Belize · Gladden Spit
Best Time to Dive in Gladden Spit, Belize
16.55°N 88.00°W
Go March to May. Conditions are at their best and the whale shark season is on.
- Best time
- Mar–May
- Water
- 27–30 °C
- Visibility
- 15–30 m
- Dived from
- day boat
- Tidal range
- 0.1–0.3 m
- Species logged
- 10
Where it is
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Gladden Spit, Belize — 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 | Poor | Poor | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor |
| Water temp (°C) | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 28 |
| Visibility (m) | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 |
| Marine life | Steady | Steady | Busy | Busy | Busy | Busy | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady |
| Best time | Peak | Peak | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season Mar–May
Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.
The Gladden Spit, Belize diving season
March to June · Peak season
4 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 27–29 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 14 days a month
Diving conditionsRain is frequent topside. The sea is rougher. The wind is up.
Marine lifeWhale shark (likely) peaks at Gladden Spit, Belize in these months.
July to February · Off season
8 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 27–30 °C
- Visibility
- 15–25 m
- Rain
- 22 days a month
Diving conditionsIt rains more. The sea is calmer.
- Water temperature is satellite sea-surface temperature, so expect it cooler below the thermocline.
- Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a.
Belize water temperature and weather
554 underwater observation records · 25 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Gladden Spit, Belize 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
1
rough days a month
Seas top 1.5 m on 3% of days. Enough to cancel a day boat
1
blowy days a month
Gusts over 40 km/h, about where a day boat stays in port
19
wet days a month
7 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1.3 m | 7% | 18 | 5 | 26 °C | 11.1 h |
| February | 1.4 m | 7% | 13 | 2 | 27 °C | 11.5 h |
| March | 1.3 m | 5% | 11 | 2 | 27 °C | 11.9 h |
| April | 1.5 m | 3% | 8 | 1 | 28 °C | 12.4 h |
| May | 1.3 m | 1% | 12 | 2 | 29 °C | 12.8 h |
| June | 1.4 m | 5% | 23 | 9 | 29 °C | 13.0 h |
| July | 1.3 m | 4% | 23 | 8 | 29 °C | 12.9 h |
| August | 1.1 m | 1% | 26 | 9 | 29 °C | 12.6 h |
| September | 0.8 m | 1% | 26 | 10 | 30 °C | 12.1 h |
| October | 0.9 m | 3% | 25 | 13 | 29 °C | 11.6 h |
| November | 1.1 m | 5% | 24 | 10 | 28 °C | 11.2 h |
| December | 1.4 m | 7% | 23 | 8 | 27 °C | 11.0 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: Moderate | February week 1: Moderate | March week 1: Good | April week 1: Good | May week 1: Excellent | June week 1: Good | July week 1: Poor | August week 1: Moderate | September week 1: Poor | October week 1: Moderate | November week 1: Poor | December week 1: Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Poor | February week 2: Poor | March week 2: Excellent | April week 2: Good | May week 2: Excellent | June week 2: Excellent | July week 2: Poor | August week 2: Poor | September week 2: Poor | October week 2: Poor | November week 2: Poor | December week 2: Poor |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Poor | February week 3: Moderate | March week 3: Excellent | April week 3: Excellent | May week 3: Excellent | June week 3: Good | July week 3: Poor | August week 3: Poor | September week 3: Poor | October week 3: Poor | November week 3: Poor | December week 3: Poor |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Poor | February week 4: Moderate | March week 4: Excellent | April week 4: Excellent | May week 4: Good | June week 4: Excellent | July week 4: Poor | August week 4: Poor | September week 4: Poor | October week 4: Poor | November week 4: Poor | December week 4: Poor |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: fourth of April
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 27 °C | 1.3 m | 27 km/h | 60% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.1 m | 27 km/h | 62% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.4 m | 28 km/h | 60% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.5 m | 29 km/h | 54% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 27 °C | 1.3 m | 30 km/h | 52% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.4 m | 30 km/h | 51% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 27 °C | 1.4 m | 31 km/h | 45% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 27 °C | 1.3 m | 31 km/h | 37% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 27 °C | 1.2 m | 29 km/h | 40% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.1 m | 28 km/h | 40% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.3 m | 29 km/h | 36% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 28 °C | 1.5 m | 30 km/h | 30% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 28 °C | 1.6 m | 30 km/h | 26% |
