Indonesia · South
Best Time to Dive in Komodo South
8.72°S 119.72°E
Go December to March for reef manta. The calmest water is August to November, outside their window.
- Best time
- Dec–Mar
- Water
- 27–29 °C
- Visibility
- 5–25 m
- Dived from
- liveaboard
- Tidal range
- 1.3–3.0 m
- Species logged
- 10
Where it is
| Site | Best months |
|---|---|
| North | Jun–Oct |
| South | Dec–Mar |
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Komodo South — 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 | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Excellent |
| Water temp (°C) | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 29 |
| Visibility (m) | 15–25 | 10–20 | 10–20 | 10–20 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 10–20 | 5–15 | 10–20 | 10–20 |
| Marine life | Peak | Peak | Peak | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Peak |
| Best time | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season Dec–Mar
Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.
The Komodo South diving season
April to November · Off season
8 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 27–29 °C
- Visibility
- 5–15 m
- Rain
- 7 days a month
Diving conditionsThe wind is up. It rains less.
Marine lifeReef manta (near-guaranteed) peaks at Komodo South in these months.
December to March · Peak season
4 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 29–29 °C
- Visibility
- 10–20 m
- Rain
- 25 days a month
Diving conditionsIt rains more. The wind eases.
Marine lifeReef manta (near-guaranteed) peaks at Komodo South in these months.
- Spring tides run 3.0 m against 1.3 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.
Komodo water temperature and weather
938 underwater observation records · 22 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Komodo South 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
13
wet days a month
2 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1.2 m | 0% | 28 | 7 | 29 °C | 12.5 h |
| February | 1.3 m | 0% | 25 | 6 | 29 °C | 12.3 h |
| March | 1.1 m | 0% | 24 | 4 | 29 °C | 12.1 h |
| April | 0.9 m | 0% | 13 | 2 | 30 °C | 11.8 h |
| May | 1.0 m | 0% | 8 | 0 | 31 °C | 11.6 h |
| June | 1.1 m | 1% | 7 | 0 | 30 °C | 11.5 h |
| July | 1.2 m | 1% | 3 | 0 | 30 °C | 11.5 h |
| August | 1.1 m | 0% | 3 | 0 | 30 °C | 11.7 h |
| September | 1.0 m | 0% | 5 | 0 | 31 °C | 12.0 h |
| October | 1.0 m | 0% | 6 | 0 | 32 °C | 12.2 h |
| November | 0.8 m | 0% | 12 | 1 | 32 °C | 12.4 h |
| December | 1.0 m | 1% | 24 | 6 | 30 °C | 12.5 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: Good | April week 1: Moderate | May week 1: Poor | June week 1: Poor | July week 1: Moderate | August week 1: Poor | September week 1: Poor | October week 1: Poor | November week 1: Poor | December week 1: Excellent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Excellent | February week 2: Excellent | March week 2: Excellent | April week 2: Moderate | May week 2: Poor | June week 2: Poor | July week 2: Moderate | August week 2: Poor | September week 2: Poor | October week 2: Poor | November week 2: Poor | December week 2: Excellent |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Excellent | February week 3: Excellent | March week 3: Excellent | April week 3: Poor | May week 3: Poor | June week 3: Poor | July week 3: Poor | August week 3: Poor | September week 3: Poor | October week 3: Poor | November week 3: Poor | December week 3: Excellent |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Excellent | February week 4: Excellent | March week 4: Good | April week 4: Poor | May week 4: Poor | June week 4: Poor | July week 4: Poor | August week 4: Poor | September week 4: Poor | October week 4: Poor | November week 4: Moderate | December week 4: Excellent |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: second of March
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.1 m | 16 km/h | 84% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.1 m | 16 km/h | 83% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.2 m | 17 km/h | 92% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 18 km/h | 96% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 18 km/h | 92% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 17 km/h | 90% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.0 m | 16 km/h | 87% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.0 m | 16 km/h | 81% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 29 °C | 1.0 m | 15 km/h | 79% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.1 m | 14 km/h | 80% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 15 km/h | 77% |
