Caribbean
Best Time to Dive in Curacao
12.14°N 69.01°W
The wildlife shows no season worth planning around, so pick your month on the sea and the sky: November to March. Diving holds up from October to April.
- Best time
- Nov–Mar
- Water
- 27–29 °C
- Visibility
- 15–35 m
- Season runs
- Oct–Apr
- Dived from
- shore diving and day boat
- Tidal range
- 0.2–0.4 m
- Species logged
- 5
Worth knowing: 42% of days see seas over 1 m.
Where it is
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Curacao — 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 | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Poor | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Poor | Good | Good | Excellent |
| Water temp (°C) | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 |
| Visibility (m) | 20–30 | 15–25 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 25–35 | 25–35 | 20–30 |
| Marine life | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Busy | Busy | Busy | Steady | Steady |
| Best time | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season Nov–Mar
Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.
The Curacao diving season
May to September · Off season
5 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 28–29 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 10 days a month
Diving conditionsThe wind is up. It rains less.
October to April · Peak season
7 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 27–29 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 14 days a month
Diving conditionsIt rains more. The wind eases.
- Water temperature is satellite sea-surface temperature, so expect it cooler below the thermocline.
- Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a.
Curacao water temperature and weather
366 underwater observation records · 23 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Curacao 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
19
rough days a month
Seas top 1.0 m on 62% of days. Enough to cancel a shore entry
0
blowy days a month
Gusts over 40 km/h, about where a day boat stays in port
12
wet days a month
1 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1.5 m | 2% | 14 | 0 | 29 °C | 11.4 h |
| February | 1.5 m | 3% | 12 | 0 | 29 °C | 11.6 h |
| March | 1.5 m | 3% | 10 | 0 | 30 °C | 11.9 h |
| April | 1.4 m | 0% | 6 | 0 | 30 °C | 12.3 h |
| May | 1.6 m | 3% | 7 | 0 | 31 °C | 12.6 h |
| June | 1.6 m | 2% | 13 | 0 | 31 °C | 12.7 h |
| July | 1.5 m | 1% | 13 | 0 | 31 °C | 12.6 h |
| August | 1.3 m | 1% | 10 | 1 | 31 °C | 12.4 h |
| September | 1.2 m | 0% | 8 | 1 | 32 °C | 12.1 h |
| October | 1.3 m | 1% | 15 | 1 | 31 °C | 11.7 h |
| November | 1.4 m | 0% | 21 | 2 | 30 °C | 11.4 h |
| December | 1.3 m | 0% | 19 | 1 | 29 °C | 11.3 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: Excellent | February week 1: Good | March week 1: Excellent | April week 1: Moderate | May week 1: Poor | June week 1: Moderate | July week 1: Poor | August week 1: Poor | September week 1: Poor | October week 1: Excellent | November week 1: Excellent | December week 1: Excellent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Excellent | February week 2: Good | March week 2: Excellent | April week 2: Excellent | May week 2: Poor | June week 2: Poor | July week 2: Poor | August week 2: Poor | September week 2: Poor | October week 2: Excellent | November week 2: Moderate | December week 2: Excellent |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Good | February week 3: Good | March week 3: Good | April week 3: Excellent | May week 3: Poor | June week 3: Poor | July week 3: Poor | August week 3: Poor | September week 3: Moderate | October week 3: Moderate | November week 3: Good | December week 3: Excellent |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Excellent | February week 4: Excellent | March week 4: Good | April week 4: Good | May week 4: Moderate | June week 4: Poor | July week 4: Moderate | August week 4: Good | September week 4: Poor | October week 4: Moderate | November week 4: Excellent | December week 4: Excellent |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: fourth of February
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.3 m | 27 km/h | 53% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.4 m | 27 km/h | 47% |
| Week 3 | Good | 27 °C | 1.5 m | 29 km/h | 45% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.5 m | 29 km/h | 41% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 27 °C | 1.5 m | 29 km/h | 45% |
| Week 2 | Good | 27 °C | 1.6 m | 31 km/h | 47% |
| Week 3 | Good | 27 °C | 1.6 m | 30 km/h | 43% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.3 m | 28 km/h | 37% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.3 m | 28 km/h | 34% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.4 m | 30 km/h | 32% |
| Week 3 | Good | 27 °C | 1.6 m | 30 km/h | 31% |
