May week 1: Good | June week 1: Poor | July week 1: Poor | August week 1: Moderate | September week 1: Moderate | October week 1: Excellent | November week 1: Excellent | December week 1: Excellent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Excellent | February week 2: Excellent | March week 2: Excellent | April week 2: Good | May week 2: Good | June week 2: Poor | July week 2: Good | August week 2: Poor | September week 2: Excellent | October week 2: Excellent | November week 2: Excellent | December week 2: Good |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Excellent | February week 3: Excellent | March week 3: Excellent | April week 3: Moderate | May week 3: Poor | June week 3: Poor | July week 3: Poor | August week 3: Poor | September week 3: Excellent | October week 3: Excellent | November week 3: Good | December week 3: Excellent |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Excellent | February week 4: Good | March week 4: Good | April week 4: Poor | May week 4: Poor | June week 4: Poor | July week 4: Moderate | August week 4: Moderate | September week 4: Excellent | October week 4: Moderate | November week 4: Good | December week 4: Excellent |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: second of October
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 17 °C | 1.3 m | 33 km/h | 10% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 17 °C | 1.3 m | 32 km/h | 11% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 17 °C | 1.2 m | 31 km/h | 12% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 18 °C | 1.3 m | 31 km/h | 9% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 18 °C | 1.5 m | 31 km/h | 8% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 18 °C | 1.7 m | 31 km/h | 9% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 18 °C | 1.7 m | 31 km/h | 9% |
| Week 4 | Good | 18 °C | 1.6 m | 31 km/h | 13% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 18 °C | 1.5 m | 32 km/h | 12% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 18 °C | 1.5 m | 33 km/h | 10% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 17 °C | 1.5 m | 32 km/h | 11% |
| Week 4 | Good | 17 °C | 1.7 m | 31 km/h | 12% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 17 °C | 1.7 m | 31 km/h | 14% |
| Week 2 | Good | 16 °C | 1.5 m | 30 km/h | 12% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 16 °C | 1.4 m | 31 km/h | 12% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 16 °C | 1.5 m | 31 km/h | 14% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 15 °C | 1.4 m | 28 km/h | 13% |
| Week 2 | Good | 15 °C | 1.4 m | 27 km/h | 16% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 15 °C | 1.7 m | 28 km/h | 16% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 14 °C | 1.7 m | 29 km/h | 15% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 14 °C | 1.7 m | 30 km/h | 15% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 14 °C | 1.6 m | 29 km/h | 16% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 13 °C | 1.6 m | 29 km/h | 21% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 13 °C | 1.7 m | 31 km/h | 22% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 12 °C | 1.7 m | 30 km/h | 18% |
| Week 2 | Good | 12 °C | 1.5 m | 27 km/h | 18% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 12 °C | 1.5 m | 29 km/h | 24% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 11 °C | 1.6 m | 29 km/h | 19% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 11 °C | 1.6 m | 29 km/h | 12% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 11 °C | 1.6 m | 30 km/h | 16% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 11 °C | 1.4 m | 30 km/h | 18% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 11 °C | 1.5 m | 30 km/h | 12% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 11 °C | 1.5 m | 30 km/h | 11% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 11 °C | 1.3 m | 30 km/h | 14% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 11 °C | 1.3 m | 30 km/h | 14% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 11 °C | 1.3 m | 31 km/h | 14% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 11 °C | 1.1 m | 31 km/h | 12% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 11 °C | 1.0 m | 31 km/h | 9% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 12 °C | 1.1 m | 30 km/h | 11% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 12 °C | 1.3 m | 31 km/h | 12% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 12 °C | 1.3 m | 32 km/h | 11% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 13 °C | 1.3 m | 32 km/h | 11% |
| Week 3 | Good | 13 °C | 1.3 m | 33 km/h | 8% |
| Week 4 | Good | 14 °C | 1.2 m | 32 km/h | 11% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 14 °C | 1.2 m | 33 km/h | 13% |
| Week 2 | Good | 15 °C | 1.1 m | 33 km/h | 12% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 15 °C | 1.3 m | 32 km/h | 9% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 16 °C | 1.4 m | 32 km/h | 8% |
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: 7 mm | February: 5 mm + | March: 7 mm | April: 7 mm | May: 7 mm | June: dry | July: dry | August: dry | September: dry | October: dry | November: dry | December: 7 mm |
- Dec–Jan7 mm semi-dry
- Feb5 mm with hood and gloves
- Mar–May7 mm semi-dry
- Jun–Novdrysuit
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
Peninsula Valdes marine life — what you'll see diving
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern elephant seal | Oct–Nov | Near-guaranteed | 551 | ||
| Orca | Mar, Nov | Likely | 36 | ||
| Humpback whale | Feb, Nov | Hit-or-miss | 8 |
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 Peninsula Valdes — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Peninsula Valdes?
- The reason to dive it is the southern sea lion colony at Punta Loma. It runs all year, so pick your month on the sea and the sky: October to February. The wider season runs September to March.
- When is the diving season in Peninsula Valdes?
- The diving season in Peninsula Valdes runs September to March, and it is at its best October to February.
- Is the diving in Peninsula Valdes 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 Peninsula Valdes?
- Between 11 and 18 °C at the surface across the year, coldest in September and warmest in February. It runs cooler below the thermocline.
- What wetsuit do I need in Peninsula Valdes?
- A drysuit covers the coldest water of the year. In the warmest months a 5 mm with hood and gloves is enough.
- What is the visibility like in Peninsula Valdes?
- Roughly 5 to 20 m depending on the month. That is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a rather than measured in the water.
- What will I see diving Peninsula Valdes?
- The most consistently recorded species are Southern elephant seal (near-guaranteed), Orca (likely) and Humpback whale (hit-or-miss), from 1,778 records within 60 km.
- Does Peninsula Valdes get tropical storms?
- No. None has passed within 250 km in 30 years of records.
- Is there current in Peninsula Valdes?
- The tide rises and falls 4.7 m around the full and new moon, against 2.9 m in between. How much of that becomes current depends on the shape of the channel.
- When should I avoid Peninsula Valdes?
- June is the weakest month for conditions.
- How do you dive Peninsula Valdes?
- Mostly from the surface. Trips run through the season, Sep–Mar.