Asia-Pacific
Best Time to Dive in Hawaii
4 dive areas, each scored on its own. The season peaks May–July at Oahu, August–September at Kauai / Niihau, September–December at Big Island / Kona, and October–November at Maui / Molokini. You can dive from the shore at Oahu; the rest are boat dives.
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Island / Kona | January: Moderate | February: Good | March: Good | April: Good | May: Good | June: Off season | July: Off season | August: Off season | September: Moderate | October: Good | November: Good | December: Good |
| Kauai / Niihau | January: Closed | February: Closed | March: Closed | April: Closed | May: Off season | June: Good | July: Good | August: Good | September: Off season | October: Closed | November: Closed | December: Closed |
| Maui / Molokini | January: Good | February: Off season | March: Moderate | April: Moderate | May: Moderate | June: Good | July: Off season | August: Off season | September: Moderate | October: Good | November: Good | December: Good |
| Oahu | January: Off season | February: Off season | March: Off season | April: Moderate | May: Good | June: Good | July: Good | August: Off season | September: Moderate | October: Moderate | November: Moderate | December: Off season |
Moderate Good Off season Closed
Hawaii compared
| Dive area | Best time | Water | Visibility | Dived from | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Island / Kona | Sep–Dec | 25–27 °C | 25–40 m | day boat | Open Water |
| Kauai / Niihau | Aug–Sep | 25–28 °C | 20–35 m | day boat | Advanced Open Water |
| Maui / Molokini | Oct–Nov | 25–27 °C | 25–40 m | day boat | Open Water |
| Oahu | May–Jul | 25–27 °C | 25–40 m | day boat and shore diving | Open Water |
Water and visibility are the whole year's range at each area, coldest month to warmest. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a.
Which area to pick
- Big Island / Kona
- Best from September to December. It suits Open Water divers and is the one for whale sharks.
- Kauai / Niihau
- Best from August to September. It has the lowest visibility, 20–35 m.
- Maui / Molokini
- Best from October to November. It suits Open Water divers.
- Oahu
- The only one in season from May to July. It suits Open Water divers, is dived only from day boats and the shore and is the one for scalloped hammerheads.
Hawaii month by month
Two or more areas are good at once in May to July and October to December: the time to combine them in one trip.
- Jan
- Good at Maui / Molokini. Off season at Kauai / Niihau and Oahu.
- Feb
- Good at Big Island / Kona. Off season at Kauai / Niihau, Maui / Molokini and Oahu.
- Mar
- Good at Big Island / Kona. Off season at Kauai / Niihau and Oahu.
- Apr
- Good at Big Island / Kona. Off season at Kauai / Niihau.
- May
- Good at Big Island / Kona and Oahu. Off season at Kauai / Niihau.
- Jun
- Good at Kauai / Niihau, Maui / Molokini and Oahu. Off season at Big Island / Kona.
- Jul
- Good at Kauai / Niihau and Oahu. Off season at Big Island / Kona and Maui / Molokini.
- Aug
- Good at Kauai / Niihau. Off season at Big Island / Kona, Maui / Molokini and Oahu.
- Sep
- Nowhere at its best; Big Island / Kona, Maui / Molokini and Oahu are workable.
- Oct–Nov
- Good at Big Island / Kona and Maui / Molokini. Off season at Kauai / Niihau.
- Dec
- Good at Big Island / Kona and Maui / Molokini. Off season at Kauai / Niihau and Oahu.
Big Island / Kona
Go September to December, when the downpours ease — 4 days a month of heavy rain instead of 6. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January: Moderate | February: Good | March: Good | April: Good | May: Good | June: Off season | July: Off season | August: Off season | September: Moderate | October: Good | November: Good | December: Good |
Moderate Good Off season
- Water
- 25–27 °C
- Wear
- 3 mm full suit
- Dived from
- day boat
- Suits
- Open Water
Known for Reef manta, Whale shark
Big Island / Kona month by month →Kauai / Niihau
Closed October to April. Divers come for Niihau's clear summer water, lava tubes and monk seals. That does not change through the year, so go when the weather is best: August to September.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January: Closed | February: Closed | March: Closed | April: Closed | May: Off season | June: Good | July: Good | August: Good | September: Off season | October: Closed | November: Closed | December: Closed |
Closed Off season Good
- Water
- 25–28 °C
- Wear
- 5 mm full suit
- Dived from
- day boat
- Suits
- Advanced Open Water
Maui / Molokini
The wildlife shows no season worth planning around, so the weather picks your month: October to November.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January: Good | February: Off season | March: Moderate | April: Moderate | May: Moderate | June: Good | July: Off season | August: Off season | September: Moderate | October: Good | November: Good | December: Good |
Good Off season Moderate
- Water
- 25–27 °C
- Wear
- 3 mm full suit
- Dived from
- day boat
- Suits
- Open Water
Oahu
The best conditions run May to July for the calmest water — seas top 1.5 m on 28% of days, against 63% the rest of the year. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January: Off season | February: Off season | March: Off season | April: Moderate | May: Good | June: Good | July: Good | August: Off season | September: Moderate | October: Moderate | November: Moderate | December: Off season |
Off season Moderate Good
- Water
- 25–27 °C
- Wear
- 5 mm full suit
- Dived from
- day boat and shore diving
- Suits
- Open Water
Known for Scalloped hammerhead, Reef manta
Oahu month by month →Diving in Hawaii: common questions
- When is the best time to dive Hawaii?
- It depends which area. The season peaks May–July at Oahu, August–September at Kauai / Niihau, September–December at Big Island / Kona, and October–November at Maui / Molokini.
- Can you dive Hawaii all year?
- Not everywhere at once. Counting all 4 areas, 8 months of the year have somewhere at its best; the rest are workable but off peak.
- How warm is the water in Hawaii?
- 25 to 28 °C across the year, depending on the area and the month. Each area's page gives its own month-by-month temperatures.
- Can you dive Hawaii from the shore?
- Yes, at Oahu. The other 3 are boat dives.
- What can you see diving in Hawaii?
- The headline animals are reef manta, whale shark and scalloped hammerhead. Each area's page lists everything recorded near it, with the months it was seen.