Mexico Caribbean
Best Time to Dive in Cancun / Riviera Maya
21.06°N 86.77°W
Go June to August for whale shark. 17% of years see a tropical storm pass within 250 km then. The calmest water is January to May. The wider season runs December to May.
- Best time
- Jun–Aug
- Water
- 27–29 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Season runs
- Dec–May
- Dived from
- day boat
- Tidal range
- 0.1–0.3 m
- Species logged
- 11
Worth knowing: 17% of years see a tropical storm pass within 250 km.
Where it is
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Cancun / Riviera Maya — 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 | Poor | Poor | Poor | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor |
| Water temp (°C) | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 |
| Visibility (m) | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 |
| Marine life | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Peak | Peak | Peak | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady |
| Best time | Peak | Peak | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season Jun–Aug
Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.
The Cancun / Riviera Maya diving season
June to August · Peak season
3 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 28–29 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 16 days a month
Diving conditionsThe wind eases. The sea is calmer.
Marine lifeWhale shark (near-guaranteed) peaks at Cancun / Riviera Maya in these months.
September to May · Off season
9 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 27–29 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 14 days a month
Diving conditionsThe wind is up. The sea is rougher.
- Water temperature is satellite sea-surface temperature, so expect it cooler below the thermocline.
- Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a.
Cancun / Riviera Maya water temperature and weather
984 underwater observation records · 27 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Cancun / Riviera Maya 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
5
rough days a month
Seas top 1.5 m on 18% of days. Enough to cancel a day boat
0
blowy days a month
Gusts over 40 km/h, about where a day boat stays in port
15
wet days a month
2 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1.8 m | 0% | 14 | 1 | 26 °C | 10.9 h |
| February | 1.7 m | 0% | 11 | 1 | 27 °C | 11.3 h |
| March | 1.8 m | 0% | 10 | 1 | 28 °C | 11.9 h |
| April | 1.8 m | 0% | 8 | 1 | 29 °C | 12.5 h |
| May | 1.5 m | 0% | 14 | 2 | 30 °C | 13.0 h |
| June | 1.8 m | 0% | 19 | 5 | 30 °C | 13.3 h |
| July | 1.3 m | 0% | 14 | 1 | 31 °C | 13.2 h |
| August | 1.1 m | 0% | 17 | 3 | 31 °C | 12.7 h |
| September | 1.3 m | 0% | 20 | 4 | 31 °C | 12.1 h |
| October | 1.7 m | 1% | 21 | 5 | 30 °C | 11.5 h |
| November | 1.8 m | 0% | 15 | 4 | 28 °C | 11.0 h |
| December | 1.9 m | 0% | 14 | 2 | 27 °C | 10.7 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: Poor | February week 1: Poor | March week 1: Poor | April week 1: Poor | May week 1: Poor | June week 1: Good | July week 1: Excellent | August week 1: Good | September week 1: Poor | October week 1: Poor | November week 1: Moderate | December week 1: Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Poor | February week 2: Poor | March week 2: Poor | April week 2: Poor | May week 2: Poor | June week 2: Good | July week 2: Good | August week 2: Excellent | September week 2: Poor | October week 2: Poor | November week 2: Moderate | December week 2: Moderate |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Moderate | February week 3: Poor | March week 3: Poor | April week 3: Poor | May week 3: Moderate | June week 3: Excellent | July week 3: Good | August week 3: Excellent | 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: Poor | March week 4: Poor | April week 4: Poor | May week 4: Moderate | June week 4: Excellent | July week 4: Excellent | August week 4: Excellent | September week 4: Moderate | October week 4: Poor | November week 4: Moderate | December week 4: Poor |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: third of August
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.7 m | 19 km/h | 45% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.7 m | 19 km/h | 47% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 27 °C | 1.9 m | 20 km/h | 50% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 27 °C | 2.0 m | 20 km/h | 43% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.7 m | 19 km/h | 41% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.8 m | 20 km/h | 40% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.8 m | 20 km/h | 37% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.7 m | 20 km/h | 34% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.6 m | 20 km/h | 36% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.7 m | 21 km/h | 36% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.8 m | 21 km/h | 30% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.9 m | 21 km/h | 26% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.9 m | 21 km/h | 26% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.8 m | 21 km/h | 27% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.8 m | 20 km/h | 27% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.8 m | 19 km/h | 27% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.5 m | 20 km/h | 29% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.4 m | 20 km/h | 37% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 28 °C | 1.6 m | 20 km/h | 51% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 28 °C | 1.6 m | 20 km/h | 57% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 28 °C | 1.6 m | 19 km/h | 59% |
