Bahamas · Exumas
Best Time to Dive in Exumas, Bahamas
24.30°N 76.60°W
Aim for February to June, when the rain backs off — 8 wet days a month instead of 13. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month. Diving holds up from December to June.
- Best time
- Feb–Jun
- Water
- 25–30 °C
- Visibility
- 5–15 m
- Season runs
- Dec–Jun
- Dived from
- liveaboard
- Tidal range
- 0.8–1.3 m
- Species logged
- 6
Where it is
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Exumas, Bahamas — 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 | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Excellent | Moderate | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Good |
| Water temp (°C) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 27 | 26 |
| Visibility (m) | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 |
| Marine life | Busy | Busy | Busy | Busy | Steady | Steady | Busy | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Busy |
| Best time | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season Feb–Jun
Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.
The Exumas, Bahamas diving season
July · Shoulder season
1 monthJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 30–30 °C
- Visibility
- 5–15 m
- Rain
- 13 days a month
Diving conditionsRain is frequent topside. The sea is calmer. The wind eases.
August to November · Off season
4 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 27–30 °C
- Visibility
- 5–15 m
- Rain
- 15 days a month
Diving conditionsSeas are usually flat. It rains more.
December to June · Peak season
7 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 25–29 °C
- Visibility
- 5–15 m
- Rain
- 9 days a month
Diving conditionsThe sea is rougher. It rains less.
- Water temperature is satellite sea-surface temperature, so expect it cooler below the thermocline.
- Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a.
Bahamas water temperature and weather
201 underwater observation records · 25 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Exumas, Bahamas 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
11
wet days a month
2 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1.1 m | 18% | 8 | 2 | 24 °C | 10.7 h |
| February | 1.1 m | 10% | 6 | 0 | 25 °C | 11.2 h |
| March | 1.2 m | 12% | 5 | 1 | 25 °C | 11.8 h |
| April | 1.1 m | 6% | 7 | 1 | 26 °C | 12.6 h |
| May | 0.9 m | 6% | 11 | 3 | 27 °C | 13.2 h |
| June | 0.8 m | 2% | 12 | 2 | 28 °C | 13.5 h |
| July | 0.9 m | 1% | 13 | 2 | 29 °C | 13.4 h |
| August | 0.9 m | 3% | 14 | 2 | 30 °C | 12.8 h |
| September | 0.8 m | 5% | 16 | 4 | 29 °C | 12.1 h |
| October | 1.3 m | 9% | 18 | 4 | 28 °C | 11.4 h |
| November | 1.3 m | 14% | 11 | 2 | 27 °C | 10.8 h |
| December | 1.3 m | 15% | 10 | 1 | 25 °C | 10.5 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: Good | March week 1: Excellent | April week 1: Excellent | May week 1: Good | June week 1: Excellent | July week 1: Good | August week 1: Moderate | September week 1: Poor | October week 1: Poor | November week 1: Poor | December week 1: Excellent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Moderate | February week 2: Excellent | March week 2: Excellent | April week 2: Excellent | May week 2: Good | June week 2: Excellent | July week 2: Moderate | August week 2: Moderate | September week 2: Poor | October week 2: Poor | November week 2: Poor | December week 2: Good |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Good | February week 3: Excellent | March week 3: Excellent | April week 3: Good | May week 3: Good | June week 3: Excellent | July week 3: Poor | August week 3: Poor | September week 3: Poor | October week 3: Poor | November week 3: Moderate | December week 3: Moderate |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Good | February week 4: Excellent | March week 4: Excellent | April week 4: Good | May week 4: Excellent | June week 4: Excellent | July week 4: Moderate | August week 4: Poor | September week 4: Poor | October week 4: Poor | November week 4: Moderate | December week 4: Good |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: first of April
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 25 °C | 1.0 m | 28 km/h | 34% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 25 °C | 1.1 m | 30 km/h | 32% |
| Week 3 | Good | 25 °C | 1.2 m | 30 km/h | 20% |
| Week 4 | Good | 25 °C | 1.2 m | 30 km/h | 21% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 25 °C | 1.2 m | 30 km/h | 24% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 25 °C | 1.1 m | 30 km/h | 22% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 25 °C | 1.1 m | 31 km/h | 19% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 25 °C | 1.1 m | 30 km/h | 18% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 25 °C | 1.1 m | 30 km/h | 17% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 25 °C | 1.2 m | 30 km/h | 14% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 25 °C | 1.1 m | 29 km/h | 15% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 25 °C | 1.1 m | 29 km/h | 17% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 26 °C | 1.1 m | 28 km/h | 15% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 26 °C | 1.0 m | 29 km/h | 20% |
