Philippines
Best Time to Dive in Moalboal
9.94°N 123.36°E
You come for the resident sardine ball off Panagsama, a few metres from shore. Nothing about it runs to a calendar, so it comes down to the weather: go January to May.
- Best time
- Jan–May
- Water
- 28–30 °C
- Visibility
- 15–30 m
- Dived from
- day boat and shore diving
- Tidal range
- 1.1–2.4 m
- Species logged
- 5
Worth knowing: 6 days a month of heavy rain.
Where it is
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Moalboal — 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 | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Moderate | Good | Excellent | Good | Moderate | Poor | Poor |
| Water temp (°C) | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 |
| Visibility (m) | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 15–25 | 20–30 |
| Marine life | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak |
| Best time | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season Jan–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 Moalboal diving season
January to September · Peak season
9 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 28–30 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 22 days a month
Diving conditionsThe sea is calmer. It rains less.
Marine lifeWhale shark (near-guaranteed) peaks at Moalboal in these months.
October · Shoulder season
1 monthJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 30–30 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 27 days a month
Diving conditionsThe sea is calmer.
Marine lifeWhale shark (near-guaranteed) peaks at Moalboal in these months.
November to December · Off season
2 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 29–29 °C
- Visibility
- 15–25 m
- Rain
- 27 days a month
Diving conditionsThe sea is rougher. It rains more.
Marine lifeWhale shark (near-guaranteed) peaks at Moalboal in these months.
- Spring tides run 2.4 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.
Moalboal water temperature and weather
349 underwater observation records · 18 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Moalboal 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 under 1% 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
23
wet days a month
6 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0.8 m | 0% | 26 | 7 | 28 °C | 11.5 h |
| February | 0.8 m | 0% | 22 | 5 | 29 °C | 11.7 h |
| March | 0.7 m | 0% | 21 | 4 | 29 °C | 11.9 h |
| April | 0.3 m | 0% | 19 | 2 | 31 °C | 12.2 h |
| May | 0.2 m | 0% | 25 | 4 | 31 °C | 12.5 h |
| June | 0.1 m | 0% | 24 | 9 | 30 °C | 12.6 h |
| July | 0.4 m | 0% | 20 | 7 | 30 °C | 12.5 h |
| August | 0.3 m | 0% | 19 | 5 | 30 °C | 12.3 h |
| September | 0.4 m | 1% | 20 | 6 | 30 °C | 12.1 h |
| October | 0.3 m | 2% | 27 | 11 | 30 °C | 11.8 h |
| November | 0.5 m | 1% | 26 | 8 | 30 °C | 11.5 h |
| December | 0.6 m | 1% | 29 | 8 | 29 °C | 11.4 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: Good | April week 1: Excellent | May week 1: Excellent | June week 1: Moderate | July week 1: Excellent | August week 1: Good | September week 1: Good | October week 1: Moderate | 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: Excellent | June week 2: Moderate | July week 2: Excellent | August week 2: Excellent | September week 2: Good | October week 2: Moderate | 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: Excellent | June week 3: Moderate | July week 3: Good | August week 3: Excellent | September week 3: Good | October week 3: Moderate | November week 3: Poor | December week 3: Poor |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Good | February week 4: Good | March week 4: Excellent | April week 4: Excellent | May week 4: Excellent | June week 4: Moderate | July week 4: Moderate | August week 4: Excellent | September week 4: Excellent | October week 4: Moderate | November week 4: Poor | December week 4: Poor |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: fourth of March
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 28 °C | 0.7 m | 21 km/h | 88% |
| Week 2 | Good | 28 °C | 0.8 m | 22 km/h | 83% |
| Week 3 | Good | 28 °C | 0.8 m | 22 km/h | 82% |
| Week 4 | Good | 28 °C | 0.7 m | 22 km/h | 81% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 28 °C | 0.7 m | 22 km/h | 76% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 27 °C | 0.7 m | 22 km/h | 75% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 27 °C | 0.7 m | 22 km/h | 78% |