| Week 2 | Good | 28 °C | 1.6 m | 19 km/h | 63% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 28 °C | 1.9 m | 19 km/h | 64% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 29 °C | 2.0 m | 17 km/h | 55% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.8 m | 16 km/h | 46% |
| Week 2 | Good | 29 °C | 1.2 m | 16 km/h | 38% |
| Week 3 | Good | 29 °C | 1.1 m | 16 km/h | 42% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.2 m | 16 km/h | 52% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 16 km/h | 54% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.1 m | 15 km/h | 52% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.1 m | 15 km/h | 53% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.2 m | 16 km/h | 59% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.2 m | 15 km/h | 67% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.1 m | 14 km/h | 69% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.0 m | 14 km/h | 68% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 14 km/h | 71% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.5 m | 15 km/h | 75% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.6 m | 15 km/h | 69% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.7 m | 16 km/h | 62% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.8 m | 17 km/h | 60% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.9 m | 17 km/h | 58% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.9 m | 17 km/h | 59% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.8 m | 16 km/h | 48% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 28 °C | 1.8 m | 16 km/h | 38% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.8 m | 17 km/h | 41% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 28 °C | 2.0 m | 18 km/h | 44% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 2.0 m | 17 km/h | 44% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.9 m | 18 km/h | 44% |
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: skin | June: skin | July: skin | August: skin | September: skin | October: skin | November: skin | December: skin |
- Jan–Apr3 mm full suit
- May–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
9 of the last 30 Octobers saw a tropical storm pass within 250 km. Anything has been recorded May–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
Cancun / Riviera Maya marine life — what you'll see diving
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whale shark | Jun–Aug | Near-guaranteed | 270 | ||
| Green turtle | All year | Near-guaranteed | 249 | ||
| Southern stingray | All year | Near-guaranteed | 94 | ||
| Hawksbill turtle | All year | Near-guaranteed | 66 | ||
| Nurse shark | All year | Likely | 55 | ||
| Bull shark | Jan–Feb, Nov | Likely | 83 | ||
| Spotted eagle ray | All year | Likely | 66 | ||
| Loggerhead turtle | Jun–Aug | Likely | 30 | ||
| Bottlenose dolphin | All year | Likely | 21 | ||
| Nassau grouper | Jan, Apr, Aug | Hit-or-miss | 10 | ||
| Silky shark | Jan, Apr | Hit-or-miss | 10 |
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 Cancun / Riviera Maya — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Cancun / Riviera Maya?
- Go June to August for whale shark. 17% of years see a tropical storm pass within 250 km then. The calmest water is January to May. The wider season runs December to May.
- When is the diving season in Cancun / Riviera Maya?
- Conditions are good December to May, but most divers come June to August for the marine life.
- Is the diving in Cancun / Riviera Maya good for beginners?
- Yes. It suits Open Water divers, so it works for a first trip after certification.
- How warm is the water in Cancun / Riviera Maya?
- Between 27 and 29 °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 Cancun / Riviera Maya?
- 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 Cancun / Riviera Maya?
- Roughly 20 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 Cancun / Riviera Maya?
- The most consistently recorded species are Whale shark (near-guaranteed), Green turtle (near-guaranteed) and Southern stingray (near-guaranteed), from 984 records within 60 km.
- Does Cancun / Riviera Maya get tropical storms?
- Yes. Over 30 years of records a storm passed within 250 km in May–Nov, most often in October at 9 of 30 years.
- Is there current in Cancun / Riviera Maya?
- 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 Cancun / Riviera Maya?
- September–May are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive Cancun / Riviera Maya?
- Mostly from day boats. Trips run through the season, Dec–May.