PNG · Tufi
Best Time to Dive in Tufi, Papua New Guinea
9.09°S 149.33°E
The best conditions run October to November, when the downpours ease — 8 days a month of heavy rain instead of 12. Too few records to show a wildlife season, so the weather picks the month.
- Best time
- Oct–Nov
- Water
- 28–30 °C
- Visibility
- 10–25 m
- Dived from
- day boat
- Tidal range
- 0.5–1.0 m
- Species logged
- 1
Worth knowing: 9 days a month of heavy rain.
Where it is
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Tufi, 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 | Poor | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Poor | Excellent | Excellent | Poor |
| Water temp (°C) | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 30 |
| Visibility (m) | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 10–20 | 10–20 | 15–25 | 10–20 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 10–20 | 15–25 |
| Marine life | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Steady | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Steady | Steady | Quiet |
| Best time | Peak | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season Oct–Nov
Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.
The Tufi, Papua New Guinea diving season
July to September · Shoulder season
3 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 28–28 °C
- Visibility
- 15–25 m
- Rain
- 21 days a month
Diving conditionsThe wind is up. The sea is rougher.
October to November · Peak season
2 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 29–29 °C
- Visibility
- 15–25 m
- Rain
- 24 days a month
Diving conditionsThe sea is calmer.
December to June · Off season
7 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 29–30 °C
- Visibility
- 15–25 m
- Rain
- 27 days a month
Diving conditionsThe wind eases. The sea is calmer.
- 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
31 underwater observation records · 4 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Tufi, 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 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
25
wet days a month
11 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0.4 m | 0% | 28 | 13 | 30 °C | 12.5 h |
| February | 0.5 m | 0% | 26 | 15 | 30 °C | 12.3 h |
| March | 0.3 m | 0% | 27 | 14 | 30 °C | 12.1 h |
| April | 0.4 m | 0% | 27 | 13 | 29 °C | 11.8 h |
| May | 1.1 m | 0% | 26 | 12 | 29 °C | 11.6 h |
| June | 1.0 m | 0% | 24 | 12 | 28 °C | 11.5 h |
| July | 1.2 m | 0% | 22 | 10 | 28 °C | 11.5 h |
| August | 1.4 m | 0% | 19 | 8 | 28 °C | 11.7 h |
| September | 1.2 m | 0% | 23 | 12 | 28 °C | 12.0 h |
| October | 0.9 m | 0% | 24 | 9 | 29 °C | 12.2 h |
| November | 0.8 m | 0% | 23 | 8 | 30 °C | 12.4 h |
| December | 0.3 m | 0% | 28 | 13 | 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: Moderate | February week 1: Poor | March week 1: Poor | April week 1: Moderate | May week 1: Moderate | June week 1: Moderate | July week 1: Good | August week 1: Moderate | September week 1: Poor | October week 1: Good | November week 1: Good | December week 1: Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Poor | February week 2: Poor | March week 2: Poor | April week 2: Poor | May week 2: Poor | June week 2: Poor | July week 2: Moderate | August week 2: Moderate | September week 2: Poor | October week 2: Excellent | November week 2: Good | December week 2: Poor |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Moderate | February week 3: Poor | March week 3: Poor | April week 3: Poor | May week 3: Poor | June week 3: Moderate | July week 3: Poor | August week 3: Moderate | September week 3: Moderate | October week 3: Excellent | November week 3: Excellent | December week 3: Poor |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Poor | February week 4: Poor | March week 4: Poor | April week 4: Poor | May week 4: Moderate | June week 4: Moderate | July week 4: Moderate | August week 4: Moderate | September week 4: Moderate | October week 4: Excellent | November week 4: Excellent | December week 4: Poor |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: fourth of November
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.4 m | 11 km/h | 93% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 30 °C | 0.4 m | 10 km/h | 93% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.6 m | 11 km/h | 89% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 30 °C | 0.5 m | 11 km/h | 90% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 30 °C | 0.5 m | 11 km/h | 95% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 30 °C | 0.5 m | 11 km/h | 90% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 30 °C | 0.4 m | 11 km/h | 85% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 30 °C | 0.5 m | 11 km/h | 88% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 30 °C | 0.5 m | 11 km/h | 90% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 30 °C | 0.4 m | 11 km/h | 89% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 11 km/h | 90% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 