When is the best time to dive the Indian Ocean?

March. 5 of the 15 rated destinations are at their best then, and 5 months of the year are close behind.

What is the worst month to dive the Indian Ocean?

July, when only 1 of 15 is at their best. You can still dive: Nosy Be, North & Central Atolls, Maldives, Ponta do Ouro hold up best that month.

How warm is the water in the Indian Ocean?

Between 15 °C and 31 °C, depending where you go and when. That is a 7 mm semi-dry at the cold end and a skin or 3 mm shorty at the mildest. Those are surface numbers; it is cooler at depth.

Where can you dive the Indian Ocean year-round?

Aliwal Shoal. The weather barely changes across the year there, so pick your month on wildlife or on price.

What marine life can you see scuba diving in the Indian Ocean?

Sharks at 14 destinations, whale sharks at 8, rays at 5, seals and sea lions at 5 — those are the animals the Indian Ocean is known for. 46 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 the Indian Ocean?

besttimetodive.com logs 23 across 12 countries. Not an exhaustive list — these are the sites we hold verified data for.

Region

Best time to dive the Indian Ocean

23 scuba diving destinations across 12 countries, scored month by month from sea temperature, wave height, wind, rain and storm records. It spans a 7 mm semi-dry at one end of the region and a skin or 3 mm shorty at the other, so there is no single season.

Compare all 23 destinations →

Dive conditions · Indian Ocean

September

Conditions in September

GoodAmong this site's best monthsModerateWorkable, not the peakPoorOff seasonSame all yearNo month stands outClosedSeasonal closureNot ratedNo month ranking

Destinations

Across 12 countries

Marine species

Recorded within 60 km of a dive area

15–31 °C

Sea temperature

Monthly surface means, coldest to warmest

12/12

Months in season

Months at least one destination calls its best

Diving in the Indian Ocean month by month

Best March, hardest July

March is the strongest month in the Indian Ocean: 5 of the 15 rated destinations are at their peak. July is the thinnest, with 1. There is somewhere worth diving all year.

Month by month across the Indian Ocean: destinations in their best conditions, sea temperature and where to go
Month	In best conditions	Sea temperature	Where to go
January	4 of 15, 1 closed	19–29 °C	Watamu, North & Central Atolls, Maldives, West (Hikkaduwa), Sri Lanka
February	4 of 15, 1 closed	19–30 °C	North & Central Atolls, Maldives, West (Hikkaduwa), Sri Lanka, Watamu
March	5 of 15, 1 closed	17–30 °C	North & Central Atolls, Maldives, Watamu, West (Hikkaduwa), Sri Lanka
April	4 of 15, 1 closed	16–31 °C	North & Central Atolls, Maldives, Nosy Be, Seychelles
May	2 of 15, 1 closed	16–31 °C	Nosy Be, Ponta do Ouro, Reunion
June	3 of 15	16–30 °C	Nosy Be, North & Central Atolls, Maldives, Reunion
July	1 of 15	15–30 °C	Nosy Be, North & Central Atolls, Maldives, Ponta do Ouro
August	2 of 15, 1 closed	15–29 °C	Nosy Be, North & Central Atolls, Maldives, Reunion
September	3 of 15, 1 closed	15–29 °C	Nosy Be, North & Central Atolls, Maldives, Reunion
October	2 of 15, 1 closed	16–29 °C	Nosy Be, Watamu, Seychelles
November	4 of 15, 1 closed	17–29 °C	Nosy Be, Watamu, Mauritius
December	1 of 15, 1 closed	18–29 °C	Watamu, North & Central Atolls, Maldives, West (Hikkaduwa), Sri Lanka

"In best conditions" means the month ranks in the top third worldwide, not just against the rest of this region. Only the 15 rated destinations count towards it.

What you can see scuba diving in the Indian Ocean

46 species recorded

Sharksat 14 destinationsTiger shark, Sand tiger shark, Blue shark

Whale sharksat 8 destinationsWhale shark

Raysat 5 destinationsReef manta, Oceanic manta

Seals and sea lionsat 5 destinationsCape fur seal, Leopard seal, Southern elephant seal

Schooling fishat 4 destinationsSailfish, Striped marlin, Sardine

Sunfishat 1 destinationOcean sunfish

Browse every species we track →

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 the Indian Ocean

23 places

Dive destinations in the Indian Ocean with their best months, conditions rating and headline marine life
Destination	Country / area	Best time	Conditions
Nosy Be	Madagascar	May–Sep	Good
North & Central Atolls, Maldives	Maldives	Jan–Apr	Good
Watamu	Kenya	Nov–Mar	Good
West (Hikkaduwa), Sri Lanka	Sri Lanka	Dec–Apr	Good
Seychelles	Seychelles	Feb–Apr	Good
Mauritius	Mauritius	Aug–Dec	Good
Reunion	Reunion	May–Sep	Good
Ponta do Ouro	Mozambique	May–Jul	Moderate
Cape Town / False BayThe sevengill cowsharks in the Castle Rock kelp	South Africa	Dec–Apr	Poor
Sardine RunThe bait balls, and the dolphins, Bryde's whales and bronze whalers working them	South Africa	Jun–Jul	Poor
GansbaaiWhite shark cage diving — though the sharks have been largely absent since 2017	South Africa	Dec–Apr	Poor
Protea Banks	South Africa	Jan–May	Poor
Baa / Hanifaru, MaldivesReef manta	Maldives	Sep–Nov	Moderate
TofoWhale shark	Mozambique	Oct–Feb	Moderate
Aliwal ShoalSand tiger shark	South Africa	Any month	Same all year
Andaman Islands	India	Dec–Apr	Not rated
Comoros	Comoros	Aug–Dec	Not rated
East (Trincomalee), Sri Lanka	Sri Lanka	May–Sep	Not rated
FuvahmulahTiger shark	Maldives	Jan–Apr	Not rated
Lakshadweep	India	Dec–Apr	Not rated
Mafia Island	Tanzania	Nov–Mar	Not rated
South (Addu / Laamu), Maldives	Maldives	Jan–Apr	Not rated
Zanzibar	Tanzania	Nov–Mar	Not rated

Whale sharksRaysSharksSeals and sea lionsSunfishSchooling fish

Best-scoring first. Rating a place against the rest of the world needs enough marine life recorded nearby, and 8 of these 23 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 the Indian Ocean

2 with more than one site

Maldives

3 dive areasBaa / Hanifaru · North & Central Atolls · South (Addu / Laamu)

Sri Lanka

2 dive areasEast (Trincomalee) · West (Hikkaduwa)

Diving in the Indian Ocean: common questions

When is the best time to dive the Indian Ocean?: March. 5 of the 15 rated destinations are at their best then, and 5 months of the year are close behind.
What is the worst month to dive the Indian Ocean?: July, when only 1 of 15 is at their best. You can still dive: Nosy Be, North & Central Atolls, Maldives, Ponta do Ouro hold up best that month.
How warm is the water in the Indian Ocean?: Between 15 °C and 31 °C, depending where you go and when. That is a 7 mm semi-dry at the cold end and a skin or 3 mm shorty at the mildest. Those are surface numbers; it is cooler at depth.
Where can you dive the Indian Ocean year-round?: Aliwal Shoal. The weather barely changes across the year there, so pick your month on wildlife or on price.
What marine life can you see scuba diving in the Indian Ocean?: Sharks at 14 destinations, whale sharks at 8, rays at 5, seals and sea lions at 5 — those are the animals the Indian Ocean is known for. 46 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 the Indian Ocean?: besttimetodive.com logs 23 across 12 countries. Not an exhaustive list — these are the sites we hold verified data for.