Honduras
Best Time to Dive in Roatan
16.34°N 86.61°W
The best conditions run March to July, when the rain backs off — 9 wet days a month instead of 19. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month. The full season runs December to July.
- Best time
- Mar–Jul
- Water
- 27–30 °C
- Visibility
- 20–35 m
- Season runs
- Dec–Jul
- Dived from
- day boat and shore diving
- Tidal range
- 0.1–0.3 m
- Species logged
- 9
Worth knowing: 20% of days see seas over 1.5 m.
Where it is
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Roatan — 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 | Good | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Excellent | Moderate | Good | Poor | Moderate | Good |
| Water temp (°C) | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 28 |
| Visibility (m) | 20–30 | 20–30 | 25–35 | 25–35 | 25–35 | 25–35 | 20–30 | 25–35 | 25–35 | 25–35 | 20–30 | 20–30 |
| Marine life | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak |
| 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 Roatan diving season
September to November · Shoulder season
3 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 29–30 °C
- Visibility
- 25–35 m
- Rain
- 22 days a month
Diving conditionsSeas stay mostly calm. It rains more. The wind eases.
Marine lifeWhale shark (near-guaranteed) peaks at Roatan in these months.
December to August · Peak season
9 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 27–30 °C
- Visibility
- 25–35 m
- Rain
- 13 days a month
Diving conditionsRain is frequent topside. The wind is up. The sea is rougher.
Marine lifeWhale shark (near-guaranteed) peaks at Roatan in these months.
- Water temperature is satellite sea-surface temperature, so expect it cooler below the thermocline.
- Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a.
Roatan water temperature and weather
941 underwater observation records · 29 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Roatan 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
6
rough days a month
Seas top 1.5 m on 20% of days. Enough to cancel a day boat
5
blowy days a month
Gusts over 40 km/h, about where a day boat stays in port
15
wet days a month
4 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1.8 m | 16% | 18 | 5 | 27 °C | 11.1 h |
| February | 1.8 m | 24% | 13 | 2 | 27 °C | 11.5 h |
| March | 1.8 m | 27% | 9 | 2 | 27 °C | 11.9 h |
| April | 2.0 m | 29% | 6 | 1 | 28 °C | 12.4 h |
| May | 1.8 m | 31% | 4 | 0 | 29 °C | 12.8 h |
| June | 1.7 m | 34% | 10 | 2 | 29 °C | 13.0 h |
| July | 1.6 m | 17% | 16 | 1 | 29 °C | 12.9 h |
| August | 1.3 m | 14% | 16 | 2 | 29 °C | 12.6 h |
| September | 1.2 m | 5% | 18 | 3 | 29 °C | 12.1 h |
| October | 1.4 m | 5% | 23 | 10 | 29 °C | 11.6 h |
| November | 1.6 m | 5% | 23 | 9 | 28 °C | 11.2 h |
| December | 1.8 m | 9% | 23 | 7 | 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: Excellent | February week 1: Good | March week 1: Excellent | April week 1: Good | May week 1: Excellent | June week 1: Excellent | July week 1: Good | August week 1: Moderate | September week 1: Moderate | October week 1: Poor | November week 1: Moderate | December week 1: Good |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Excellent | February week 2: Good | March week 2: Excellent | April week 2: Good | May week 2: Excellent | June week 2: Excellent | July week 2: Excellent | August week 2: Moderate | September week 2: Good | October week 2: Poor | November week 2: Moderate | December week 2: Moderate |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Good | February week 3: Good | March week 3: Excellent | April week 3: Excellent | May week 3: Good | June week 3: Moderate | July week 3: Excellent | August week 3: Good | September week 3: Excellent | October week 3: Poor | November week 3: Moderate | December week 3: Good |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Moderate | February week 4: Excellent | March week 4: Good | April week 4: Excellent | May week 4: Good | June week 4: Moderate | July week 4: Excellent | August week 4: Moderate | September week 4: Excellent | October week 4: Poor | November week 4: Moderate | December week 4: Good |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: first of June
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.6 m | 30 km/h | 58% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.6 m | 30 km/h | 60% |
| Week 3 | Good | 27 °C | 1.9 m | 32 km/h | 55% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 27 °C | 2.0 m | 33 km/h | 52% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 27 °C | 1.8 m | 33 km/h | 49% |
| Week 2 | Good | 27 °C | 1.8 m | 35 km/h | 47% |