| Week 2 | Good | 28 °C | 1.5 m | 30 km/h | 28% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 28 °C | 1.3 m | 30 km/h | 29% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 28 °C | 1.2 m | 30 km/h | 29% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.2 m | 30 km/h | 30% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.2 m | 29 km/h | 30% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 30 km/h | 36% |
| Week 4 | Good | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 30 km/h | 49% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 30 km/h | 59% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 30 km/h | 73% |
| Week 3 | Good | 29 °C | 1.5 m | 32 km/h | 81% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 32 km/h | 81% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 32 km/h | 80% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 32 km/h | 78% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 31 km/h | 73% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 30 km/h | 75% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 30 °C | 1.2 m | 29 km/h | 81% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.1 m | 29 km/h | 80% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.1 m | 28 km/h | 84% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.0 m | 27 km/h | 86% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 30 °C | 0.9 m | 26 km/h | 85% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 30 °C | 0.8 m | 25 km/h | 86% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 30 °C | 0.8 m | 24 km/h | 87% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 30 °C | 0.8 m | 23 km/h | 88% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 30 °C | 0.8 m | 23 km/h | 83% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.0 m | 23 km/h | 81% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.1 m | 24 km/h | 82% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.0 m | 26 km/h | 79% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.1 m | 25 km/h | 79% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.2 m | 24 km/h | 81% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.1 m | 25 km/h | 78% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.1 m | 25 km/h | 73% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.4 m | 25 km/h | 71% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.4 m | 27 km/h | 75% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.2 m | 28 km/h | 79% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.3 m | 28 km/h | 69% |
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: skin | May: skin | June: skin | July: skin | August: skin | September: skin | October: skin | November: skin | December: skin |
- Jan–Mar3 mm full suit
- Apr–Decskin 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
6 of the last 30 Octobers saw a tropical storm pass within 250 km. Anything has been recorded May–Jun, Aug–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
Gladden Spit, Belize marine life — what you'll see diving
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spotted eagle ray | All year | Near-guaranteed | 150 | ||
| Nurse shark | All year | Near-guaranteed | 132 | ||
| Southern stingray | All year | Near-guaranteed | 111 | ||
| Hawksbill turtle | All year | Likely | 28 | ||
| Manatee | Jan–Mar | Likely | 30 | ||
| Nassau grouper | All year | Likely | 19 | ||
| Bottlenose dolphin | Dec–Feb | Likely | 16 | ||
| Green turtle | Sep, Nov | Hit-or-miss | 13 | ||
| Whale shark | Mar, May | Likely | 11 | ||
| Loggerhead turtle | Mar, May–Jun, Dec | Likely | 25 |
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 Gladden Spit, Belize — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Gladden Spit, Belize?
- Go March to May. Conditions are at their best and the whale shark season is on.
- When is the diving season in Gladden Spit, Belize?
- The diving season in Gladden Spit, Belize runs January to May, and it is at its best March to May.
- Is the diving in Gladden Spit, Belize 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 Gladden Spit, Belize?
- Between 27 and 30 °C at the surface across the year, coldest in February and warmest in September. It runs cooler below the thermocline.
- What wetsuit do I need in Gladden Spit, Belize?
- 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 Gladden Spit, Belize?
- Roughly 15 to 30 m depending on the month. That is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a rather than measured in the water.
- What will I see diving Gladden Spit, Belize?
- The most consistently recorded species are Spotted eagle ray (near-guaranteed), Nurse shark (near-guaranteed) and Southern stingray (near-guaranteed), from 554 records within 60 km.
- Does Gladden Spit, Belize get tropical storms?
- Yes. Over 30 years of records a storm passed within 250 km in May–Jun, Aug–Nov, most often in October at 6 of 30 years.
- Is there current in Gladden Spit, Belize?
- The tide rises and falls 0.3 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 Gladden Spit, Belize?
- July–February are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive Gladden Spit, Belize?
- Mostly from day boats. Trips run through the season, Jan–May.