| Week 4 | Good | 29 °C | 1.0 m | 15 km/h | 71% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 29 °C | 0.8 m | 15 km/h | 61% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 29 °C | 0.9 m | 16 km/h | 50% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 29 °C | 0.9 m | 17 km/h | 40% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 0.9 m | 18 km/h | 33% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 0.9 m | 21 km/h | 29% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.0 m | 24 km/h | 24% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.0 m | 25 km/h | 21% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.1 m | 22 km/h | 22% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.1 m | 23 km/h | 22% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.1 m | 25 km/h | 27% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.1 m | 26 km/h | 24% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.2 m | 28 km/h | 21% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 27 °C | 1.2 m | 28 km/h | 20% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 27 °C | 1.2 m | 30 km/h | 13% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.2 m | 30 km/h | 6% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.2 m | 29 km/h | 8% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.2 m | 27 km/h | 11% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.2 m | 26 km/h | 11% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.1 m | 26 km/h | 8% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.0 m | 26 km/h | 9% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.0 m | 25 km/h | 13% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.1 m | 23 km/h | 11% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.0 m | 21 km/h | 13% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.0 m | 20 km/h | 18% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.1 m | 20 km/h | 19% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.1 m | 20 km/h | 18% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.0 m | 20 km/h | 20% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.0 m | 19 km/h | 24% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 0.9 m | 18 km/h | 24% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 0.8 m | 17 km/h | 30% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 29 °C | 0.8 m | 16 km/h | 43% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 29 °C | 0.8 m | 16 km/h | 60% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 29 °C | 0.9 m | 16 km/h | 71% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.0 m | 17 km/h | 74% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.0 m | 18 km/h | 81% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.2 m | 18 km/h | 84% |
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: 3 mm | July: 3 mm | August: 3 mm | September: 3 mm | October: skin | November: skin | December: skin |
- Oct–Mayskin or 3 mm shorty
- Jun–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
2 of the last 30 Aprils saw a tropical storm pass within 250 km. April 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
Komodo South marine life — what you'll see diving
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reef manta | All year | Near-guaranteed | 201 | ||
| Whitetip reef shark | All year | Near-guaranteed | 82 | ||
| Hawksbill turtle | All year | Near-guaranteed | 157 | ||
| Napoleon wrasse | Jun–Jul, Sep, Nov | Likely | 64 | ||
| Bluespotted ribbontail ray | All year | Likely | 61 | ||
| Blacktip reef shark | All year | Likely | 127 | ||
| Green turtle | All year | Likely | 148 | ||
| Ocellated eagle ray | May–Jul | Likely | 22 | ||
| Bumphead parrotfish | Jun, Aug–Sep, Nov | Likely | 19 | ||
| Bigeye trevally | May–Jul, Oct | Likely | 35 |
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 Komodo South — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Komodo South?
- Go December to March for reef manta. The calmest water is August to November, outside their window.
- When is the diving season in Komodo South?
- Conditions are good August to November, but most divers come December to March for the marine life.
- Is the diving in Komodo South good for beginners?
- Not really. It is for experienced divers, so it is not a place to learn or to make your first dives after certification.
- How warm is the water in Komodo South?
- Between 27 and 29 °C at the surface across the year, coldest in August and warmest in December. It runs cooler below the thermocline.
- What wetsuit do I need in Komodo South?
- 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 Komodo South?
- 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 Komodo South?
- The most consistently recorded species are Reef manta (near-guaranteed), Whitetip reef shark (near-guaranteed) and Hawksbill turtle (near-guaranteed), from 938 records within 60 km.
- Does Komodo South get tropical storms?
- Yes. Over 30 years of records a storm passed within 250 km in Apr, most often in April at 2 of 30 years.
- Is there current in Komodo South?
- The tide rises and falls 3.0 m around the full and new moon, against 1.3 m in between. How much of that becomes current depends on the shape of the channel.
- When should I avoid Komodo South?
- April–November are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive Komodo South?
- Mostly from liveaboards. Trips run through the season, Aug–Nov.