Indonesia
Best Time to Dive in Cenderawasih Bay
2.60°S 134.80°E
The reason to dive it is the whale sharks that feed at the bagan fishing platforms year-round. Nothing about it runs to a calendar, and neither do the conditions, so any month works.
- Best time
- Any month
- Water
- 30 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Dived from
- liveaboard
- Tidal range
- 1.2–2.1 m
Where it is
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Cenderawasih Bay — monthly breakdown
Conditions barely change across the year, so no month beats another — pick on wildlife or price.
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 | Even | Even | Even | Even | Even | Even | Even | Even | Even | Even | Even | Even |
| Water temp (°C) | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| Visibility (m) | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 |
| Marine life | No data | No data | No data | No data | No data | No data | No data | No data | No data | No data | No data | No data |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorSame all year
Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.
The Cenderawasih Bay diving season
Good all year
12 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 30–30 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 25 days a month
Diving conditionsSeas are usually flat. This is the wet season topside.
- Spring tides run 2.1 m against 1.2 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.
Cenderawasih Bay water temperature and weather
10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Cenderawasih Bay 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
25
wet days a month
9 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0.4 m | 0% | 25 | 8 | 29 °C | 12.1 h |
| February | 0.4 m | 0% | 22 | 8 | 29 °C | 12.1 h |
| March | 0.3 m | 0% | 24 | 10 | 29 °C | 12.0 h |
| April | 0.2 m | 0% | 25 | 10 | 29 °C | 11.9 h |
| May | 0.2 m | 0% | 27 | 9 | 29 °C | 11.9 h |
| June | 0.2 m | 0% | 26 | 10 | 29 °C | 11.9 h |
| July | 0.2 m | 0% | 24 | 8 | 29 °C | 11.9 h |
| August | 0.1 m | 0% | 25 | 8 | 29 °C | 11.9 h |
| September | 0.2 m | 0% | 25 | 9 | 29 °C | 12.0 h |
| October | 0.2 m | 0% | 25 | 8 | 30 °C | 12.1 h |
| November | 0.3 m | 0% | 23 | 8 | 30 °C | 12.1 h |
| December | 0.3 m | 0% | 24 | 8 | 30 °C | 12.1 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: Moderate | February week 1: Moderate | March week 1: Moderate | April week 1: Moderate | May week 1: Moderate | June week 1: Moderate | July week 1: Moderate | August week 1: Moderate | September week 1: Moderate | October week 1: Moderate | November week 1: Moderate | December week 1: Moderate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Moderate | February week 2: Moderate | March week 2: Moderate | April week 2: Moderate | May week 2: Moderate | June week 2: Moderate | July week 2: Moderate | August week 2: Moderate | September week 2: Moderate | October week 2: Moderate | November week 2: Moderate | December week 2: Moderate |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Moderate | February week 3: Moderate | March week 3: Moderate | April week 3: Moderate | May week 3: Moderate | June week 3: Moderate | July week 3: Moderate | August week 3: Moderate | September week 3: Moderate | October week 3: Moderate | November week 3: Moderate | December week 3: Moderate |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Moderate | February week 4: Moderate | March week 4: Moderate | April week 4: Moderate | May week 4: Moderate | June week 4: Moderate | July week 4: Moderate | August week 4: Moderate | September week 4: Moderate | October week 4: Moderate | November week 4: Moderate | December week 4: Moderate |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorNo single week stands out here
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 17 km/h | 82% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 16 km/h | 81% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.4 m | 17 km/h | 83% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.4 m | 18 km/h | 78% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.4 m | 18 km/h | 71% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.4 m | 18 km/h | 71% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.4 m | 18 km/h | 79% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 18 km/h | 86% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 17 km/h | 86% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.4 m | 17 km/h | 79% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 17 km/h | 76% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 16 km/h | 77% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 16 km/h | 77% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.2 m | 16 km/h | 81% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.2 m | 16 km/h | 86% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.2 m | 15 km/h | 88% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.2 m | 15 km/h | 89% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.2 m | 14 km/h | 90% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.2 m | 14 km/h | 89% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.2 m | 15 km/h | 85% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.2 m | 15 km/h | 81% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.2 m | 14 km/h | 86% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.2 m | 14 km/h | 89% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.2 m | 15 km/h | 89% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.2 m | 15 km/h | 87% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.2 m | 16 km/h | 80% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.2 m | 16 km/h | 75% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.2 m | 16 km/h | 71% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.2 m | 16 km/h | 72% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.1 m | 16 km/h | 80% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.1 m | 16 km/h | 85% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.2 m | 16 km/h | 85% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.2 m | 16 km/h | 81% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.2 m | 15 km/h | 80% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.2 m | 16 km/h | 82% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.2 m | 16 km/h | 86% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.2 m | 15 km/h | 83% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.2 m | 15 km/h | 81% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.2 m | 15 km/h | 82% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.2 m | 15 km/h | 77% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 15 km/h | 74% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 15 km/h | 76% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 15 km/h | 79% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 15 km/h | 79% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 16 km/h | 75% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 17 km/h | 73% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.4 m | 17 km/h | 77% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.4 m | 17 km/h | 82% |
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: skin | August: skin | September: skin | October: skin | November: skin | December: skin |
One suit covers the whole year: a skin or 3 mm shorty.
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
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
Cenderawasih Bay marine life — what you'll see diving
Only 0 records have been logged within 60 km. A thin record is not an empty reef.
No survey records within 60 km of this site.
- 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 Cenderawasih Bay — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Cenderawasih Bay?
- Conditions barely change across the year at Cenderawasih Bay, so any month works — pick on wildlife or price.
- When is the diving season in Cenderawasih Bay?
- There is no real season in Cenderawasih Bay: conditions barely change, so you can dive any month.
- Is the diving in Cenderawasih Bay good for beginners?
- Yes. It suits Open Water divers, so it works for a first trip after certification.
- How warm is the water in Cenderawasih Bay?
- Between 30 and 30 °C at the surface across the year, coldest in February and warmest in November. It runs cooler below the thermocline.
- What wetsuit do I need in Cenderawasih Bay?
- A skin or 3 mm shorty covers the coldest water of the year. The same suit works all year.
- What is the visibility like in Cenderawasih Bay?
- Roughly 20 to 30 m depending on the month. That is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a rather than measured in the water.
- Does Cenderawasih Bay get tropical storms?
- No. None has passed within 250 km in 30 years of records.
- Is there current in Cenderawasih Bay?
- The tide rises and falls 2.1 m around the full and new moon, against 1.2 m in between. How much of that becomes current depends on the shape of the channel.
- How do you dive Cenderawasih Bay?
- Mostly from liveaboards. Trips run through the season, Jul–Feb.