Australia
Best Time to Dive in the Rowley Shoals
17.30°S 119.00°E
Closed January to July. Go August to November. Conditions are at their best, and the draw is the untouched hard coral of the outer atolls and the drift through the lagoon entrances.
- Best time
- Aug–Nov
- Water
- 26–30 °C
- Visibility
- 20–40 m
- Dived from
- liveaboard
- Tidal range
- 1.3–3.3 m
- Species logged
- 4
Where it is
888 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in the Rowley Shoals — 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 | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed | Poor | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Poor |
| Water temp (°C) | 30 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 29 |
| Visibility (m) | 25–35 | 25–35 | 25–35 | 25–35 | 25–35 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 25–35 | 25–35 | 25–35 | 30–40 |
| Marine life | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady |
| Best time | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season Aug–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 Rowley Shoals diving season
January to July · Closed
7 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
The site is closed to diving in these months.
August to December · Peak season
5 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 26–29 °C
- Visibility
- 25–35 m
- Rain
- 1 days a month
Diving conditionsSeas stay mostly calm. It rains less. The wind eases.
- Spring tides run 3.3 m against 1.3 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.
Rowley Shoals water temperature and weather
9,995 underwater observation records · 14 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Rowley Shoals 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
2
blowy days a month
Gusts over 40 km/h, about where a day boat stays in port
3
wet days a month
1 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1.7 m | 13% | 6 | 3 | 29 °C | 12.9 h |
| February | 1.6 m | 8% | 5 | 2 | 29 °C | 12.6 h |
| March | 1.2 m | 5% | 7 | 2 | 30 °C | 12.1 h |
| April | 1.4 m | 7% | 3 | 1 | 30 °C | 11.6 h |
| May | 1.3 m | 11% | 2 | 1 | 28 °C | 11.2 h |
| June | 1.4 m | 15% | 2 | 0 | 27 °C | 11.0 h |
| July | 1.6 m | 11% | 0 | 0 | 26 °C | 11.1 h |
| August | 1.4 m | 10% | 0 | 0 | 25 °C | 11.4 h |
| September | 1.2 m | 3% | 0 | 0 | 26 °C | 11.9 h |
| October | 1.2 m | 3% | 0 | 0 | 27 °C | 12.4 h |
| November | 1.1 m | 1% | 1 | 0 | 28 °C | 12.8 h |
| December | 1.2 m | 4% | 4 | 1 | 29 °C | 13.0 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: Poor | April week 1: Poor | May week 1: Poor | June week 1: Poor | July week 1: Poor | August week 1: Poor | September week 1: Excellent | October week 1: Excellent | November week 1: Excellent | 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: Poor | August week 2: Poor | September week 2: Excellent | October week 2: Excellent | November week 2: Excellent | December week 2: Poor |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Poor | February week 3: Poor | March week 3: Poor | April week 3: Poor | May week 3: Poor | June week 3: Poor | July week 3: Poor | August week 3: Moderate | September week 3: Good | 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: Poor | June week 4: Poor | July week 4: Poor | August week 4: Moderate | September week 4: Excellent | October week 4: Excellent | November week 4: Excellent | December week 4: Poor |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: first of September
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.7 m | 28 km/h | 12% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.7 m | 27 km/h | 18% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.4 m | 26 km/h | 25% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.5 m | 29 km/h | 27% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 2.0 m | 28 km/h | 25% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.8 m | 25 km/h | 19% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 25 km/h | 16% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.2 m | 23 km/h | 16% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.2 m | 22 km/h | 15% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.3 m | 22 km/h | 20% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.3 m | 23 km/h | 29% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.1 m | 22 km/h | 21% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.1 m | 22 km/h | 14% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.5 m | 23 km/h | 17% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.5 m | 24 km/h | 11% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.4 m | 25 km/h | 3% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 27 km/h | 3% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.2 m | 28 km/h | 3% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.4 m | 26 km/h | 5% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.4 m | 27 km/h | 12% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.3 m | 30 km/h | 11% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.3 m | 29 km/h | 4% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.3 m | 29 km/h | 4% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.6 m | 30 km/h | 6% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.8 m | 30 km/h | 4% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 26 °C | 1.5 m | 29 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 26 °C | 1.5 m | 27 km/h | 1% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 26 °C | 1.4 m | 28 km/h | 3% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 26 °C | 1.4 m | 28 km/h | 2% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 26 °C | 1.3 m | 25 km/h | 1% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 26 °C | 1.3 m | 24 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 26 °C | 1.4 m | 22 km/h | 1% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 26 °C | 1.2 m | 22 km/h | 1% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 26 °C | 1.2 m | 23 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Good | 27 °C | 1.3 m | 24 km/h | 3% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.2 m | 24 km/h | 3% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.1 m | 24 km/h | 1% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.2 m | 24 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 28 °C | 1.3 m | 24 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 28 °C | 1.2 m | 24 km/h | 0% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 28 °C | 1.2 m | 24 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 28 °C | 1.1 m | 25 km/h | 2% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 28 °C | 1.0 m | 25 km/h | 6% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.0 m | 23 km/h | 6% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.1 m | 25 km/h | 12% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.2 m | 26 km/h | 16% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.2 m | 27 km/h | 12% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.4 m | 28 km/h | 12% |
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
15 of the last 30 Januarys saw a tropical storm pass within 250 km. Anything has been recorded Dec–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
Rowley Shoals marine life — what you'll see diving
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grey reef shark | All year | Near-guaranteed | 8222 | ||
| Whitetip reef shark | All year | Likely | 1729 | ||
| Silvertip shark | May–Aug | Hit-or-miss | 14 | ||
| Green turtle | Dec | Hit-or-miss | 16 |
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 the Rowley Shoals — common questions
- When is the best time to dive the Rowley Shoals?
- Closed January to July. Go August to November. Conditions are at their best, and the draw is the untouched hard coral of the outer atolls and the drift through the lagoon entrances.
- When is the diving season at the Rowley Shoals?
- The diving season at the Rowley Shoals runs August to November.
- Is the diving at the Rowley Shoals 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 at the Rowley Shoals?
- Between 26 and 30 °C at the surface across the year, coldest in August and warmest in March. It runs cooler below the thermocline.
- What wetsuit do I need at the Rowley Shoals?
- 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 at the Rowley Shoals?
- Roughly 20 to 40 m depending on the month. That is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a rather than measured in the water.
- What will I see diving the Rowley Shoals?
- The most consistently recorded species are Grey reef shark (near-guaranteed), Whitetip reef shark (likely) and Silvertip shark (hit-or-miss), from 9,995 records within 60 km.
- Does the Rowley Shoals get tropical storms?
- Yes. Over 30 years of records a storm passed within 250 km in Dec–Apr, most often in January at 15 of 30 years.
- Is there current at the Rowley Shoals?
- The tide rises and falls 3.3 m around the full and new moon, against 1.3 m in between. How much of that becomes current depends on the shape of the channel.
- When should I avoid the Rowley Shoals?
- The site is closed Jan–Jul. December–August are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive the Rowley Shoals?
- Mostly from liveaboards. Trips run through the season, Aug–Nov.