Can you dive Belize all year?

Not everywhere at once. Counting all 3 areas, 5 months of the year have somewhere at its best; the rest are workable but off peak.

How warm is the water in Belize?

27 to 30 °C across the year, depending on the area and the month. Each area's page gives its own month-by-month temperatures.

What can you see diving in Belize?

The headline animals are whale shark. Each area's page lists everything recorded near it, with the months it was seen.

Caribbean

Best Time to Dive in Belize

3 dive areas, each scored on its own. The season peaks January–May at the Blue Hole / Lighthouse and Turneffe, and March–May at Gladden Spit.

The 3 dive areas in Belize, compared month by month
	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Blue Hole / Lighthouse	January: Good	February: Good	March: Good	April: Good	May: Good	June: Moderate	July: Good	August: Moderate	September: Good	October: Off season	November: Moderate	December: Good
Gladden Spit	January: Off season	February: Off season	March: Good	April: Good	May: Good	June: Good	July: Off season	August: Off season	September: Off season	October: Off season	November: Off season	December: Off season
Turneffe	January: Good	February: Good	March: Good	April: Good	May: Good	June: Moderate	July: Good	August: Off season	September: Good	October: Off season	November: Moderate	December: Good

Good Moderate Off season

Belize compared

Side by side

The 3 dive areas in Belize, compared on season, water, visibility and how they are dived
Dive area	Best time	Water	Visibility	Dived from	Suits
Blue Hole / Lighthouse	Jan–May	27–30 °C	5–15 m	liveaboard and day boat	Advanced Open Water
Gladden Spit	Mar–May	27–30 °C	15–30 m	day boat	Advanced Open Water
Turneffe	Jan–May	27–30 °C	0–10 m	liveaboard and day boat	Open Water

Water and visibility are the whole year's range at each area, coldest month to warmest. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a.

Which area to pick

Blue Hole / Lighthouse: Best from January to May. Same season as Turneffe.
Gladden Spit: Best from March to May. It has the clearest water, up to 30 m, is dived only from day boats and is the one for whale sharks.
Turneffe: Best from January to May. Same season as the Blue Hole / Lighthouse. It has the lowest visibility, 0–10 m and suits Open Water divers.

Belize month by month

Two or more areas are good at once in December to May, July and September: the time to combine them in one trip.

Jan–Feb: Good at the Blue Hole / Lighthouse and Turneffe. Off season at Gladden Spit.
Mar–May: Every area is good.
Jun: Good at Gladden Spit.
Jul: Good at the Blue Hole / Lighthouse and Turneffe. Off season at Gladden Spit.
Aug: Nowhere at its best; the Blue Hole / Lighthouse is workable.
Sep: Good at the Blue Hole / Lighthouse and Turneffe. Off season at Gladden Spit.
Oct: Nowhere at its best.
Nov: Nowhere at its best; the Blue Hole / Lighthouse and Turneffe are workable.
Dec: Good at the Blue Hole / Lighthouse and Turneffe. Off season at Gladden Spit.

Blue Hole / Lighthouse

Jan–May

What draws people is the Blue Hole and Lighthouse Reef walls. There is no season to it, so the weather picks your month: January to May. Diving holds up from December to May.

Blue Hole / Lighthouse conditions month by month
Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
January: Good	February: Good	March: Good	April: Good	May: Good	June: Moderate	July: Good	August: Moderate	September: Good	October: Off season	November: Moderate	December: Good

Good Moderate Off season

Water: 27–30 °C
Wear: 3 mm full suit
Dived from: liveaboard and day boat
Suits: Advanced Open Water

Blue Hole / Lighthouse month by month →

Gladden Spit

Mar–May

Go March to May. Conditions are at their best and the whale shark season is on.

Gladden Spit conditions month by month
Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
January: Off season	February: Off season	March: Good	April: Good	May: Good	June: Good	July: Off season	August: Off season	September: Off season	October: Off season	November: Off season	December: Off season

Off season Good

Water: 27–30 °C
Wear: 3 mm full suit
Dived from: day boat
Suits: Advanced Open Water

Known for Whale shark

Gladden Spit month by month →

Turneffe

Jan–May

The best conditions run January to May, when the rain backs off — 9 wet days a month instead of 20. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month. The wider season runs December to May.

Turneffe conditions month by month
Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
January: Good	February: Good	March: Good	April: Good	May: Good	June: Moderate	July: Good	August: Off season	September: Good	October: Off season	November: Moderate	December: Good

Good Moderate Off season

Water: 27–30 °C
Wear: 3 mm full suit
Dived from: liveaboard and day boat
Suits: Open Water

Turneffe month by month →

Diving in Belize: common questions

When is the best time to dive Belize?: It depends which area. The season peaks January–May at the Blue Hole / Lighthouse and Turneffe, and March–May at Gladden Spit.
Can you dive Belize all year?: Not everywhere at once. Counting all 3 areas, 5 months of the year have somewhere at its best; the rest are workable but off peak.
How warm is the water in Belize?: 27 to 30 °C across the year, depending on the area and the month. Each area's page gives its own month-by-month temperatures.
What can you see diving in Belize?: The headline animals are whale shark. Each area's page lists everything recorded near it, with the months it was seen.