Caribbean · Little Cayman
Best Time to Dive in Little Cayman, Cayman Islands
19.70°N 80.08°W
The wildlife shows no season worth planning around, so go when the weather is best: March to July. The wider season runs February to July.
- Best time
- Mar–Jul
- Water
- 27–30 °C
- Visibility
- 25–35 m
- Season runs
- Feb–Jul
- Dived from
- day boat
- Tidal range
- 0.2–0.3 m
- Species logged
- 6
Where it is
| Site | Best months |
|---|---|
| Grand Cayman | Jan–May |
| Little Cayman | Mar–Jul |
444 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Little Cayman, Cayman Islands — 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 | Moderate | Good | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Good | Moderate | Good | Moderate | Poor | Moderate |
| Water temp (°C) | 28 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 28 |
| Visibility (m) | 25–35 | 25–35 | 25–35 | 25–35 | 25–35 | 25–35 | 25–35 | 25–35 | 25–35 | 25–35 | 25–35 | 25–35 |
| Marine life | Busy | Steady | Steady | Busy | Busy | Steady | Busy | Steady | Busy | Busy | Steady | Busy |
| Best time | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season Mar–Jul
Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.
The Little Cayman, Cayman Islands diving season
February to August · Peak season
7 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 27–30 °C
- Visibility
- 25–35 m
- Rain
- 12 days a month
Diving conditionsThe wind eases.
September to January · Shoulder season
5 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 28–30 °C
- Visibility
- 25–35 m
- Rain
- 14 days a month
Diving conditionsRain is frequent topside. The wind is up.
- Water temperature is satellite sea-surface temperature, so expect it cooler below the thermocline.
- Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a.
Cayman Islands water temperature and weather
256 underwater observation records · 20 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Little Cayman, Cayman Islands 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
7
rough days a month
Seas top 1.5 m on 23% of days. Enough to cancel a day boat
3
blowy days a month
Gusts over 40 km/h, about where a day boat stays in port
12
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 | 20% | 8 | 0 | 27 °C | 10.9 h |
| February | 1.9 m | 12% | 7 | 0 | 27 °C | 11.4 h |
| March | 1.7 m | 12% | 7 | 0 | 27 °C | 11.9 h |
| April | 1.8 m | 6% | 8 | 0 | 27 °C | 12.5 h |
| May | 1.4 m | 1% | 15 | 3 | 28 °C | 12.9 h |
| June | 1.7 m | 2% | 14 | 3 | 29 °C | 13.2 h |
| July | 1.5 m | 2% | 13 | 1 | 30 °C | 13.1 h |
| August | 1.3 m | 2% | 16 | 3 | 30 °C | 12.7 h |
| September | 1.4 m | 3% | 16 | 3 | 30 °C | 12.1 h |
| October | 1.9 m | 10% | 20 | 5 | 29 °C | 11.5 h |
| November | 1.9 m | 13% | 15 | 4 | 28 °C | 11.0 h |
| December | 2.1 m | 20% | 9 | 1 | 27 °C | 10.8 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: Excellent | April week 1: Excellent | May week 1: Excellent | June week 1: Moderate | July week 1: Good | August week 1: Moderate | September week 1: Good | October week 1: Good | November week 1: Poor | December week 1: Good |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Moderate | February week 2: Moderate | March week 2: Excellent | April week 2: Excellent | May week 2: Excellent | June week 2: Moderate | July week 2: Excellent | August week 2: Moderate | September week 2: Excellent | October week 2: Good | November week 2: Poor | December week 2: Moderate |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Moderate | February week 3: Good | March week 3: Good | April week 3: Good | May week 3: Excellent | June week 3: Good | July week 3: Good | August week 3: Moderate | September week 3: Excellent | October week 3: Moderate | November week 3: Poor | December week 3: Poor |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Moderate | February week 4: Excellent | March week 4: Excellent | April week 4: Good | May week 4: Good | June week 4: Excellent | July week 4: Moderate | August week 4: Moderate | September week 4: Moderate | October week 4: Poor | November week 4: Moderate | December week 4: Moderate |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: first of April
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 28 °C | 1.8 m | 30 km/h | 27% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 28 °C | 1.7 m | 29 km/h | 30% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 27 °C | 1.9 m | 30 km/h | 27% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 27 °C | 2.0 m | 33 km/h | 24% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 27 °C | 2.0 m | 33 km/h | 26% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 27 °C | 1.9 m | 32 km/h | 25% |
| Week 3 | Good | 27 °C | 1.9 m | 31 km/h | 22% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.8 m | 30 km/h | 21% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.5 m | 29 km/h | 21% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.5 m | 28 km/h | 26% |
| Week 3 | Good | 27 °C | 1.6 m | 29 km/h | 28% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.8 m | 29 km/h | 19% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 28 °C | 1.8 m | 27 km/h | 16% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 28 °C | 1.8 m | 27 km/h | 22% |
