Indonesia
Best Time to Dive in Triton Bay
3.87°S 134.10°E
The pull is Triton Bay's soft coral and the whale sharks that visit the bagan platforms. It runs all year, so pick your month on the sea and the sky: August to December. The wider season runs August to February.
- Best time
- Aug–Dec
- Water
- 27–30 °C
- Visibility
- 5–20 m
- Season runs
- Aug–Feb
- Dived from
- liveaboard
- Tidal range
- 1.1–2.3 m
Where it is
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Triton Bay — 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 | Good | Moderate | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Good |
| Water temp (°C) | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 30 |
| Visibility (m) | 5–15 | 10–20 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 |
| Marine life | No data | No data | No data | No data | No data | No data | No data | No data | No data | No data | No data | No data |
| Best time | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season Aug–Dec
Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.
The Triton Bay diving season
March · Shoulder season
1 monthJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 30–30 °C
- Visibility
- 5–15 m
- Rain
- 27 days a month
Diving conditionsThe sea is calmer. The wind eases.
April to May · Off season
2 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 29–30 °C
- Visibility
- 5–15 m
- Rain
- 28 days a month
Diving conditionsThe wind eases. The sea is calmer.
June to July · Shoulder season
2 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 27–28 °C
- Visibility
- 5–15 m
- Rain
- 27 days a month
Diving conditionsThe sea is rougher. The wind is up.
August to February · Peak season
7 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 27–30 °C
- Visibility
- 5–15 m
- Rain
- 24 days a month
Diving conditionsThe sea is calmer.
- Spring tides run 2.3 m against 1.1 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.
Triton Bay water temperature and weather
10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Triton Bay 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
26
wet days a month
7 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0.6 m | 0% | 23 | 7 | 30 °C | 12.2 h |
| February | 0.7 m | 0% | 22 | 6 | 30 °C | 12.1 h |
| March | 0.6 m | 0% | 27 | 9 | 29 °C | 12.0 h |
| April | 0.5 m | 0% | 28 | 12 | 29 °C | 11.9 h |
| May | 0.9 m | 0% | 29 | 13 | 29 °C | 11.8 h |
| June | 0.8 m | 0% | 27 | 8 | 28 °C | 11.8 h |
| July | 1.1 m | 0% | 28 | 8 | 27 °C | 11.8 h |
| August | 1.0 m | 0% | 26 | 5 | 27 °C | 11.9 h |
| September | 0.8 m | 0% | 23 | 5 | 28 °C | 12.0 h |
| October | 0.5 m | 0% | 26 | 4 | 29 °C | 12.1 h |
| November | 0.4 m | 0% | 26 | 6 | 29 °C | 12.2 h |
| December | 0.5 m | 0% | 26 | 7 | 30 °C | 12.2 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: Good | March week 1: Moderate | April week 1: Poor | May week 1: Poor | June week 1: Moderate | July week 1: Good | August week 1: Good | September week 1: Good | October week 1: Excellent | November week 1: Good | December week 1: Excellent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Good | February week 2: Good | March week 2: Moderate | April week 2: Poor | May week 2: Poor | June week 2: Moderate | July week 2: Moderate | August week 2: Excellent | September week 2: Good | October week 2: Excellent | November week 2: Excellent | December week 2: Good |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Good | February week 3: Excellent | March week 3: Moderate | April week 3: Poor | May week 3: Poor | June week 3: Moderate | July week 3: Moderate | August week 3: Good | September week 3: Excellent | October week 3: Excellent | November week 3: Excellent | December week 3: Good |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Good | February week 4: Excellent | March week 4: Moderate | April week 4: Poor | May week 4: Poor | June week 4: Moderate | July week 4: Moderate | August week 4: Good | September week 4: Excellent | October week 4: Excellent | November week 4: Good | December week 4: Good |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: fourth of September
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 30 °C | 0.6 m | 14 km/h | 75% |
| Week 2 | Good | 30 °C | 0.6 m | 13 km/h | 79% |
| Week 3 | Good | 30 °C | 0.6 m | 14 km/h | 74% |
| Week 4 | Good | 30 °C | 0.7 m | 14 km/h | 67% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 30 °C | 0.7 m | 16 km/h | 68% |