| Week 4 | Good | 28 °C | 0.8 m | 21 km/h | 75% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 28 °C | 0.8 m | 21 km/h | 70% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 28 °C | 0.7 m | 20 km/h | 66% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 28 °C | 0.6 m | 19 km/h | 68% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 28 °C | 0.5 m | 18 km/h | 68% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 28 °C | 0.5 m | 18 km/h | 64% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 28 °C | 0.4 m | 17 km/h | 62% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 29 °C | 0.3 m | 16 km/h | 63% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 29 °C | 0.3 m | 16 km/h | 65% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 29 °C | 0.3 m | 15 km/h | 71% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.2 m | 14 km/h | 78% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.2 m | 13 km/h | 84% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.2 m | 13 km/h | 83% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 13 km/h | 80% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.2 m | 13 km/h | 80% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.1 m | 12 km/h | 83% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.1 m | 13 km/h | 81% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.2 m | 13 km/h | 77% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 14 km/h | 78% |
| Week 3 | Good | 30 °C | 0.5 m | 18 km/h | 66% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.4 m | 23 km/h | 49% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 21 km/h | 48% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.2 m | 18 km/h | 57% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.2 m | 17 km/h | 63% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 18 km/h | 61% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 16 km/h | 60% |
| Week 2 | Good | 30 °C | 0.4 m | 15 km/h | 68% |
| Week 3 | Good | 30 °C | 0.4 m | 15 km/h | 71% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.4 m | 15 km/h | 66% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.2 m | 14 km/h | 73% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.2 m | 14 km/h | 85% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 15 km/h | 91% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.4 m | 16 km/h | 88% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 17 km/h | 79% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 0.5 m | 17 km/h | 78% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 29 °C | 0.5 m | 18 km/h | 85% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 0.5 m | 19 km/h | 93% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 0.5 m | 19 km/h | 94% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 0.6 m | 19 km/h | 96% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 29 °C | 0.7 m | 19 km/h | 95% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 28 °C | 0.7 m | 19 km/h | 91% |
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: 3 mm | March: skin | April: skin | May: skin | June: skin | July: skin | August: skin | September: skin | October: skin | November: skin | December: skin |
- Mar–Janskin or 3 mm shorty
- Feb3 mm full suit
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
9 of the last 30 Decembers saw a tropical storm pass within 250 km. Anything has been recorded Sep–Apr, Jun–Jul.
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
Moalboal marine life — what you'll see diving
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whale shark | All year | Near-guaranteed | 111 | ||
| Green turtle | All year | Near-guaranteed | 167 | ||
| Hawksbill turtle | All year | Likely | 22 | ||
| Whitetip reef shark | Jan–Feb, Jun–Jul | Hit-or-miss | 14 | ||
| Bigeye trevally | Mar, Jun, Dec | Likely | 9 |
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 Moalboal — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Moalboal?
- You come for the resident sardine ball off Panagsama, a few metres from shore. Nothing about it runs to a calendar, so it comes down to the weather: go January to May.
- When is the diving season in Moalboal?
- The diving season in Moalboal runs January to May.
- Is the diving in Moalboal good for beginners?
- Yes. It suits Open Water divers, so it works for a first trip after certification.
- How warm is the water in Moalboal?
- Between 28 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 Moalboal?
- 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 Moalboal?
- 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 Moalboal?
- The most consistently recorded species are Whale shark (near-guaranteed), Green turtle (near-guaranteed) and Hawksbill turtle (likely), from 349 records within 60 km.
- Does Moalboal get tropical storms?
- Yes. Over 30 years of records a storm passed within 250 km in Sep–Apr, Jun–Jul, most often in December at 9 of 30 years.
- Is there current in Moalboal?
- The tide rises and falls 2.4 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 Moalboal?
- November–December are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive Moalboal?
- Mostly from day boats and the shore. Trips run through the season, Jan–May.