Dominican Rep.
Best Time to Dive in Silver Bank
20.50°N 69.70°W
Closed May to December. Go February to March for humpback whale. The calmest water is April, outside their window.
- Best time
- Feb–Mar
- Water
- 26–29 °C
- Visibility
- 15–30 m
- Dived from
- liveaboard
- Tidal range
- 0.4–0.8 m
- Species logged
- 1
Where it is
222 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Silver Bank — 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 | Excellent | Excellent | Poor | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed |
| Water temp (°C) | 27 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 |
| Visibility (m) | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 20–30 | 20–30 |
| Marine life | Busy | Peak | Peak | Busy | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed |
| Best time | Peak | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season Feb–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 Silver Bank diving season
January to April · Shoulder season
4 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 26–27 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 9 days a month
Diving conditionsSwell is common, and crossings can be rough. It rains less.
May to December · Closed
8 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
The site is closed to diving in these months.
- Water temperature is satellite sea-surface temperature, so expect it cooler below the thermocline.
- Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a.
Silver Bank water temperature and weather
4,458 underwater observation records · 25 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Silver Bank 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
Rarely
rough enough to cancel
Seas top 2.5 m on 2% of days. Enough to cancel a liveaboard crossing
2
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 | 2.1 m | 12% | 11 | 1 | 26 °C | 10.9 h |
| February | 2.3 m | 10% | 9 | 1 | 26 °C | 11.3 h |
| March | 2.3 m | 7% | 7 | 2 | 26 °C | 11.9 h |
| April | 2.0 m | 5% | 9 | 1 | 26 °C | 12.5 h |
| May | 1.6 m | 3% | 13 | 2 | 27 °C | 13.0 h |
| June | 1.5 m | 2% | 10 | 1 | 28 °C | 13.2 h |
| July | 1.7 m | 5% | 14 | 2 | 29 °C | 13.1 h |
| August | 1.8 m | 6% | 14 | 2 | 29 °C | 12.7 h |
| September | 2.0 m | 4% | 16 | 2 | 29 °C | 12.1 h |
| October | 2.0 m | 3% | 18 | 4 | 29 °C | 11.5 h |
| November | 2.1 m | 6% | 16 | 4 | 28 °C | 11.0 h |
| December | 2.5 m | 9% | 13 | 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: Poor | February week 1: Excellent | March week 1: Excellent | April week 1: Poor | May week 1: Poor | June week 1: Poor | July week 1: Poor | August week 1: Poor | September week 1: Poor | October week 1: Poor | November week 1: Poor | December week 1: Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Poor | February week 2: Excellent | March week 2: Excellent | April week 2: Poor | May week 2: Poor | June week 2: Poor | July week 2: Poor | August week 2: Poor | September week 2: Poor | October week 2: Poor | November week 2: Poor | December week 2: Poor |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Moderate | February week 3: Excellent | March week 3: Good | April week 3: Poor | May week 3: Poor | June week 3: Poor | July week 3: Poor | August week 3: Poor | 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: Good | March week 4: Good | April week 4: Moderate | May week 4: Poor | June week 4: Poor | July week 4: Poor | August week 4: Poor | September week 4: Poor | October week 4: Poor | November week 4: Poor | December week 4: Poor |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: third of February
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.9 m | 30 km/h | 33% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 27 °C | 2.1 m | 29 km/h | 36% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 27 °C | 2.3 m | 31 km/h | 35% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 27 °C | 2.2 m | 32 km/h | 33% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 26 °C | 2.3 m | 33 km/h | 32% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 26 °C | 2.3 m | 34 km/h | 32% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 26 °C | 2.1 m | 34 km/h | 29% |
| Week 4 | Good | 26 °C | 2.0 m | 33 km/h | 30% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 26 °C | 2.2 m | 32 km/h | 29% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 26 °C | 2.3 m | 31 km/h | 24% |
| Week 3 | Good | 26 °C | 2.2 m | 31 km/h | 19% |
| Week 4 | Good | 26 °C | 2.2 m | 32 km/h | 20% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 26 °C | 2.2 m | 32 km/h | 21% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 27 °C | 2.0 m | 31 km/h | 27% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 27 °C | 2.0 m | 31 km/h | 32% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 27 °C | 2.0 m | 31 km/h | 38% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.8 m | 31 km/h | 40% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.6 m | 31 km/h | 32% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.6 m | 31 km/h | 37% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.4 m | 31 km/h | 51% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.4 m | 31 km/h | 44% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.5 m | 32 km/h | 30% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.5 m | 32 km/h | 30% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.6 m | 32 km/h | 36% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.7 m | 32 km/h | 39% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.7 m | 33 km/h | 45% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.7 m | 33 km/h | 47% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.7 m | 32 km/h | 46% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.6 m | 32 km/h | 46% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.7 m | 31 km/h | 44% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 29 °C | 2.0 m | 31 km/h | 47% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.9 m | 30 km/h | 44% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.8 m | 27 km/h | 44% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 2.1 m | 27 km/h | 50% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 30 °C | 2.1 m | 27 km/h | 56% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 2.0 m | 27 km/h | 57% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.9 m | 28 km/h | 57% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.8 m | 27 km/h | 57% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.9 m | 27 km/h | 57% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 2.4 m | 28 km/h | 61% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 2.3 m | 29 km/h | 64% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 2.2 m | 30 km/h | 60% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 2.1 m | 29 km/h | 51% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 28 °C | 2.0 m | 28 km/h | 46% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 28 °C | 2.3 m | 28 km/h | 43% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 28 °C | 2.5 m | 31 km/h | 45% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 2.5 m | 32 km/h | 44% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 27 °C | 2.3 m | 31 km/h | 35% |
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: 3 mm | June: skin | July: skin | August: skin | September: skin | October: skin | November: skin | December: skin |
- Jan–May3 mm full suit
- Jun–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 2.5 m.
Tides
Tropical storms
13 of the last 30 Augusts saw a tropical storm pass within 250 km. Anything has been recorded Jul–Dec.
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
Silver Bank marine life — what you'll see diving
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humpback whale | Feb–Mar | Near-guaranteed | 4443 |
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 Silver Bank — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Silver Bank?
- Closed May to December. Go February to March for humpback whale. The calmest water is April, outside their window.
- When is the diving season in Silver Bank?
- Conditions are good April, but most divers come February to March for the marine life.
- Is the diving in Silver Bank good for beginners?
- Yes. It is known as a snorkelling site as much as a dive site, so no experience is needed to get in the water.
- How warm is the water in Silver Bank?
- Between 26 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 Silver Bank?
- 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 Silver Bank?
- 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 Silver Bank?
- The most consistently recorded species are Humpback whale (near-guaranteed), from 4,458 records within 60 km.
- Does Silver Bank get tropical storms?
- Yes. Over 30 years of records a storm passed within 250 km in Jul–Dec, most often in August at 13 of 30 years.
- Is there current in Silver Bank?
- The tide rises and falls 0.8 m around the full and new moon, against 0.4 m in between. How much of that becomes current depends on the shape of the channel.
- When should I avoid Silver Bank?
- The site is closed May–Dec. April–January are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive Silver Bank?
- Mostly from liveaboards. Trips run through the season, Apr.