Best Time to Dive in Palawan / El Nido
The best conditions run January to May, when the downpours ease — 1 days a month of heavy rain instead of 8. Too few records to show a wildlife season, so the weather picks the month.
- Best time
- Jan–May
- Visibility
- 10–30 m
- Dived from
- day boat
- Tidal range
- 0.6–1.6 m
- Species logged
- 2
Worth knowing: 10 days a month of heavy rain.
Where it is
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Palawan / El Nido — 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 | Excellent | Excellent | Moderate | Poor | Moderate | Poor | Moderate | Poor | Poor |
| Visibility (m) | 15–25 | 10–20 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 15–25 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 |
| Marine life | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Busy | Steady | Busy |
| Best time | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak |
Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.
The Palawan / El Nido diving season
January to May · Peak season
5 months- Visibility
- 15–25 m
- Rain
- 14 days a month
Diving conditionsRain is frequent topside. The wind eases. The sea is calmer.
June to July · Off season
2 months- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 26 days a month
Diving conditionsThe wind is up. It rains more.
August · Shoulder season
1 month- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 23 days a month
Diving conditionsThis is the wet season topside. The wind is up.
September to December · Off season
4 months- Visibility
- 15–25 m
- Rain
- 24 days a month
Diving conditionsThe sea is rougher. It rains more.
- Spring tides run 1.6 m against 0.6 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.
Palawan / El Nido water temperature and weather
47 underwater observation records · 9 surveyed years of ocean data · 0 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1.4 m | 0% | 14 | 2 | 29 °C | 11.4 h |
| February | 1.3 m | 0% | 9 | 1 | 30 °C | 11.6 h |
| March | 1.0 m | 0% | 10 | 1 | 31 °C | 11.9 h |
| April | 0.8 m | 0% | 14 | 0 | 32 °C | 12.3 h |
| May | 0.7 m | 0% | 24 | 4 | 32 °C | 12.5 h |
| June | 1.1 m | 0% | 26 | 9 | 30 °C | 12.7 h |
| July | 1.8 m | 0% | 27 | 11 | 30 °C | 12.6 h |
| August | 1.4 m | 0% | 23 | 8 | 30 °C | 12.4 h |
| September | 1.6 m | 0% | 26 | 10 | 30 °C | 12.1 h |
| October | 1.3 m | 0% | 28 | 10 | 30 °C | 11.7 h |
| November | 1.5 m | 1% | 22 | 5 | 30 °C | 11.5 h |
| December | 1.5 m | 1% | 20 | 5 | 30 °C | 11.3 h |
Swell is the rough end of the month: nine days in ten come in under it. Sea temperature covers 0 years, waves 4.
Pick your week
Gear & storms
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
12 of the last 30 Novembers saw a tropical storm pass within 250 km. Anything has been recorded Mar–Jul, Sep–Dec.
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
Palawan / El Nido marine life — what you'll see diving
Only 47 records have been logged within 60 km. A thin record is not an empty reef.
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green turtle | All year | Likely | 15 | ||
| Hawksbill turtle | Oct, Dec | Likely | 14 |
- 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 Palawan / El Nido — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Palawan / El Nido?
- The best conditions run January to May, when the downpours ease — 1 days a month of heavy rain instead of 8. Too few records to show a wildlife season, so the weather picks the month.
- When is the diving season in Palawan / El Nido?
- The diving season in Palawan / El Nido runs January to May.
- Is the diving in Palawan / El Nido good for beginners?
- Yes. It suits Open Water divers, so it works for a first trip after certification.
- What is the visibility like in Palawan / El Nido?
- 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 Palawan / El Nido?
- The most consistently recorded species are Green turtle (likely) and Hawksbill turtle (likely), from 47 records within 60 km.
- Does Palawan / El Nido get tropical storms?
- Yes. Over 30 years of records a storm passed within 250 km in Mar–Jul, Sep–Dec, most often in November at 12 of 30 years.
- Is there current in Palawan / El Nido?
- The tide rises and falls 1.6 m around the full and new moon, against 0.6 m in between. How much of that becomes current depends on the shape of the channel.
- When should I avoid Palawan / El Nido?
- July, November are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive Palawan / El Nido?
- Mostly from day boats. Trips run through the season, Jan–May.