Indonesia
Best Time to Dive in the Banda Sea
4.53°S 129.90°E
Closed May to August. Go October, when the downpours ease — 2 days a month of heavy rain instead of 9. Too few records to show a wildlife season, so the weather picks the month.
- Best time
- Oct
- Water
- 27–30 °C
- Visibility
- 15–30 m
- Dived from
- liveaboard
- Tidal range
- 1.1–2.2 m
- Species logged
- 3
Where it is
222 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in the Banda Sea — 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 | Excellent | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Poor |
| Water temp (°C) | 30 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 30 |
| Visibility (m) | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 |
| Marine life | Closed | Closed | Steady | Steady | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed | Quiet | Peak | Busy | Closed |
| Best time | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season Oct
Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.
The Banda Sea diving season
September to November · Peak season
3 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 28–30 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 18 days a month
Diving conditionsRain is frequent topside. The wind eases. The sea is calmer.
December to August · Off season
9 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 27–30 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 24 days a month
Diving conditionsThis is the wet season topside. The wind is up. The sea is rougher.
- Spring tides run 2.2 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.
Banda Sea water temperature and weather
62 underwater observation records · 8 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Banda Sea 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
Rarely
rough enough to cancel
Seas top 2.5 m on under 1% of days. Enough to cancel a liveaboard crossing
0
blowy days a month
Gusts over 40 km/h, about where a day boat stays in port
23
wet days a month
8 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1.4 m | 0% | 25 | 8 | 29 °C | 12.2 h |
| February | 1.5 m | 1% | 24 | 8 | 29 °C | 12.1 h |
| March | 1.3 m | 2% | 26 | 9 | 29 °C | 12.0 h |
| April | 1.0 m | 0% | 24 | 10 | 29 °C | 11.9 h |
| May | 1.8 m | 1% | 27 | 14 | 28 °C | 11.8 h |
| June | 1.7 m | 1% | 26 | 14 | 27 °C | 11.7 h |
| July | 2.0 m | 4% | 23 | 8 | 27 °C | 11.8 h |
| August | 1.8 m | 2% | 18 | 5 | 27 °C | 11.9 h |
| September | 1.5 m | 2% | 19 | 4 | 27 °C | 12.0 h |
| October | 0.9 m | 0% | 16 | 2 | 28 °C | 12.1 h |
| November | 0.8 m | 0% | 18 | 5 | 29 °C | 12.2 h |
| December | 1.5 m | 2% | 25 | 11 | 29 °C | 12.3 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: Excellent | May week 1: Poor | June week 1: Poor | July week 1: Poor | August week 1: Poor | September week 1: Good | October week 1: Excellent | November week 1: Excellent | December week 1: Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Poor | February week 2: Poor | March week 2: Moderate | April week 2: Good | May week 2: Poor | June week 2: Poor | July week 2: Poor | August week 2: Poor | September week 2: Good | October week 2: Excellent | November week 2: Excellent | December week 2: Poor |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Poor | February week 3: Poor | March week 3: Poor | April week 3: Good | 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: Excellent | December week 3: Poor |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Poor | February week 4: Poor | March week 4: Poor | April week 4: Excellent | May week 4: Poor | June week 4: Poor | July week 4: Poor | August week 4: Poor | September week 4: Excellent | October week 4: Excellent | November week 4: Good | December week 4: Poor |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: fourth of October
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.3 m | 23 km/h | 84% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.3 m | 23 km/h | 86% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.4 m | 23 km/h | 80% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.5 m | 24 km/h | 73% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.6 m | 25 km/h | 80% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.6 m | 24 km/h | 85% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 22 km/h | 86% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 22 km/h | 85% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 21 km/h | 89% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 30 °C | 1.3 m | 20 km/h | 86% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.3 m | 19 km/h | 77% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.1 m | 20 km/h | 84% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.0 m | 20 km/h | 86% |
| Week 2 | Good | 30 °C | 0.9 m | 17 km/h | 82% |
| Week 3 | Good | 30 °C | 0.9 m | 17 km/h | 81% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.1 m | 19 km/h | 81% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.3 m | 22 km/h | 86% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.6 m | 25 km/h | 88% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.8 m | 26 km/h | 85% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.8 m | 27 km/h | 88% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.7 m | 27 km/h | 86% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.7 m | 28 km/h | 83% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.6 m | 29 km/h | 86% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.7 m | 29 km/h | 91% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.9 m | 29 km/h | 88% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 27 °C | 2.0 m | 31 km/h | 81% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 27 °C | 2.1 m | 31 km/h | 74% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.9 m | 30 km/h | 64% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.7 m | 30 km/h | 62% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.7 m | 29 km/h | 61% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.8 m | 29 km/h | 57% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.8 m | 29 km/h | 56% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 27 °C | 1.6 m | 28 km/h | 59% |
| Week 2 | Good | 27 °C | 1.7 m | 27 km/h | 63% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 28 °C | 1.6 m | 25 km/h | 62% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 28 °C | 1.2 m | 22 km/h | 65% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 28 °C | 1.1 m | 21 km/h | 66% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 28 °C | 1.0 m | 20 km/h | 61% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 29 °C | 0.8 m | 18 km/h | 49% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 29 °C | 0.7 m | 16 km/h | 43% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.7 m | 15 km/h | 46% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.7 m | 15 km/h | 53% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.9 m | 16 km/h | 67% |
| Week 4 | Good | 30 °C | 1.1 m | 16 km/h | 71% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.0 m | 17 km/h | 70% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.3 m | 21 km/h | 77% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.5 m | 24 km/h | 85% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.6 m | 23 km/h | 85% |
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: skin | November: skin | December: skin |
- Oct–Junskin or 3 mm shorty
- Jul–Sep3 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
1 of the last 30 Novembers saw a tropical storm pass within 250 km. November is the only month with a recorded pass.
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
Banda Sea marine life — what you'll see diving
Only 62 records have been logged within 60 km. A thin record is not an empty reef.
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Napoleon wrasse | Jan, Nov | Likely | 10 | ||
| Hawksbill turtle | Jan, May, Oct | Near-guaranteed | 17 | ||
| Bumphead parrotfish | Jan–Feb, Oct | Near-guaranteed | 9 |
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 Banda Sea — common questions
- When is the best time to dive the Banda Sea?
- Closed May to August. Go October, when the downpours ease — 2 days a month of heavy rain instead of 9. Too few records to show a wildlife season, so the weather picks the month.
- When is the diving season at the Banda Sea?
- The diving season at the Banda Sea runs October.
- Is the diving at the Banda Sea 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 Banda Sea?
- Between 27 and 30 °C at the surface across the year, coldest in August and warmest in November. It runs cooler below the thermocline.
- What wetsuit do I need at the Banda Sea?
- 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 at the Banda Sea?
- Roughly 15 to 30 m depending on the month. That is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a rather than measured in the water.
- What will I see diving the Banda Sea?
- The most consistently recorded species are Napoleon wrasse (likely), Hawksbill turtle (near-guaranteed) and Bumphead parrotfish (near-guaranteed), from 62 records within 60 km.
- Does the Banda Sea get tropical storms?
- Yes. Over 30 years of records a storm passed within 250 km in Nov, most often in November at 1 of 30 years.
- Is there current at the Banda Sea?
- The tide rises and falls 2.2 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 the Banda Sea?
- The site is closed May–Aug. December–March, May–August are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive the Banda Sea?
- Mostly from liveaboards. Trips run through the season, Oct.