| Week 3 | Good | 28 °C | 1.9 m | 28 km/h | 31% |
| Week 4 | Good | 28 °C | 1.7 m | 27 km/h | 37% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 28 °C | 1.5 m | 26 km/h | 41% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 24 km/h | 43% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 25 km/h | 46% |
| Week 4 | Good | 29 °C | 1.6 m | 27 km/h | 54% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.8 m | 26 km/h | 55% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.8 m | 27 km/h | 50% |
| Week 3 | Good | 29 °C | 1.7 m | 26 km/h | 46% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.6 m | 26 km/h | 40% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 30 °C | 1.6 m | 26 km/h | 40% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.5 m | 26 km/h | 39% |
| Week 3 | Good | 30 °C | 1.5 m | 25 km/h | 43% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 30 °C | 1.5 m | 26 km/h | 50% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 30 °C | 1.4 m | 26 km/h | 49% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 30 °C | 1.3 m | 26 km/h | 47% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 30 °C | 1.3 m | 25 km/h | 49% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 30 °C | 1.4 m | 24 km/h | 53% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 30 °C | 1.4 m | 23 km/h | 54% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.1 m | 22 km/h | 48% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.4 m | 22 km/h | 53% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 30 °C | 2.0 m | 23 km/h | 65% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 30 °C | 1.6 m | 25 km/h | 68% |
| Week 2 | Good | 30 °C | 1.4 m | 24 km/h | 66% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 30 °C | 1.8 m | 25 km/h | 61% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 30 °C | 2.2 m | 31 km/h | 61% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 2.2 m | 33 km/h | 60% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 2.0 m | 32 km/h | 55% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.8 m | 32 km/h | 46% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.8 m | 31 km/h | 33% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 28 °C | 2.0 m | 31 km/h | 24% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 28 °C | 2.1 m | 33 km/h | 28% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 2.1 m | 33 km/h | 35% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 28 °C | 2.0 m | 33 km/h | 27% |
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: skin | February: 3 mm | March: 3 mm | April: skin | May: skin | June: skin | July: skin | August: skin | September: skin | October: skin | November: skin | December: skin |
- Apr–Janskin or 3 mm shorty
- Feb–Mar3 mm full suit
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
5 of the last 30 Augusts 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
Little Cayman, Cayman Islands marine life — what you'll see diving
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nassau grouper | All year | Near-guaranteed | 123 | ||
| Hawksbill turtle | All year | Likely | 43 | ||
| Nurse shark | May, Jul, Sep | Likely | 18 | ||
| Southern stingray | May, Jul, Sep, Dec | Likely | 29 | ||
| Green turtle | Jan, Apr, Sep–Oct | Likely | 8 | ||
| Spotted eagle ray | Jan, May, 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 Little Cayman, Cayman Islands — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Little Cayman, Cayman Islands?
- The wildlife shows no season worth planning around, so go when the weather is best: March to July. The wider season runs February to July.
- When is the diving season in Little Cayman, Cayman Islands?
- The diving season in Little Cayman, Cayman Islands runs February to July, and it is at its best March to July.
- Is the diving in Little Cayman, Cayman Islands 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 Little Cayman, Cayman Islands?
- 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 Little Cayman, Cayman Islands?
- 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 Little Cayman, Cayman Islands?
- Roughly 25 to 35 m depending on the month. That is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a rather than measured in the water.
- What will I see diving Little Cayman, Cayman Islands?
- The most consistently recorded species are Nassau grouper (near-guaranteed), Hawksbill turtle (likely) and Nurse shark (likely), from 256 records within 60 km.
- Does Little Cayman, Cayman Islands get tropical storms?
- Yes. Over 30 years of records a storm passed within 250 km in Jul–Nov, most often in August at 5 of 30 years.
- Is there current in Little Cayman, Cayman Islands?
- The tide rises and falls 0.3 m around the full and new moon, against 0.2 m in between. How much of that becomes current depends on the shape of the channel.
- When should I avoid Little Cayman, Cayman Islands?
- November is the weakest month for conditions.
- How do you dive Little Cayman, Cayman Islands?
- Mostly from day boats. Trips run through the season, Feb–Jul.