| Week 4 | Good | 27 °C | 1.6 m | 30 km/h | 29% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 27 °C | 1.5 m | 31 km/h | 23% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.4 m | 31 km/h | 16% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.4 m | 30 km/h | 18% |
| Week 4 | Good | 27 °C | 1.3 m | 31 km/h | 22% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.6 m | 32 km/h | 24% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.6 m | 34 km/h | 23% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.6 m | 34 km/h | 20% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 28 °C | 1.5 m | 32 km/h | 24% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 28 °C | 1.5 m | 32 km/h | 28% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.6 m | 33 km/h | 39% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.6 m | 32 km/h | 50% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.6 m | 32 km/h | 47% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.6 m | 31 km/h | 45% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.5 m | 31 km/h | 46% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.4 m | 31 km/h | 40% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 28 °C | 1.4 m | 31 km/h | 35% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.3 m | 31 km/h | 36% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 30 km/h | 35% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 28 km/h | 33% |
| Week 4 | Good | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 28 km/h | 30% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 28 km/h | 26% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 26 km/h | 22% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.2 m | 26 km/h | 23% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.1 m | 25 km/h | 32% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.2 m | 24 km/h | 40% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.2 m | 25 km/h | 43% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 25 km/h | 46% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 24 km/h | 56% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 23 km/h | 63% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.5 m | 23 km/h | 69% |
| Week 3 | Good | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 24 km/h | 73% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 25 km/h | 68% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 28 °C | 1.3 m | 26 km/h | 61% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 28 °C | 1.3 m | 27 km/h | 57% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 28 °C | 1.3 m | 27 km/h | 60% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.3 m | 27 km/h | 64% |
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: 3 mm |
- Dec–Apr3 mm full suit
- May–Novskin 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 1.0 m.
Tides
Tropical storms
4 of the last 30 Septembers saw a tropical storm pass within 250 km. Anything has been recorded Jun–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
Curacao marine life — what you'll see diving
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green turtle | All year | Near-guaranteed | 222 | ||
| Hawksbill turtle | Aug–Oct | Likely | 90 | ||
| Spotted eagle ray | All year | Likely | 17 | ||
| Loggerhead turtle | Jul | Hit-or-miss | 12 | ||
| Southern stingray | Feb, Sep, Nov | Hit-or-miss | 9 |
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 Curacao — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Curacao?
- The wildlife shows no season worth planning around, so pick your month on the sea and the sky: November to March. Diving holds up from October to April.
- When is the diving season in Curacao?
- The diving season in Curacao runs October to April, and it is at its best November to March.
- Is the diving in Curacao good for beginners?
- Yes. It suits Open Water divers, so it works for a first trip after certification.
- How warm is the water in Curacao?
- Between 27 and 29 °C at the surface across the year, coldest in February and warmest in October. It runs cooler below the thermocline.
- What wetsuit do I need in Curacao?
- 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 Curacao?
- Roughly 15 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 Curacao?
- The most consistently recorded species are Green turtle (near-guaranteed), Hawksbill turtle (likely) and Spotted eagle ray (likely), from 366 records within 60 km.
- Does Curacao get tropical storms?
- Yes. Over 30 years of records a storm passed within 250 km in Jun–Nov, most often in September at 4 of 30 years.
- Is there current in Curacao?
- The tide rises and falls 0.4 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 Curacao?
- June–July, September are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive Curacao?
- Mostly from the shore and day boats. Trips run through the season, Oct–Apr.