| Week 2 | Good | 30 °C | 0.7 m | 15 km/h | 75% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.6 m | 14 km/h | 81% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.6 m | 13 km/h | 80% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.6 m | 12 km/h | 82% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.6 m | 12 km/h | 87% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.6 m | 12 km/h | 85% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.5 m | 13 km/h | 88% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 30 °C | 0.4 m | 13 km/h | 89% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 30 °C | 0.5 m | 12 km/h | 90% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 30 °C | 0.5 m | 11 km/h | 95% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 30 °C | 0.5 m | 12 km/h | 95% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 30 °C | 0.5 m | 13 km/h | 94% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 0.7 m | 14 km/h | 95% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 29 °C | 0.9 m | 14 km/h | 92% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 0.9 m | 16 km/h | 89% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 29 °C | 0.8 m | 17 km/h | 84% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 28 °C | 0.8 m | 17 km/h | 88% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 28 °C | 0.9 m | 17 km/h | 94% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 28 °C | 0.8 m | 17 km/h | 90% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 28 °C | 0.9 m | 18 km/h | 88% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 27 °C | 1.0 m | 20 km/h | 93% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 27 °C | 1.2 m | 21 km/h | 93% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 27 °C | 1.1 m | 21 km/h | 84% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 27 °C | 1.1 m | 21 km/h | 82% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.0 m | 20 km/h | 81% |
| Week 3 | Good | 27 °C | 0.9 m | 21 km/h | 80% |
| Week 4 | Good | 27 °C | 1.0 m | 21 km/h | 81% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 27 °C | 0.9 m | 20 km/h | 85% |
| Week 2 | Good | 27 °C | 0.9 m | 20 km/h | 84% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 28 °C | 0.9 m | 19 km/h | 73% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 28 °C | 0.7 m | 16 km/h | 70% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 28 °C | 0.7 m | 15 km/h | 80% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 29 °C | 0.6 m | 14 km/h | 81% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 29 °C | 0.4 m | 13 km/h | 83% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 29 °C | 0.4 m | 13 km/h | 84% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 29 °C | 0.3 m | 12 km/h | 82% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.3 m | 11 km/h | 83% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.4 m | 11 km/h | 86% |
| Week 4 | Good | 30 °C | 0.4 m | 11 km/h | 87% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.4 m | 11 km/h | 87% |
| Week 2 | Good | 30 °C | 0.5 m | 12 km/h | 87% |
| Week 3 | Good | 30 °C | 0.6 m | 14 km/h | 86% |
| Week 4 | Good | 30 °C | 0.6 m | 14 km/h | 80% |
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: skin | November: skin | December: skin |
- Oct–Mayskin or 3 mm shorty
- Jun–Sep3 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
1 of the last 30 Aprils saw a tropical storm pass within 250 km. April 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
Triton Bay marine life — what you'll see diving
Only 0 records have been logged within 60 km. A thin record is not an empty reef.
No survey records within 60 km of this site.
- 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 Triton Bay — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Triton Bay?
- The pull is Triton Bay's soft coral and the whale sharks that visit the bagan platforms. It runs all year, so pick your month on the sea and the sky: August to December. The wider season runs August to February.
- When is the diving season in Triton Bay?
- The diving season in Triton Bay runs August to February, and it is at its best August to December.
- Is the diving in Triton Bay 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 Triton Bay?
- 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 Triton Bay?
- 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 Triton Bay?
- Roughly 5 to 20 m depending on the month. That is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a rather than measured in the water.
- Does Triton Bay get tropical storms?
- Yes. Over 30 years of records a storm passed within 250 km in Apr, most often in April at 1 of 30 years.
- Is there current in Triton Bay?
- The tide rises and falls 2.3 m around the full and new moon, against 1.1 m in between. How much of that becomes current depends on the shape of the channel.
- When should I avoid Triton Bay?
- April–May are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive Triton Bay?
- Mostly from liveaboards. Trips run through the season, Aug–Feb.