Malaysia
Best Time to Dive in Perhentian
5.91°N 102.74°E
Closed December to February. Dive it March to July, when the downpours ease — 4 days a month of heavy rain instead of 9. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month. The wider season runs March to September.
- Best time
- Mar–Jul
- Water
- 28–31 °C
- Visibility
- 10–30 m
- Season runs
- Mar–Sep
- Dived from
- day boat
- Tidal range
- 0.8–1.8 m
- Species logged
- 7
Where it is
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Perhentian — 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 | Closed | Closed | Poor | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Poor | Closed |
| Water temp (°C) | 28 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 28 |
| Visibility (m) | 10–20 | 15–25 | 10–20 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 20–30 | 15–25 | 10–20 | — |
| Marine life | Closed | Closed | Busy | Peak | Steady | Busy | Peak | Peak | Peak | Steady | Quiet | Closed |
| Best time | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season Mar–Jul
Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.
The Perhentian diving season
March to November · Peak season
9 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 29–31 °C
- Rain
- 22 days a month
Diving conditionsThis is the wet season topside. The wind eases. The sea is calmer.
Marine lifeWhale shark (likely) peaks at Perhentian in these months.
December to February · Closed
3 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
The site is closed to diving in these months.
- Spring tides run 1.8 m against 0.8 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.
Perhentian water temperature and weather
226 underwater observation records · 23 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Perhentian 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 2% 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
21
wet days a month
7 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1.4 m | 4% | 19 | 6 | 27 °C | 11.7 h |
| February | 1.3 m | 3% | 13 | 3 | 27 °C | 11.8 h |
| March | 1.0 m | 0% | 11 | 1 | 28 °C | 12.0 h |
| April | 0.6 m | 0% | 17 | 4 | 29 °C | 12.1 h |
| May | 0.4 m | 0% | 23 | 5 | 30 °C | 12.3 h |
| June | 0.3 m | 0% | 22 | 5 | 30 °C | 12.3 h |
| July | 0.4 m | 0% | 22 | 3 | 30 °C | 12.3 h |
| August | 0.3 m | 0% | 23 | 6 | 29 °C | 12.2 h |
| September | 0.3 m | 0% | 23 | 5 | 29 °C | 12.0 h |
| October | 0.6 m | 0% | 27 | 11 | 29 °C | 11.9 h |
| November | 1.2 m | 1% | 28 | 17 | 28 °C | 11.7 h |
| December | 1.3 m | 4% | 24 | 14 | 28 °C | 11.7 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: Poor | February week 1: Poor | March week 1: Moderate | April week 1: Excellent | May week 1: Excellent | June week 1: Excellent | July week 1: Excellent | August week 1: Excellent | September week 1: Excellent | October week 1: Excellent | November week 1: Moderate | December week 1: Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Poor | February week 2: Poor | March week 2: Poor | April week 2: Excellent | May week 2: Excellent | June week 2: Excellent | July week 2: Excellent | August week 2: Excellent | September week 2: Excellent | October week 2: Excellent | November week 2: Poor | December week 2: Poor |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Poor | February week 3: Poor | March week 3: Poor | April week 3: Excellent | May week 3: Excellent | June week 3: Excellent | July week 3: Excellent | August week 3: Excellent | September week 3: Excellent | October week 3: Excellent | November week 3: Poor | December week 3: Poor |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Poor | February week 4: Poor | March week 4: Moderate | April week 4: Excellent | May week 4: Excellent | June week 4: Excellent | July week 4: Excellent | August week 4: Excellent | September week 4: Excellent | October week 4: Excellent | November week 4: Poor | December week 4: Poor |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: third of April
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.2 m | 24 km/h | 73% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.3 m | 23 km/h | 64% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.4 m | 23 km/h | 57% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.4 m | 23 km/h | 52% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.2 m | 22 km/h | 45% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.2 m | 23 km/h | 42% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.2 m | 23 km/h | 45% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.3 m | 23 km/h | 47% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 28 °C | 1.3 m | 22 km/h | 42% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.0 m | 20 km/h | 32% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 29 °C | 0.9 m | 20 km/h | 32% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 29 °C | 0.8 m | 20 km/h | 45% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.8 m | 20 km/h | 54% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.7 m | 20 km/h | 53% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.6 m | 19 km/h | 50% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.6 m | 19 km/h | 57% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 31 °C | 0.6 m | 19 km/h | 68% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 31 °C | 0.5 m | 19 km/h | 76% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 31 °C | 0.4 m | 18 km/h | 79% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 31 °C | 0.3 m | 18 km/h | 76% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 31 °C | 0.3 m | 17 km/h | 72% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 31 °C | 0.3 m | 17 km/h | 70% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 17 km/h | 74% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 17 km/h | 74% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 17 km/h | 73% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.4 m | 17 km/h | 72% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.4 m | 17 km/h | 68% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.4 m | 17 km/h | 68% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 16 km/h | 69% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 17 km/h | 72% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 17 km/h | 76% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 17 km/h | 78% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 17 km/h | 77% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 17 km/h | 79% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 17 km/h | 75% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 17 km/h | 75% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.4 m | 17 km/h | 82% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.5 m | 17 km/h | 83% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.7 m | 18 km/h | 86% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.7 m | 18 km/h | 92% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.7 m | 18 km/h | 94% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 0.8 m | 18 km/h | 94% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.2 m | 19 km/h | 94% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 22 km/h | 93% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.2 m | 22 km/h | 86% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.2 m | 24 km/h | 82% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.5 m | 24 km/h | 79% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.6 m | 23 km/h | 72% |
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 Januarys saw a tropical storm pass within 250 km. January 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
Perhentian marine life — what you'll see diving
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bumphead parrotfish | Jun–Jul, Sep | Likely | 17 | ||
| Whale shark | Jul–Sep | Likely | 9 | ||
| Green turtle | Apr, Jul, Sep | Near-guaranteed | 96 | ||
| Bigeye trevally | Jan–Feb | Hit-or-miss | 8 | ||
| Blacktip reef shark | Mar, Jun–Jul | Likely | 49 | ||
| Bluespotted ribbontail ray | Mar–Apr, Jul, Sep | Likely | 33 | ||
| Hawksbill turtle | Mar, Jul, Sep | Likely | 12 |
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 Perhentian — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Perhentian?
- Closed December to February. Dive it March to July, when the downpours ease — 4 days a month of heavy rain instead of 9. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month. The wider season runs March to September.
- When is the diving season in Perhentian?
- The diving season in Perhentian runs March to September, and it is at its best March to July.
- Is the diving in Perhentian good for beginners?
- Yes. It suits Open Water divers, so it works for a first trip after certification.
- How warm is the water in Perhentian?
- Between 28 and 31 °C at the surface across the year, coldest in January and warmest in May. It runs cooler below the thermocline.
- What wetsuit do I need in Perhentian?
- 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 Perhentian?
- 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 Perhentian?
- The most consistently recorded species are Bumphead parrotfish (likely), Whale shark (likely) and Green turtle (near-guaranteed), from 226 records within 60 km.
- Does Perhentian get tropical storms?
- Yes. Over 30 years of records a storm passed within 250 km in Jan, most often in January at 1 of 30 years.
- Is there current in Perhentian?
- The tide rises and falls 1.8 m around the full and new moon, against 0.8 m in between. How much of that becomes current depends on the shape of the channel.
- When should I avoid Perhentian?
- The site is closed Dec–Feb. November–March are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive Perhentian?
- Mostly from day boats. Trips run through the season, Mar–Sep.