Best time to dive Europe & Atlantic
31 scuba diving destinations across 16 countries, scored month by month from sea temperature, wave height, wind, rain and storm records. It spans a drysuit at one end of the region and a 3 mm full suit at the other, so there is no single season.
Compare all 31 destinations →Across 16 countries
Recorded within 60 km of a dive area
Monthly surface means, coldest to warmest
Months at least one destination calls its best
Diving in Europe & Atlantic month by month
August is the strongest month in Europe & Atlantic: 12 of the 21 rated destinations are at their peak. January is the thinnest, with 1. There is somewhere worth diving all year.
| Month | In best conditions | Sea temperature | Where to go |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1 of 21 | 4–29 °C | Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Costa Brava / Medes, Elba |
| February | 2 of 21 | 3–29 °C | Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Ibiza / Formentera, Elba |
| March | 1 of 21 | 3–29 °C | Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Farne Islands, Elba |
| April | 2 of 21 | 4–29 °C | Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Elba, Farne Islands |
| May | 9 of 21 | 5–29 °C | Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Elba, Costa Brava / Medes |
| June | 11 of 21 | 8–27 °C | Elba, Greece, Lanzarote, Canary Islands |
| July | 10 of 21 | 11–27 °C | Ibiza / Formentera, Elba, Portofino / Ligurian Sea |
| August | 12 of 21 | 11–28 °C | Elba, Greece, Menorca |
| September | 10 of 21 | 10–28 °C | Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Madeira, Elba |
| October | 5 of 21 | 9–27 °C | Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Ibiza / Formentera, Elba |
| November | 3 of 21 | 8–28 °C | Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Costa Brava / Medes |
| December | 3 of 21 | 6–28 °C | Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Costa Brava / Medes, Ibiza / Formentera |
"In best conditions" means the month ranks in the top third worldwide, not just against the rest of this region. Only the 21 rated destinations count towards it.
What you can see scuba diving in Europe & Atlantic
Counted from OBIS records within 60 km of each dive area. Presence-only data: an animal absent from a month may simply not have been logged there.
Every dive destination in Europe & Atlantic
| Destination | Country / area | Best time | Conditions | What you'll see |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ibiza / Formentera | Spain | May–Sep | Good | |
| Elba | Italy | May–Sep | Good | |
| Portofino / Ligurian Sea | Italy | Jun–Sep | Good | |
| MenorcaThe caves and rocky reefs of the north coast | Spain | Jul | Good | |
| Greece | Greece | May–Sep | Good | |
| Madeira | Portugal | May–Sep | Good | |
| Lanzarote, Canary Islands | Spain | Sep–Oct | Good | |
| Costa Brava / Medes | Spain | May–Sep | Good | |
| Gran Canaria, Canary Islands | Spain | Sep–Jan | Good | |
| Sardinia | Italy | May–Sep | Good | |
| Tenerife, Canary Islands | Spain | Sep–Nov | Good | |
| Cape VerdeThe reefs and wrecks off Santa Maria, and the lemon sharks in the shallows | Cape Verde | Jul–Aug | Good | |
| Farne Islands | UK | May–Sep | Good | |
| Scapa FlowThe scuttled German High Seas Fleet | Scotland | Apr–Aug | Moderate | |
| Santa Maria, Azores | Portugal | May–Sep | Moderate | |
| Cornwall | UK | May–Sep | Moderate | |
| French Riviera / Corsica | France | May–Sep | Good | |
| Sesimbra / Berlengas | Portugal | May–Sep | Poor | |
| AzoresThe Mobula tarapacana that school over the seamount in summer | Portugal | Jul–Aug | Moderate | |
| IrelandBasking shark | Ireland | Jun | Poor | |
| Lofoten / Skjervoy orcasOrca | Norway | Nov–Dec | Poor | |
| Croatia | Croatia | Jun–Sep | Not rated | |
| El Hierro, Canary Islands | Spain | Jun–Oct | Not rated | |
| Kas | Turkey | Jun–Oct | Not rated | |
| Mallorca | Spain | May–Sep | Not rated | |
| Malta / GozoThe Um El Faroud and P29 wrecks, and the Blue Hole | Malta | May–Sep | Not rated | |
| Narvik wrecksThe WWII wrecks of Narvik fjord | Norway | Apr–Aug | Not rated | |
| Sao Tome | Sao Tome | Feb–Jun | Not rated | |
| Sicily / Ustica | Italy | May–Sep | Not rated | |
| SilfraThe continental rift, and 100 m visibility | Iceland | May–Sep | Not rated | |
| Zenobia | Cyprus | Jun–Oct | Not rated |
Best-scoring first. Rating a place against the rest of the world needs enough marine life recorded nearby, and 10 of these 31 do not have it yet — those read "Not rated" and are listed after, alphabetically. Their months, temperatures and sea state are measured the same way as everywhere else.
Dive areas in Europe & Atlantic
Diving in Europe & Atlantic: common questions
- When is the best time to dive Europe & Atlantic?
- August. 12 of the 21 rated destinations are at their best then, and 4 months of the year are close behind.
- What is the worst month to dive Europe & Atlantic?
- January, when only 1 of 21 is at their best. You can still dive: Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Costa Brava / Medes, Elba hold up best that month.
- How warm is the water in Europe & Atlantic?
- Between 3 °C and 29 °C, depending where you go and when. That is a drysuit at the cold end and a 3 mm full suit at the mildest. Those are surface numbers; it is cooler at depth.
- What marine life can you see scuba diving in Europe & Atlantic?
- Sharks at 13 destinations, sunfish at 8, rays at 6, seals and sea lions at 5 — those are the animals Europe & Atlantic is known for. 23 species in all have been recorded near a dive area. The records only show what people logged, so a quiet month may just mean nobody logged a record.
- How many dive destinations are there in Europe & Atlantic?
- besttimetodive.com logs 31 across 16 countries. Not an exhaustive list — these are the sites we hold verified data for.