11 km/h | 90% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 10 km/h | 91% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 10 km/h | 90% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 30 °C | 0.4 m | 11 km/h | 88% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 30 °C | 0.7 m | 11 km/h | 88% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.9 m | 13 km/h | 86% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.0 m | 13 km/h | 81% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.1 m | 13 km/h | 86% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.1 m | 15 km/h | 87% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 29 °C | 0.9 m | 16 km/h | 79% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.0 m | 16 km/h | 72% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.1 m | 17 km/h | 77% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 28 °C | 1.0 m | 17 km/h | 84% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 28 °C | 1.1 m | 17 km/h | 79% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 28 °C | 1.3 m | 17 km/h | 74% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.3 m | 17 km/h | 67% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 28 °C | 1.2 m | 18 km/h | 64% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 28 °C | 1.3 m | 18 km/h | 62% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 28 °C | 1.4 m | 17 km/h | 59% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 28 °C | 1.3 m | 17 km/h | 59% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 28 °C | 1.3 m | 17 km/h | 66% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.3 m | 18 km/h | 71% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.3 m | 18 km/h | 71% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 28 °C | 1.3 m | 16 km/h | 77% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 28 °C | 1.0 m | 15 km/h | 83% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 28 °C | 1.1 m | 15 km/h | 78% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 29 °C | 0.9 m | 14 km/h | 76% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 29 °C | 0.8 m | 13 km/h | 80% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 29 °C | 0.8 m | 13 km/h | 78% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 29 °C | 0.8 m | 13 km/h | 78% |
| Week 2 | Good | 29 °C | 0.8 m | 13 km/h | 80% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 29 °C | 0.6 m | 12 km/h | 79% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.4 m | 12 km/h | 77% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 11 km/h | 84% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 11 km/h | 92% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 11 km/h | 93% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 30 °C | 0.4 m | 11 km/h | 92% |
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: skin | July: skin | August: skin | September: skin | October: skin | November: skin | December: skin |
One suit covers the whole year: a skin or 3 mm shorty.
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
1 of the last 30 Marchs saw a tropical storm pass within 250 km. Anything has been recorded Mar, Nov.
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
Tufi, Papua New Guinea marine life — what you'll see diving
Only 31 records have been logged within 60 km. A thin record is not an empty reef.
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grey reef shark | Oct | Likely | 10 |
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 Tufi, Papua New Guinea — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Tufi, Papua New Guinea?
- The best conditions run October to November, when the downpours ease — 8 days a month of heavy rain instead of 12. Too few records to show a wildlife season, so the weather picks the month.
- When is the diving season in Tufi, Papua New Guinea?
- The diving season in Tufi, Papua New Guinea runs October to November.
- Is the diving in Tufi, 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 Tufi, Papua New Guinea?
- Between 28 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 Tufi, Papua New Guinea?
- A skin or 3 mm shorty covers the coldest water of the year. The same suit works all year.
- What is the visibility like in Tufi, Papua New Guinea?
- Roughly 10 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 Tufi, Papua New Guinea?
- The most consistently recorded species are Grey reef shark (likely), from 31 records within 60 km.
- Does Tufi, Papua New Guinea get tropical storms?
- Yes. Over 30 years of records a storm passed within 250 km in Mar, Nov, most often in March at 1 of 30 years.
- Is there current in Tufi, Papua New Guinea?
- The tide rises and falls 1.0 m around the full and new moon, against 0.5 m in between. How much of that becomes current depends on the shape of the channel.
- When should I avoid Tufi, Papua New Guinea?
- February–March are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive Tufi, Papua New Guinea?
- Mostly from day boats. Trips run through the season, Oct–Nov.