Philippines
Best Time to Dive in Donsol
12.90°N 123.52°E
Go March to May. Conditions are at their best and the whale shark season is on.
- Best time
- Mar–May
- Water
- 26–30 °C
- Visibility
- 10–30 m
- Dived from
- day boat
- Tidal range
- 1.0–2.3 m
- Species logged
- 1
Where it is
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Donsol — 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 | Good | Good | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor |
| Water temp (°C) | 27 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 28 |
| Visibility (m) | 10–20 | 10–20 | 10–20 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 20–30 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 10–20 |
| Marine life | Busy | Busy | Peak | Peak | Peak | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet |
| Best time | Peak | Peak | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season Mar–May
Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.
The Donsol diving season
January to May · Peak season
5 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 26–29 °C
- Visibility
- 10–20 m
- Rain
- 14 days a month
Diving conditionsRain is frequent topside. The sea is calmer. The wind eases.
Marine lifeWhale shark (near-guaranteed) peaks at Donsol in these months.
June to December · Off season
7 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 28–30 °C
- Visibility
- 15–25 m
- Rain
- 23 days a month
Diving conditionsThis is the wet season topside. The sea is rougher. The wind is up.
- Spring tides run 2.3 m against 1.0 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.
Donsol water temperature and weather
1,985 underwater observation records · 19 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Donsol 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 1.5 m on 2% 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
19
wet days a month
6 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0.6 m | 0% | 17 | 5 | 28 °C | 11.3 h |
| February | 0.6 m | 0% | 12 | 2 | 29 °C | 11.6 h |
| March | 0.5 m | 0% | 11 | 2 | 30 °C | 11.9 h |
| April | 0.4 m | 0% | 11 | 1 | 31 °C | 12.3 h |
| May | 0.5 m | 0% | 18 | 2 | 32 °C | 12.6 h |
| June | 0.5 m | 0% | 25 | 8 | 30 °C | 12.8 h |
| July | 1.3 m | 1% | 28 | 14 | 30 °C | 12.7 h |
| August | 1.0 m | 0% | 26 | 11 | 29 °C | 12.4 h |
| September | 1.1 m | 1% | 26 | 9 | 29 °C | 12.1 h |
| October | 1.1 m | 3% | 24 | 8 | 30 °C | 11.7 h |
| November | 0.6 m | 2% | 16 | 4 | 30 °C | 11.4 h |
| December | 0.5 m | 1% | 19 | 5 | 29 °C | 11.2 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: Good | February week 1: Excellent | March week 1: Excellent | April week 1: Good | May week 1: Good | June week 1: Poor | July week 1: Poor | August week 1: Poor | September week 1: Poor | October week 1: Poor | November week 1: Poor | December week 1: Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Good | February week 2: Excellent | March week 2: Excellent | April week 2: Excellent | May week 2: Good | June week 2: Poor | July week 2: Poor | August week 2: Moderate | September week 2: Poor | October week 2: Poor | November week 2: Poor | December week 2: Poor |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Good | February week 3: Excellent | March week 3: Excellent | April week 3: Excellent | May week 3: Good | June week 3: Moderate | July week 3: Poor | August week 3: Moderate | September week 3: Poor | October week 3: Poor | November week 3: Poor | December week 3: Poor |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Good | February week 4: Good | March week 4: Good | April week 4: Excellent | May week 4: Good | June week 4: Moderate | July week 4: Poor | August week 4: Poor | September week 4: Poor | October week 4: Poor | November week 4: Poor | December week 4: Poor |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: second of April
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 27 °C | 0.6 m | 22 km/h | 60% |
| Week 2 | Good | 27 °C | 0.6 m | 21 km/h | 57% |
| Week 3 | Good | 27 °C | 0.6 m | 21 km/h | 54% |
| Week 4 | Good | 26 °C | 0.6 m | 21 km/h | 51% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 26 °C | 0.6 m | 21 km/h | 45% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 26 °C | 0.6 m | 21 km/h | 44% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 26 °C | 0.6 m | 21 km/h | 44% |
| Week 4 | Good | 26 °C | 0.6 m | 20 km/h | 37% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 27 °C | 0.6 m | 20 km/h | 34% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 27 °C | 0.5 m | 18 km/h | 39% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 27 °C | 0.5 m | 18 km/h | 36% |
