Caribbean
Best Time to Dive in Aruba
12.56°N 70.07°W
The wildlife shows no season worth planning around, so go when the weather is best: December to April. The full season runs September to April.
- Best time
- Dec–Apr
- Water
- 27–29 °C
- Visibility
- 10–25 m
- Season runs
- Sep–Apr
- Dived from
- day boat
- Tidal range
- 0.1–0.4 m
- Species logged
- 5
Where it is
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Aruba — 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 | Excellent | Moderate | Good | Excellent | Moderate | Poor | Poor | Poor | Excellent | Good | Excellent | Excellent |
| Water temp (°C) | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 |
| Visibility (m) | 10–20 | 10–20 | 10–20 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 10–20 | 10–20 | 10–20 | 10–20 | 15–25 | 10–20 | 10–20 |
| Marine life | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Busy | Busy | Steady | Steady |
| Best time | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season Dec–Apr
Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.
The Aruba diving season
May · Shoulder season
1 monthJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 28–28 °C
- Visibility
- 15–25 m
- Rain
- 5 days a month
Diving conditionsSwell is common, and crossings can be rough. It rains less. The wind is up.
June to August · Off season
3 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 28–28 °C
- Visibility
- 10–20 m
- Rain
- 10 days a month
Diving conditionsSwell is common, and crossings can be rough. The wind is up.
September to April · Peak season
8 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 27–29 °C
- Visibility
- 10–20 m
- Rain
- 12 days a month
Diving conditionsExpect some swell. It rains more. The wind eases.
- Water temperature is satellite sea-surface temperature, so expect it cooler below the thermocline.
- Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a.
Aruba water temperature and weather
204 underwater observation records · 21 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Aruba 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
4
rough days a month
Seas top 1.5 m on 12% of days. Enough to cancel a day boat
2
blowy days a month
Gusts over 40 km/h, about where a day boat stays in port
11
wet days a month
0 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1.6 m | 8% | 14 | 0 | 28 °C | 11.3 h |
| February | 1.7 m | 7% | 11 | 0 | 28 °C | 11.6 h |
| March | 1.6 m | 9% | 10 | 0 | 29 °C | 11.9 h |
| April | 1.5 m | 3% | 5 | 0 | 30 °C | 12.3 h |
| May | 1.6 m | 14% | 5 | 0 | 30 °C | 12.6 h |
| June | 1.6 m | 14% | 8 | 0 | 30 °C | 12.7 h |
| July | 1.6 m | 6% | 11 | 0 | 30 °C | 12.7 h |
| August | 1.4 m | 6% | 10 | 0 | 31 °C | 12.4 h |
| September | 1.3 m | 1% | 8 | 1 | 32 °C | 12.1 h |
| October | 1.4 m | 2% | 11 | 1 | 31 °C | 11.7 h |
| November | 1.5 m | 0% | 19 | 3 | 30 °C | 11.4 h |
| December | 1.4 m | 1% | 18 | 0 | 29 °C | 11.3 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: Moderate | March week 1: Excellent | April week 1: Good | May week 1: Poor | June week 1: Moderate | July week 1: Poor | August week 1: Poor | September week 1: Good | October week 1: Excellent | November week 1: Excellent | December week 1: Excellent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Good | February week 2: Poor | March week 2: Excellent | April week 2: Excellent | May week 2: Poor | June week 2: Moderate | July week 2: Poor | August week 2: Poor | September week 2: Excellent | October week 2: Excellent | November week 2: Excellent | December week 2: Excellent |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Excellent | February week 3: Moderate | March week 3: Moderate | April week 3: Excellent | May week 3: Good | June week 3: Poor | July week 3: Poor | August week 3: Poor | September week 3: Excellent | October week 3: Good | November week 3: Good | December week 3: Excellent |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Excellent | February week 4: Good | March week 4: Good | April week 4: Excellent | May week 4: Good | June week 4: Poor | July week 4: Poor | August week 4: Poor | September week 4: Good | October week 4: Moderate | November week 4: Good | December week 4: Excellent |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: fourth of January
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 27 °C | 1.5 m | 31 km/h | 53% |
| Week 2 | Good | 27 °C | 1.6 m | 31 km/h | 48% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.7 m | 32 km/h | 40% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.6 m | 33 km/h | 36% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 27 °C | 1.6 m | 33 km/h | 40% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 26 °C | 1.7 m | 35 km/h | 38% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 26 °C | 1.7 m | 34 km/h | 35% |
| Week 4 | Good | 26 °C | 1.5 m | 32 km/h | 34% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.4 m | 32 km/h | 33% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.5 m | 33 km/h | 31% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 27 °C | 1.7 m | 34 km/h | 32% |