| Week 3 | Good | 27 °C | 1.9 m | 35 km/h | 45% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.8 m | 36 km/h | 36% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.7 m | 34 km/h | 32% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.7 m | 33 km/h | 31% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.8 m | 34 km/h | 29% |
| Week 4 | Good | 28 °C | 1.9 m | 37 km/h | 24% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 28 °C | 2.1 m | 38 km/h | 20% |
| Week 2 | Good | 28 °C | 2.1 m | 35 km/h | 22% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 28 °C | 1.7 m | 34 km/h | 22% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 28 °C | 1.7 m | 34 km/h | 16% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 28 °C | 1.7 m | 35 km/h | 13% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.8 m | 35 km/h | 15% |
| Week 3 | Good | 29 °C | 1.8 m | 36 km/h | 15% |
| Week 4 | Good | 29 °C | 1.7 m | 37 km/h | 16% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.6 m | 36 km/h | 19% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.7 m | 38 km/h | 26% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.9 m | 39 km/h | 35% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.8 m | 38 km/h | 44% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 29 °C | 1.7 m | 37 km/h | 50% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.6 m | 35 km/h | 51% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.5 m | 34 km/h | 49% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.6 m | 34 km/h | 53% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 34 km/h | 57% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 33 km/h | 49% |
| Week 3 | Good | 30 °C | 1.3 m | 32 km/h | 49% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 30 °C | 1.3 m | 32 km/h | 50% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 30 °C | 1.2 m | 32 km/h | 51% |
| Week 2 | Good | 30 °C | 1.2 m | 30 km/h | 59% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.2 m | 27 km/h | 66% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.1 m | 25 km/h | 69% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.2 m | 24 km/h | 70% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.4 m | 24 km/h | 73% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.6 m | 25 km/h | 77% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 27 km/h | 77% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 25 km/h | 75% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.7 m | 24 km/h | 78% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.6 m | 24 km/h | 79% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 28 °C | 1.5 m | 25 km/h | 74% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 28 °C | 1.8 m | 28 km/h | 75% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 28 °C | 1.8 m | 30 km/h | 77% |
| Week 3 | Good | 28 °C | 1.7 m | 29 km/h | 77% |
| Week 4 | Good | 28 °C | 1.7 m | 29 km/h | 65% |
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
8 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
Roatan marine life — what you'll see diving
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawksbill turtle | All year | Near-guaranteed | 105 | ||
| Whale shark | All year | Near-guaranteed | 414 | ||
| Spotted eagle ray | All year | Likely | 113 | ||
| Nassau grouper | All year | Likely | 63 | ||
| Southern stingray | All year | Likely | 44 | ||
| Spinner dolphin | Apr, Jun | Likely | 20 | ||
| Bottlenose dolphin | Mar, May, Jul, Sep | Hit-or-miss | 12 | ||
| Green turtle | Mar, Jun, Sep, Nov | Likely | 49 | ||
| Nurse shark | Mar–Apr, Jul, Dec | Likely | 44 |
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 Roatan — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Roatan?
- The best conditions run March to July, when the rain backs off — 9 wet days a month instead of 19. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month. The full season runs December to July.
- When is the diving season in Roatan?
- The diving season in Roatan runs December to July, and it is at its best March to July.
- Is the diving in Roatan good for beginners?
- Yes. It suits Open Water divers, so it works for a first trip after certification.
- How warm is the water in Roatan?
- 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 Roatan?
- 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 Roatan?
- Roughly 20 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 Roatan?
- The most consistently recorded species are Hawksbill turtle (near-guaranteed), Whale shark (near-guaranteed) and Spotted eagle ray (likely), from 941 records within 60 km.
- Does Roatan 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 8 of 30 years.
- Is there current in Roatan?
- 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 Roatan?
- October is the weakest month for conditions.
- How do you dive Roatan?
- Mostly from day boats and the shore. Trips run through the season, Dec–Jul.