| Week 3 | Good | 26 °C | 1.2 m | 30 km/h | 28% |
| Week 4 | Good | 26 °C | 1.1 m | 30 km/h | 33% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 27 °C | 1.0 m | 28 km/h | 33% |
| Week 2 | Good | 27 °C | 0.9 m | 26 km/h | 36% |
| Week 3 | Good | 27 °C | 0.9 m | 26 km/h | 37% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 28 °C | 0.9 m | 27 km/h | 35% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 28 °C | 1.0 m | 26 km/h | 40% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 29 °C | 0.9 m | 25 km/h | 43% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 29 °C | 0.8 m | 25 km/h | 40% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 29 °C | 0.8 m | 26 km/h | 38% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 30 °C | 0.8 m | 26 km/h | 38% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.9 m | 26 km/h | 43% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 30 °C | 0.9 m | 27 km/h | 46% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.9 m | 27 km/h | 40% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.9 m | 27 km/h | 37% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.9 m | 26 km/h | 41% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.0 m | 26 km/h | 44% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 30 °C | 0.9 m | 27 km/h | 50% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 30 °C | 0.8 m | 25 km/h | 50% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 30 °C | 0.7 m | 22 km/h | 46% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 30 °C | 0.7 m | 21 km/h | 51% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.0 m | 24 km/h | 63% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.0 m | 28 km/h | 66% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.0 m | 28 km/h | 61% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.2 m | 29 km/h | 53% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.5 m | 30 km/h | 50% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.5 m | 32 km/h | 52% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.3 m | 31 km/h | 42% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 27 °C | 1.1 m | 29 km/h | 33% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 27 °C | 1.0 m | 29 km/h | 26% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.1 m | 29 km/h | 19% |
| Week 2 | Good | 26 °C | 1.4 m | 31 km/h | 31% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 26 °C | 1.4 m | 32 km/h | 40% |
| Week 4 | Good | 26 °C | 1.1 m | 31 km/h | 34% |
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: skin | July: skin | August: skin | September: skin | October: skin | November: 3 mm | December: 3 mm |
- Nov–May3 mm full suit
- Jun–Octskin 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 2.5 m.
Tides
Tropical storms
6 of the last 30 Septembers saw a tropical storm pass within 250 km. Anything has been recorded Jul–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
Exumas, Bahamas marine life — what you'll see diving
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nurse shark | All year | Near-guaranteed | 88 | ||
| Green turtle | Feb–Mar, Jul | Likely | 22 | ||
| Southern stingray | Dec–Jan, Apr | Likely | 21 | ||
| Nassau grouper | Apr, Dec | Hit-or-miss | 14 | ||
| Loggerhead turtle | Apr, Aug–Sep | Hit-or-miss | 9 | ||
| Spotted eagle ray | Feb–Mar, Oct | 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 Exumas, Bahamas — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Exumas, Bahamas?
- Aim for February to June, when the rain backs off — 8 wet days a month instead of 13. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month. Diving holds up from December to June.
- When is the diving season in Exumas, Bahamas?
- The diving season in Exumas, Bahamas runs December to June, and it is at its best February to June.
- Is the diving in Exumas, Bahamas good for beginners?
- Yes. It suits Open Water divers, so it works for a first trip after certification.
- How warm is the water in Exumas, Bahamas?
- Between 25 and 30 °C at the surface across the year, coldest in February and warmest in August. It runs cooler below the thermocline.
- What wetsuit do I need in Exumas, Bahamas?
- 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 Exumas, Bahamas?
- Roughly 5 to 15 m depending on the month. That is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a rather than measured in the water.
- What will I see diving Exumas, Bahamas?
- The most consistently recorded species are Nurse shark (near-guaranteed), Green turtle (likely) and Southern stingray (likely), from 201 records within 60 km.
- Does Exumas, Bahamas get tropical storms?
- Yes. Over 30 years of records a storm passed within 250 km in Jul–Nov, most often in September at 6 of 30 years.
- Is there current in Exumas, Bahamas?
- The tide rises and falls 1.3 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 Exumas, Bahamas?
- September–October are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive Exumas, Bahamas?
- Mostly from liveaboards. Trips run through the season, Dec–Jun.