| Week 4 | Good | 27 °C | 1.7 m | 34 km/h | 30% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 27 °C | 1.5 m | 35 km/h | 21% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.5 m | 34 km/h | 16% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.5 m | 33 km/h | 21% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.4 m | 33 km/h | 22% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.5 m | 34 km/h | 22% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.6 m | 36 km/h | 22% |
| Week 3 | Good | 28 °C | 1.6 m | 37 km/h | 13% |
| Week 4 | Good | 28 °C | 1.5 m | 36 km/h | 9% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 28 °C | 1.5 m | 36 km/h | 13% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 28 °C | 1.6 m | 36 km/h | 23% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.6 m | 36 km/h | 30% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.7 m | 36 km/h | 34% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.6 m | 36 km/h | 37% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.5 m | 36 km/h | 39% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.6 m | 35 km/h | 36% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.6 m | 35 km/h | 32% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.5 m | 35 km/h | 30% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.4 m | 34 km/h | 29% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.4 m | 32 km/h | 31% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 32 km/h | 30% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 32 km/h | 23% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 30 km/h | 23% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 29 km/h | 27% |
| Week 4 | Good | 29 °C | 1.2 m | 28 km/h | 34% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.2 m | 27 km/h | 38% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 26 km/h | 32% |
| Week 3 | Good | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 27 km/h | 33% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 26 km/h | 44% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 25 km/h | 57% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.6 m | 26 km/h | 66% |
| Week 3 | Good | 29 °C | 1.5 m | 26 km/h | 66% |
| Week 4 | Good | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 28 km/h | 57% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 28 °C | 1.4 m | 30 km/h | 53% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 28 °C | 1.5 m | 31 km/h | 54% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 28 °C | 1.5 m | 31 km/h | 54% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.4 m | 31 km/h | 58% |
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: 3 mm | February: 3 mm | March: 3 mm | April: 3 mm | May: 3 mm | June: 3 mm | July: skin | August: skin | September: skin | October: skin | November: skin | December: 3 mm |
- Dec–Jun3 mm full suit
- Jul–Novskin 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
4 of the last 30 Augusts saw a tropical storm pass within 250 km. Anything has been recorded Jun–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
Aruba marine life — what you'll see diving
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green turtle | All year | Near-guaranteed | 94 | ||
| Hawksbill turtle | Sep–Oct | Likely | 62 | ||
| Loggerhead turtle | Jul | Hit-or-miss | 12 | ||
| Spotted eagle ray | Jul–Aug, Nov–Dec | Hit-or-miss | 8 | ||
| Lemon shark | Feb, May, Dec | Hit-or-miss | 8 |
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 Aruba — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Aruba?
- The wildlife shows no season worth planning around, so go when the weather is best: December to April. The full season runs September to April.
- When is the diving season in Aruba?
- The diving season in Aruba runs September to April, and it is at its best December to April.
- Is the diving in Aruba good for beginners?
- Yes. It suits Open Water divers, so it works for a first trip after certification.
- How warm is the water in Aruba?
- Between 27 and 29 °C at the surface across the year, coldest in February and warmest in October. It runs cooler below the thermocline.
- What wetsuit do I need in Aruba?
- 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 Aruba?
- 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 Aruba?
- The most consistently recorded species are Green turtle (near-guaranteed), Hawksbill turtle (likely) and Loggerhead turtle (hit-or-miss), from 204 records within 60 km.
- Does Aruba get tropical storms?
- Yes. Over 30 years of records a storm passed within 250 km in Jun–Nov, most often in August at 4 of 30 years.
- Is there current in Aruba?
- The tide rises and falls 0.4 m around the full and new moon, against 0.1 m in between. How much of that becomes current depends on the shape of the channel.
- When should I avoid Aruba?
- June–August are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive Aruba?
- Mostly from day boats. Trips run through the season, Sep–Apr.