| Week 4 | Good | 27 °C | 0.5 m | 18 km/h | 27% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 27 °C | 0.4 m | 17 km/h | 27% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 28 °C | 0.4 m | 17 km/h | 38% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 28 °C | 0.4 m | 16 km/h | 43% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 28 °C | 0.4 m | 17 km/h | 39% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 29 °C | 0.4 m | 17 km/h | 42% |
| Week 2 | Good | 29 °C | 0.4 m | 15 km/h | 49% |
| Week 3 | Good | 29 °C | 0.4 m | 14 km/h | 64% |
| Week 4 | Good | 30 °C | 0.8 m | 13 km/h | 72% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 30 °C | 0.9 m | 14 km/h | 78% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 30 °C | 0.8 m | 14 km/h | 83% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.4 m | 13 km/h | 82% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.5 m | 13 km/h | 88% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 30 °C | 0.6 m | 13 km/h | 92% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 30 °C | 0.9 m | 14 km/h | 93% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.4 m | 16 km/h | 94% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.5 m | 19 km/h | 88% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.1 m | 20 km/h | 80% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.8 m | 17 km/h | 81% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.8 m | 16 km/h | 85% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.4 m | 17 km/h | 85% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.2 m | 16 km/h | 80% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.1 m | 15 km/h | 85% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.4 m | 15 km/h | 92% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.0 m | 14 km/h | 90% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 0.9 m | 13 km/h | 85% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 0.7 m | 13 km/h | 81% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.0 m | 15 km/h | 78% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.6 m | 16 km/h | 69% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.1 m | 18 km/h | 65% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 0.6 m | 19 km/h | 58% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 29 °C | 0.6 m | 19 km/h | 51% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 28 °C | 0.5 m | 20 km/h | 45% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 28 °C | 0.5 m | 19 km/h | 50% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 28 °C | 0.5 m | 20 km/h | 63% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 0.5 m | 21 km/h | 63% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 27 °C | 0.6 m | 21 km/h | 60% |
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: 3 mm | February: 3 mm | March: 3 mm | April: skin | May: skin | June: skin | July: skin | August: skin | September: skin | October: skin | November: skin | December: skin |
- Jan–Mar3 mm full suit
- Apr–Decskin 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 1.5 m.
Tides
Tropical storms
14 of the last 30 Novembers saw a tropical storm pass within 250 km. Anything has been recorded Mar–Jan.
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
Donsol marine life — what you'll see diving
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whale shark | Mar–May | Near-guaranteed | 1977 |
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 Donsol — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Donsol?
- Go March to May. Conditions are at their best and the whale shark season is on.
- When is the diving season in Donsol?
- The diving season in Donsol runs January to May, and it is at its best March to May.
- Is the diving in Donsol good for beginners?
- Yes. It is known as a snorkelling site as much as a dive site, so no experience is needed to get in the water.
- How warm is the water in Donsol?
- Between 26 and 30 °C at the surface across the year, coldest in February and warmest in June. It runs cooler below the thermocline.
- What wetsuit do I need in Donsol?
- 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 in Donsol?
- Roughly 10 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 Donsol?
- The most consistently recorded species are Whale shark (near-guaranteed), from 1,985 records within 60 km.
- Does Donsol get tropical storms?
- Yes. Over 30 years of records a storm passed within 250 km in Mar–Jan, most often in November at 14 of 30 years.
- Is there current in Donsol?
- The tide rises and falls 2.3 m around the full and new moon, against 1.0 m in between. How much of that becomes current depends on the shape of the channel.
- When should I avoid Donsol?
- June–December are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive Donsol?
- Mostly from day boats. Trips run through the season, Jan–May.