PNG · Milne Bay
Best Time to Dive in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea
10.35°S 150.76°E
The best conditions run November to March, when the downpours ease — 4 days a month of heavy rain instead of 10. Too few records to show a wildlife season, so the weather picks the month.
- Best time
- Nov–Mar
- Water
- 27–30 °C
- Visibility
- 15–30 m
- Dived from
- liveaboard
- Tidal range
- 0.4–1.0 m
- Species logged
- 1
Worth knowing: 8 days a month of heavy rain.
Where it is
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea — 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 | Good | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Good | Excellent |
| Water temp (°C) | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 29 |
| Visibility (m) | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 |
| Marine life | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Steady | Quiet | Quiet |
| Best time | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season Nov–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 Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea diving season
April to September · Off season
6 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 27–29 °C
- Visibility
- 15–25 m
- Rain
- 26 days a month
Diving conditionsThe sea is rougher. The wind is up.
October · Shoulder season
1 monthJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 28–28 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 25 days a month
Diving conditionsThe sea is calmer. The wind is up.
November to March · Peak season
5 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 29–30 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 22 days a month
Diving conditionsThe sea is calmer. The wind eases.
- Water temperature is satellite sea-surface temperature, so expect it cooler below the thermocline.
- Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a.
Papua New Guinea water temperature and weather
43 underwater observation records · 9 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea 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
24
wet days a month
7 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0.4 m | 0% | 22 | 4 | 30 °C | 12.5 h |
| February | 0.5 m | 0% | 19 | 3 | 30 °C | 12.3 h |
| March | 0.4 m | 0% | 23 | 6 | 30 °C | 12.1 h |
| April | 0.6 m | 0% | 25 | 9 | 29 °C | 11.8 h |
| May | 1.0 m | 0% | 27 | 11 | 28 °C | 11.5 h |
| June | 1.0 m | 0% | 27 | 11 | 27 °C | 11.4 h |
| July | 1.1 m | 0% | 26 | 10 | 27 °C | 11.4 h |
| August | 1.1 m | 1% | 24 | 9 | 27 °C | 11.7 h |
| September | 1.1 m | 0% | 27 | 11 | 27 °C | 11.9 h |
| October | 0.8 m | 0% | 25 | 8 | 28 °C | 12.2 h |
| November | 0.7 m | 0% | 22 | 5 | 29 °C | 12.5 h |
| December | 0.5 m | 0% | 23 | 3 | 30 °C | 12.6 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: Poor | May week 1: Poor | June week 1: Poor | July week 1: Poor | August week 1: Poor | September week 1: Poor | October week 1: Poor | November week 1: Good | December week 1: Excellent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Good | February week 2: Excellent | March week 2: Good | April week 2: Poor | May week 2: Poor | June week 2: Poor | July week 2: Poor | August week 2: Poor | September week 2: Poor | October week 2: Moderate | November week 2: Good | December week 2: Excellent |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Good | February week 3: Excellent | March week 3: Good | 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: Good | November week 3: Good | December week 3: Excellent |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Good | 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: Good | November week 4: Excellent | December week 4: Excellent |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: third of December
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 30 °C | 0.4 m | 15 km/h | 75% |
| Week 2 | Good | 30 °C | 0.4 m | 15 km/h | 69% |
| Week 3 | Good | 30 °C | 0.5 m | 16 km/h | 70% |
| Week 4 | Good | 30 °C | 0.4 m | 16 km/h | 74% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.5 m | 16 km/h | 71% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.5 m | 15 km/h | 62% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.5 m | 15 km/h | 60% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.5 m | 15 km/h | 68% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 30 °C | 0.5 m | 14 km/h | 72% |
| Week 2 | Good | 30 °C | 0.4 m | 14 km/h | 76% |
| Week 3 | Good | 30 °C | 0.4 m | 15 km/h | 78% |
| Week 4 | Good | 29 °C | 0.4 m | 15 km/h | 74% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 0.4 m | 15 km/h | 77% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 0.5 m | 15 km/h | 80% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 29 °C | 0.5 m | 15 km/h | 84% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 0.7 m | 16 km/h | 86% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 0.9 m | 18 km/h | 84% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 0.9 m | 18 km/h | 84% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.1 m | 18 km/h | 91% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.1 m | 20 km/h | 93% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.0 m | 21 km/h | 88% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 28 °C | 0.9 m | 21 km/h | 84% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.0 m | 21 km/h | 88% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.0 m | 22 km/h | 93% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.1 m | 22 km/h | 93% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.1 m | 22 km/h | 88% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.1 m | 23 km/h | 80% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.1 m | 23 km/h | 81% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.1 m | 22 km/h | 82% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.1 m | 22 km/h | 78% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.1 m | 22 km/h | 77% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.1 m | 22 km/h | 79% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.1 m | 23 km/h | 82% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.2 m | 23 km/h | 90% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.1 m | 22 km/h | 94% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.0 m | 20 km/h | 89% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 27 °C | 0.9 m | 20 km/h | 84% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 28 °C | 0.9 m | 18 km/h | 84% |
| Week 3 | Good | 28 °C | 0.7 m | 17 km/h | 78% |
| Week 4 | Good | 28 °C | 0.7 m | 17 km/h | 77% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 28 °C | 0.7 m | 18 km/h | 81% |
| Week 2 | Good | 28 °C | 0.7 m | 17 km/h | 78% |
| Week 3 | Good | 29 °C | 0.6 m | 17 km/h | 72% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 29 °C | 0.5 m | 16 km/h | 68% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 29 °C | 0.6 m | 15 km/h | 69% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 29 °C | 0.6 m | 15 km/h | 73% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 29 °C | 0.4 m | 15 km/h | 77% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.4 m | 15 km/h | 77% |
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: 3 mm | November: skin | December: skin |
- Nov–Mayskin or 3 mm shorty
- Jun–Oct3 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. Anything has been recorded Jan, Mar–Apr.
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
Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea marine life — what you'll see diving
Only 43 records have been logged within 60 km. A thin record is not an empty reef.
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Napoleon wrasse | Oct | Hit-or-miss | 9 |
Peak
- 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 Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea?
- The best conditions run November to March, when the downpours ease — 4 days a month of heavy rain instead of 10. Too few records to show a wildlife season, so the weather picks the month.
- When is the diving season in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea?
- The diving season in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea runs November to March.
- Is the diving in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea good for beginners?
- It is better with some experience. It suits Advanced Open Water divers or equivalent, so newer divers should ask the local operator which sites fit their level.
- How warm is the water in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea?
- Between 27 and 30 °C at the surface across the year, coldest in August and warmest in January. It runs cooler below the thermocline.
- What wetsuit do I need in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea?
- 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 Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea?
- 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 Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea?
- The most consistently recorded species are Napoleon wrasse (hit-or-miss), from 43 records within 60 km.
- Does Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea get tropical storms?
- Yes. Over 30 years of records a storm passed within 250 km in Jan, Mar–Apr, most often in April at 2 of 30 years.
- Is there current in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea?
- The tide rises and falls 1.0 m around the full and new moon, against 0.4 m in between. How much of that becomes current depends on the shape of the channel.
- When should I avoid Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea?
- April–September are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea?
- Mostly from liveaboards. Trips run through the season, Nov–Mar.