Italy
Best Time to Dive in Sardinia
41.21°N 9.39°E
Plan for May to September once the water has warmed to 23 °C from 16. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month. Diving holds up from May to October.
- Best time
- May–Sep
- Water
- 14–26 °C
- Visibility
- 10–25 m
- Season runs
- May–Oct
- Dived from
- day boat
- Tidal range
- 0.2–0.3 m
- Species logged
- 5
Where it is
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Sardinia — 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 | Good | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Moderate | Poor | Poor |
| Water temp (°C) | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 18 | 22 | 25 | 26 | 24 | 21 | 19 | 16 |
| Visibility (m) | 10–20 | 10–20 | 10–20 | 10–20 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 10–20 | 10–20 |
| Marine life | Busy | Steady | Steady | Steady | Busy | Busy | Busy | Busy | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady |
| Best time | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season May–Sep
Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.
The Sardinia diving season
May to September · Peak season
5 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 18–26 °C
- Visibility
- 15–25 m
- Rain
- 4 days a month
Diving conditionsIt rains less. The sea is calmer.
Marine lifeGiant devil ray (hit-or-miss), Ocean sunfish (hit-or-miss) peak at Sardinia in these months.
October · Shoulder season
1 monthJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 21–21 °C
- Visibility
- 15–25 m
- Rain
- 8 days a month
Diving conditionsSeas stay mostly calm. It rains more.
November to April · Off season
6 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 14–19 °C
- Visibility
- 10–20 m
- Rain
- 9 days a month
Diving conditionsThe sea is rougher. It rains more.
Marine lifeOcean sunfish (hit-or-miss) peaks at Sardinia in these months.
- Water temperature is satellite sea-surface temperature, so expect it cooler below the thermocline.
- Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a.
Sardinia water temperature and weather
429 underwater observation records · 27 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Sardinia 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
4
rough days a month
Seas top 1.5 m on 13% 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
7
wet days a month
1 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2.2 m | 30% | 9 | 2 | 14 °C | 9.3 h |
| February | 1.8 m | 20% | 7 | 2 | 15 °C | 10.4 h |
| March | 1.6 m | 21% | 9 | 2 | 16 °C | 11.7 h |
| April | 1.8 m | 15% | 8 | 1 | 18 °C | 13.1 h |
| May | 1.3 m | 11% | 7 | 1 | 21 °C | 14.3 h |
| June | 1.1 m | 6% | 3 | 0 | 27 °C | 15.0 h |
| July | 1.3 m | 9% | 1 | 0 | 30 °C | 14.7 h |
| August | 1.3 m | 8% | 3 | 0 | 30 °C | 13.7 h |
| September | 1.3 m | 9% | 6 | 2 | 26 °C | 12.3 h |
| October | 1.5 m | 13% | 8 | 2 | 23 °C | 10.9 h |
| November | 2.1 m | 19% | 11 | 3 | 18 °C | 9.6 h |
| December | 2.0 m | 23% | 9 | 2 | 15 °C | 9.0 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: Poor | February week 1: Poor | March week 1: Poor | April week 1: Moderate | May week 1: Moderate | June week 1: Good | July week 1: Excellent | August week 1: Excellent | September week 1: Excellent | October week 1: Moderate | 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: Moderate | June week 2: Good | July week 2: Excellent | August week 2: Excellent | September week 2: Excellent | October week 2: Good | November week 2: Poor | December week 2: Poor |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Poor | February week 3: Poor | March week 3: Moderate | April week 3: Poor | May week 3: Good | June week 3: Excellent | July week 3: Excellent | August week 3: Excellent | September week 3: Good | October week 3: Good | November week 3: Poor | December week 3: Poor |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Poor | February week 4: Poor | March week 4: Moderate | April week 4: Moderate | May week 4: Excellent | June week 4: Excellent | July week 4: Good | August week 4: Good | September week 4: Moderate | October week 4: Poor | November week 4: Poor | December week 4: Moderate |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: second of August
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 15 °C | 2.0 m | 30 km/h | 26% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 15 °C | 2.3 m | 33 km/h | 35% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 14 °C | 2.1 m | 33 km/h | 34% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 14 °C | 1.6 m | 31 km/h | 26% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 14 °C | 1.6 m | 31 km/h | 23% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 14 °C | 1.8 m | 29 km/h | 25% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 14 °C | 1.7 m | 27 km/h | 23% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 14 °C | 1.8 m | 30 km/h | 29% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 14 °C | 1.8 m | 31 km/h | 38% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 14 °C | 1.7 m | 30 km/h | 30% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 14 °C | 1.5 m | 29 km/h | 25% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 14 °C | 1.6 m | 28 km/h | 25% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 14 °C | 1.7 m | 26 km/h | 26% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 15 °C | 2.0 m | 27 km/h | 26% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 15 °C | 1.9 m | 29 km/h | 26% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 16 °C | 1.6 m | 28 km/h | 24% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 16 °C | 1.4 m | 28 km/h | 21% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 17 °C | 1.2 m | 30 km/h | 23% |
