USA
Best Time to Dive in Jupiter / Palm Beach
26.95°N 80.02°W
Go August to October for goliath grouper. 30% of days see seas over 1.5 m then. The calmest water is February to June. The wider season runs December to July.
- Best time
- Aug–Oct
- Water
- 24–30 °C
- Visibility
- 15–30 m
- Season runs
- Dec–Jul
- Dived from
- day boat
- Tidal range
- 0.7–1.2 m
- Species logged
- 5
Worth knowing: 30% of days see seas over 1.5 m.
Where it is
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Jupiter / Palm Beach — 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 | Poor | Poor | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Poor | Poor |
| Water temp (°C) | 25 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 |
| Visibility (m) | 15–25 | 15–25 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 |
| Marine life | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Busy | Busy | Busy | Steady | Steady |
| Best time | Peak | Peak | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season Aug–Oct
Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.
The Jupiter / Palm Beach diving season
August to October · Peak season
3 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 28–30 °C
- Visibility
- 15–25 m
- Rain
- 22 days a month
Diving conditionsIt rains more. The wind eases.
November to July · Off season
9 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 24–29 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 14 days a month
Diving conditionsIt rains less. 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.
Jupiter / Palm Beach water temperature and weather
9,986 underwater observation records · 29 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Jupiter / Palm Beach 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
9
rough days a month
Seas top 1.5 m on 29% 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
16
wet days a month
4 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2.1 m | 1% | 9 | 2 | 23 °C | 10.5 h |
| February | 2.2 m | 1% | 9 | 2 | 25 °C | 11.1 h |
| March | 2.0 m | 0% | 8 | 1 | 26 °C | 11.8 h |
| April | 1.9 m | 0% | 11 | 2 | 27 °C | 12.6 h |
| May | 1.4 m | 0% | 15 | 3 | 28 °C | 13.3 h |
| June | 1.3 m | 0% | 24 | 7 | 29 °C | 13.7 h |
| July | 0.8 m | 0% | 25 | 6 | 30 °C | 13.5 h |
| August | 1.4 m | 0% | 27 | 7 | 31 °C | 13.0 h |
| September | 2.0 m | 3% | 24 | 9 | 30 °C | 12.2 h |
| October | 2.5 m | 1% | 17 | 5 | 28 °C | 11.3 h |
| November | 2.7 m | 2% | 12 | 2 | 26 °C | 10.6 h |
| December | 2.4 m | 1% | 10 | 1 | 24 °C | 10.3 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: Poor | February week 1: Poor | March week 1: Poor | April week 1: Poor | May week 1: Poor | June week 1: Poor | July week 1: Poor | August week 1: Good | September week 1: Excellent | October week 1: Excellent | 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: Poor | July week 2: Poor | August week 2: Good | September week 2: Excellent | October week 2: Excellent | November week 2: Moderate | December week 2: Moderate |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Poor | February week 3: Poor | March week 3: Poor | April week 3: Poor | May week 3: Poor | June week 3: Poor | July week 3: Poor | August week 3: Excellent | September week 3: Excellent | October week 3: Excellent | November week 3: Moderate | December week 3: Moderate |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Poor | February week 4: Poor | March week 4: Poor | April week 4: Poor | May week 4: Poor | June week 4: Poor | July week 4: Poor | August week 4: Excellent | September week 4: Excellent | October week 4: Excellent | November week 4: Poor | December week 4: Poor |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: fourth of October
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 25 °C | 2.0 m | 20 km/h | 28% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 25 °C | 2.1 m | 20 km/h | 29% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 24 °C | 2.3 m | 21 km/h | 30% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 24 °C | 2.3 m | 22 km/h | 28% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 24 °C | 2.2 m | 21 km/h | 26% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 24 °C | 2.3 m | 21 km/h | 29% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 24 °C | 2.0 m | 21 km/h | 33% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 24 °C | 2.0 m | 21 km/h | 32% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 25 °C | 1.9 m | 21 km/h | 25% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 25 °C | 2.0 m | 22 km/h | 24% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 25 °C | 2.0 m | 21 km/h | 26% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 25 °C | 2.1 m | 21 km/h | 30% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 25 °C | 2.1 m | 21 km/h | 37% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 25 °C | 2.1 m | 21 km/h | 38% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 26 °C | 2.1 m | 21 km/h | 32% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 26 °C | 1.9 m | 21 km/h | 37% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 26 °C | 1.8 m | 20 km/h | 42% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.6 m | 20 km/h | 45% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.3 m | 20 km/h | 51% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.4 m | 19 km/h | 58% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.7 m | 18 km/h | 75% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.3 m | 17 km/h | 81% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.3 m | 17 km/h | 75% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.1 m | 15 km/h | 76% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 0.8 m | 15 km/h | 79% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 0.7 m | 16 km/h | 83% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 29 °C | 0.8 m | 16 km/h | 82% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 0.8 m | 16 km/h | 78% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 30 °C | 1.0 m | 16 km/h | 80% |
| Week 2 | Good | 30 °C | 1.1 m | 15 km/h | 84% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.5 m | 16 km/h | 86% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.8 m | 17 km/h | 88% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.6 m | 15 km/h | 85% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.6 m | 14 km/h | 84% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.8 m | 15 km/h | 80% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 29 °C | 2.7 m | 16 km/h | 72% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 29 °C | 3.0 m | 18 km/h | 69% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 29 °C | 2.6 m | 19 km/h | 59% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 28 °C | 2.6 m | 20 km/h | 49% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 28 °C | 2.5 m | 21 km/h | 47% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 28 °C | 2.6 m | 21 km/h | 47% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 27 °C | 2.9 m | 21 km/h | 48% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 27 °C | 2.7 m | 19 km/h | 39% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 27 °C | 2.0 m | 18 km/h | 26% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 26 °C | 2.0 m | 18 km/h | 24% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 26 °C | 3.1 m | 18 km/h | 32% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 26 °C | 3.3 m | 20 km/h | 35% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 25 °C | 2.0 m | 19 km/h | 28% |
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: 5 mm | February: 5 mm | March: 3 mm | April: 3 mm | May: 3 mm | June: skin | July: skin | August: skin | September: skin | October: skin | November: 3 mm | December: 3 mm |
- Jan–Feb5 mm full suit
- Mar–May3 mm full suit
- Jun–Octskin or 3 mm shorty
- Nov–Dec3 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
11 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
Jupiter / Palm Beach marine life — what you'll see diving
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manatee | Jan–Feb | Near-guaranteed | 92 | ||
| Goliath grouper | All year | Likely | 9639 | ||
| Green turtle | Apr–May | Hit-or-miss | 211 | ||
| Yellowfin tuna | Jun–Jul | Hit-or-miss | 8 | ||
| Loggerhead turtle | Jun–Jul, Nov | Hit-or-miss | 11 |
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 Jupiter / Palm Beach — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Jupiter / Palm Beach?
- Go August to October for goliath grouper. 30% of days see seas over 1.5 m then. The calmest water is February to June. The wider season runs December to July.
- When is the diving season in Jupiter / Palm Beach?
- Conditions are good December to July, but most divers come August to October for the marine life.
- Is the diving in Jupiter / Palm Beach 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 Jupiter / Palm Beach?
- Between 24 and 30 °C at the surface across the year, coldest in February and warmest in August. It runs cooler below the thermocline.
- What wetsuit do I need in Jupiter / Palm Beach?
- A 5 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 Jupiter / Palm Beach?
- 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 Jupiter / Palm Beach?
- The most consistently recorded species are Manatee (near-guaranteed), Goliath grouper (likely) and Green turtle (hit-or-miss), from 9,986 records within 60 km.
- Does Jupiter / Palm Beach get tropical storms?
- Yes. Over 30 years of records a storm passed within 250 km in Jun–Nov, most often in September at 11 of 30 years.
- Is there current in Jupiter / Palm Beach?
- The tide rises and falls 1.2 m around the full and new moon, against 0.7 m in between. How much of that becomes current depends on the shape of the channel.
- When should I avoid Jupiter / Palm Beach?
- November–July are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive Jupiter / Palm Beach?
- Mostly from day boats. Trips run through the season, Dec–Jul.