Mexico Pacific
Best Time to Dive in Puerto Vallarta / Banderas
20.70°N 105.60°W
The best conditions run December to April, when the rain backs off — 1 wet day a month instead of 14. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month. Diving holds up from November to May.
- Best time
- Dec–Apr
- Water
- 24–30 °C
- Visibility
- 5–25 m
- Season runs
- Nov–May
- Dived from
- day boat
- Tidal range
- 0.6–1.4 m
- Species logged
- 9
Where it is
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Puerto Vallarta / Banderas — 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 | Excellent | Excellent | Moderate | Good | Poor | Poor | Poor | Excellent | Excellent |
| Water temp (°C) | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 27 |
| Visibility (m) | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 10–20 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 10–20 | 10–20 | 15–25 | 10–20 |
| Marine life | Busy | Steady | Busy | Busy | Busy | Steady | Busy | Steady | Busy | Steady | Busy | Busy |
| Best time | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season Dec–Apr
Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.
The Puerto Vallarta / Banderas diving season
August to October · Off season
3 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 30–30 °C
- Visibility
- 10–20 m
- Rain
- 21 days a month
Diving conditionsThe wind is up. It rains more.
Marine lifeCalifornia sea lion (hit-or-miss) peaks at Puerto Vallarta / Banderas in these months.
November to July · Peak season
9 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 24–30 °C
- Visibility
- 5–15 m
- Rain
- 5 days a month
Diving conditionsThe wind eases. It rains less.
Marine lifeCalifornia sea lion (hit-or-miss), Munk's mobula (hit-or-miss), Southern elephant seal (hit-or-miss) peak at Puerto Vallarta / Banderas in these months.
- Water temperature is satellite sea-surface temperature, so expect it cooler below the thermocline.
- Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a.
Puerto Vallarta / Banderas water temperature and weather
7,155 underwater observation records · 32 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Puerto Vallarta / Banderas 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
4
rough days a month
Seas top 1.5 m on 14% 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
9
wet days a month
3 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1.7 m | 0% | 1 | 0 | 26 °C | 10.9 h |
| February | 1.5 m | 0% | 2 | 1 | 26 °C | 11.3 h |
| March | 1.6 m | 0% | 1 | 0 | 26 °C | 11.9 h |
| April | 1.4 m | 0% | 0 | 0 | 27 °C | 12.5 h |
| May | 1.5 m | 0% | 1 | 0 | 28 °C | 13.0 h |
| June | 1.8 m | 0% | 10 | 4 | 29 °C | 13.2 h |
| July | 1.5 m | 0% | 20 | 6 | 31 °C | 13.1 h |
| August | 1.6 m | 1% | 25 | 8 | 30 °C | 12.7 h |
| September | 1.9 m | 0% | 24 | 10 | 30 °C | 12.1 h |
| October | 2.1 m | 1% | 16 | 5 | 30 °C | 11.5 h |
| November | 1.4 m | 0% | 3 | 0 | 29 °C | 11.0 h |
| December | 1.5 m | 0% | 2 | 0 | 27 °C | 10.7 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: Excellent | March week 1: Excellent | April week 1: Excellent | May week 1: Excellent | June week 1: Good | July week 1: Moderate | August week 1: Poor | September week 1: Poor | October week 1: Poor | November week 1: Good | December week 1: Excellent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Excellent | February week 2: Excellent | March week 2: Excellent | April week 2: Excellent | May week 2: Excellent | June week 2: Good | July week 2: Good | August week 2: Poor | September week 2: Poor | October week 2: Poor | November week 2: Excellent | December week 2: Excellent |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Excellent | February week 3: Excellent | March week 3: Excellent | April week 3: Excellent | May week 3: Excellent | June week 3: Moderate | July week 3: Good | August week 3: Poor | September week 3: Poor | October week 3: Poor | November week 3: Excellent | December week 3: Excellent |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Excellent | February week 4: Excellent | March week 4: Excellent | April week 4: Excellent | May week 4: Excellent | June week 4: Poor | July week 4: Good | August week 4: Poor | September week 4: Poor | October week 4: Moderate | November week 4: Excellent | December week 4: Excellent |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: third of December
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 26 °C | 1.8 m | 14 km/h | 7% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 25 °C | 1.7 m | 14 km/h | 3% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 25 °C | 1.7 m | 15 km/h | 3% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 25 °C | 1.5 m | 16 km/h | 7% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 25 °C | 1.6 m | 15 km/h | 5% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 25 °C | 1.5 m | 16 km/h | 8% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 25 °C | 1.5 m | 17 km/h | 8% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 25 °C | 1.6 m | 16 km/h | 3% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 24 °C | 1.5 m | 16 km/h | 2% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 24 °C | 1.5 m | 16 km/h | 2% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 24 °C | 1.6 m | 16 km/h | 2% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 24 °C | 1.6 m | 16 km/h | 1% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 24 °C | 1.5 m | 15 km/h | 1% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 24 °C | 1.4 m | 15 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 24 °C | 1.4 m | 15 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 25 °C | 1.4 m | 15 km/h | 0% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 25 °C | 1.5 m | 15 km/h | 1% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 26 °C | 1.6 m | 15 km/h | 1% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 26 °C | 1.5 m | 15 km/h | 1% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.5 m | 15 km/h | 6% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 27 °C | 1.7 m | 16 km/h | 12% |