| Week 3 | Good | 18 °C | 1.1 m | 28 km/h | 23% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 19 °C | 1.2 m | 25 km/h | 16% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 20 °C | 1.1 m | 24 km/h | 16% |
| Week 2 | Good | 21 °C | 1.1 m | 26 km/h | 13% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 22 °C | 1.2 m | 25 km/h | 7% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 23 °C | 1.2 m | 25 km/h | 6% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 24 °C | 1.3 m | 25 km/h | 4% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 24 °C | 1.1 m | 26 km/h | 3% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 25 °C | 1.1 m | 27 km/h | 4% |
| Week 4 | Good | 25 °C | 1.3 m | 27 km/h | 4% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 26 °C | 1.4 m | 25 km/h | 4% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 26 °C | 1.1 m | 23 km/h | 6% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 26 °C | 1.1 m | 23 km/h | 11% |
| Week 4 | Good | 25 °C | 1.2 m | 24 km/h | 14% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 25 °C | 1.4 m | 25 km/h | 15% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 25 °C | 1.3 m | 24 km/h | 17% |
| Week 3 | Good | 24 °C | 1.3 m | 25 km/h | 22% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 23 °C | 1.5 m | 26 km/h | 23% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 23 °C | 1.6 m | 27 km/h | 25% |
| Week 2 | Good | 22 °C | 1.3 m | 25 km/h | 30% |
| Week 3 | Good | 21 °C | 1.2 m | 24 km/h | 29% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 20 °C | 1.7 m | 25 km/h | 25% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 20 °C | 1.8 m | 24 km/h | 33% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 19 °C | 1.7 m | 25 km/h | 39% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 19 °C | 2.2 m | 27 km/h | 40% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 18 °C | 2.4 m | 29 km/h | 36% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 17 °C | 1.9 m | 30 km/h | 33% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 17 °C | 1.8 m | 28 km/h | 34% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 16 °C | 2.1 m | 27 km/h | 27% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 16 °C | 2.0 m | 28 km/h | 20% |
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: 7 mm | February: 7 mm | March: 7 mm | April: 7 mm | May: 7 mm | June: 5 mm + | July: 5 mm | August: 3 mm | September: 5 mm | October: 5 mm + | November: 5 mm + | December: 7 mm |
- Dec–May7 mm semi-dry
- Jun5 mm with hood and gloves
- Jul5 mm full suit
- Aug3 mm full suit
- Sep5 mm full suit
- Oct–Nov5 mm with hood and gloves
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
No tropical storm has come within 250 km in 30 years of records. Swell and wind set the season, not cyclones.
- 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
Sardinia marine life — what you'll see diving
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bottlenose dolphin | All year | Near-guaranteed | 282 | ||
| Loggerhead turtle | Jun–Jul | Likely | 31 | ||
| Giant devil ray | Aug | Hit-or-miss | 40 | ||
| Ocean sunfish | Jan, May | Hit-or-miss | 49 | ||
| Common dolphin | May, Oct | Hit-or-miss | 12 |
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 Sardinia — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Sardinia?
- Plan for May to September once the water has warmed to 23 °C from 16. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month. Diving holds up from May to October.
- When is the diving season in Sardinia?
- The diving season in Sardinia runs May to October, and it is at its best May to September.
- Is the diving in Sardinia good for beginners?
- Yes. It suits Open Water divers, so it works for a first trip after certification.
- How warm is the water in Sardinia?
- Between 14 and 26 °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 Sardinia?
- A 7 mm semi-dry covers the coldest water of the year. In the warmest months a 3 mm full suit is enough.
- What is the visibility like in Sardinia?
- Roughly 10 to 25 m depending on the month. That is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a rather than measured in the water.
- What will I see diving Sardinia?
- The most consistently recorded species are Bottlenose dolphin (near-guaranteed), Loggerhead turtle (likely) and Giant devil ray (hit-or-miss), from 429 records within 60 km.
- Does Sardinia get tropical storms?
- No. None has passed within 250 km in 30 years of records.
- Is there current in Sardinia?
- The tide rises and falls 0.3 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 Sardinia?
- November–March are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive Sardinia?
- Mostly from day boats. Trips run through the season, May–Oct.