| Week 2 | Good | 28 °C | 1.8 m | 16 km/h | 23% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 28 °C | 1.7 m | 15 km/h | 39% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.7 m | 15 km/h | 52% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.7 m | 14 km/h | 58% |
| Week 2 | Good | 30 °C | 1.6 m | 13 km/h | 61% |
| Week 3 | Good | 30 °C | 1.4 m | 13 km/h | 67% |
| Week 4 | Good | 30 °C | 1.4 m | 13 km/h | 73% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.6 m | 13 km/h | 78% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.7 m | 13 km/h | 80% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.6 m | 13 km/h | 78% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.7 m | 12 km/h | 80% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 30 °C | 2.0 m | 12 km/h | 80% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 30 °C | 2.0 m | 12 km/h | 81% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.7 m | 13 km/h | 79% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.7 m | 13 km/h | 78% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 30 °C | 2.2 m | 13 km/h | 72% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 30 °C | 2.4 m | 13 km/h | 57% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 30 °C | 2.0 m | 14 km/h | 48% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 30 °C | 1.7 m | 14 km/h | 35% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 13 km/h | 21% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 13 km/h | 12% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 28 °C | 1.4 m | 13 km/h | 8% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 28 °C | 1.4 m | 13 km/h | 8% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.4 m | 13 km/h | 8% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.4 m | 14 km/h | 6% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.4 m | 14 km/h | 3% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 26 °C | 1.9 m | 14 km/h | 6% |
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: 3 mm | July: skin | August: skin | September: skin | October: skin | November: skin | December: 3 mm |
- Jan–Apr5 mm full suit
- May–Jun3 mm full suit
- Jul–Novskin or 3 mm shorty
- Dec3 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
12 of the last 30 Octobers saw a tropical storm pass within 250 km. Anything has been recorded May–Nov.
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
Puerto Vallarta / Banderas marine life — what you'll see diving
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humpback whale | Dec–Feb | Near-guaranteed | 6938 | ||
| Bottlenose dolphin | All year | Likely | 50 | ||
| Hawksbill turtle | Jul, Sep–Oct | Hit-or-miss | 22 | ||
| Spinner dolphin | Aug, Oct | Hit-or-miss | 9 | ||
| Green turtle | Mar, May, Nov–Dec | Likely | 54 | ||
| California sea lion | Apr–May, Sep | Hit-or-miss | 14 | ||
| Bigeye trevally | May, Jul, Sep, Dec | Hit-or-miss | 15 | ||
| Munk's mobula | Jul, Nov | Hit-or-miss | 9 | ||
| Southern elephant seal | Jan, Jul | 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 Puerto Vallarta / Banderas — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Puerto Vallarta / Banderas?
- The best conditions run December to April, when the rain backs off — 1 wet day a month instead of 14. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month. Diving holds up from November to May.
- When is the diving season in Puerto Vallarta / Banderas?
- The diving season in Puerto Vallarta / Banderas runs November to May, and it is at its best December to April.
- Is the diving in Puerto Vallarta / Banderas good for beginners?
- Yes. It suits Open Water divers, so it works for a first trip after certification.
- How warm is the water in Puerto Vallarta / Banderas?
- Between 24 and 30 °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 Puerto Vallarta / Banderas?
- A 5 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 Puerto Vallarta / Banderas?
- 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 Puerto Vallarta / Banderas?
- The most consistently recorded species are Humpback whale (near-guaranteed), Bottlenose dolphin (likely) and Hawksbill turtle (hit-or-miss), from 7,155 records within 60 km.
- Does Puerto Vallarta / Banderas get tropical storms?
- Yes. Over 30 years of records a storm passed within 250 km in May–Nov, most often in October at 12 of 30 years.
- Is there current in Puerto Vallarta / Banderas?
- The tide rises and falls 1.4 m around the full and new moon, against 0.6 m in between. How much of that becomes current depends on the shape of the channel.
- When should I avoid Puerto Vallarta / Banderas?
- August–October are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive Puerto Vallarta / Banderas?
- Mostly from day boats. Trips run through the season, Nov–May.