South Africa
Best Time to Dive in Cape Town / False Bay
34.15°S 18.45°E
You come for the sevengill cowsharks in the Castle Rock kelp. Nothing about it runs to a calendar, so it comes down to the weather: go December to April. The full season runs September to April.
- Best time
- Dec–Apr
- Water
- 15–19 °C
- Visibility
- 0–15 m
- Season runs
- Sep–Apr
- Dived from
- day boat and shore diving
- Tidal range
- 0.6–1.6 m
- Species logged
- 14
Worth knowing: 84% of days see seas over 1.5 m.
Where it is
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Cape Town / False Bay — 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 | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Moderate | Poor | Poor | Poor | Good | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
| Water temp (°C) | 19 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| Visibility (m) | 0–10 | 0–10 | 0–10 | 0–10 | 0–10 | 0–10 | 0–10 | 5–15 | 0–10 | 0–10 | 0–10 | 0–10 |
| 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 Dec–Apr
Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.
The Cape Town / False Bay diving season
May · Shoulder season
1 monthJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 16–16 °C
- Rain
- 7 days a month
Diving conditionsThe wind eases.
Marine lifeCape fur seal (near-guaranteed) peaks at Cape Town / False Bay in these months.
June to August · Off season
3 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 15–16 °C
- Rain
- 11 days a month
Diving conditionsIt rains more.
Marine lifeCape fur seal (near-guaranteed), Leopard seal (hit-or-miss), Southern elephant seal (hit-or-miss), Basking shark (hit-or-miss) peak at Cape Town / False Bay in these months.
September to April · Peak season
8 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 15–19 °C
- Rain
- 6 days a month
Diving conditionsThe wind is up. It rains less.
Marine lifeCape fur seal (near-guaranteed), Bronze whaler (hit-or-miss), Southern elephant seal (hit-or-miss), Basking shark (hit-or-miss) peak at Cape Town / False Bay in these months.
- Spring tides run 1.6 m against 0.6 m on neaps, so currents build around the full and new moon.
- Water temperature is satellite sea-surface temperature, so expect it cooler below the thermocline.
- Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a.
Cape Town / False Bay water temperature and weather
9,930 underwater observation records · 32 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Cape Town / False Bay 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
25
rough days a month
Seas top 1.5 m on 84% of days. Enough to cancel a day boat
4
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 | 2.5 m | 25% | 4 | 0 | 24 °C | 14.0 h |
| February | 2.5 m | 16% | 3 | 0 | 24 °C | 13.2 h |
| March | 2.6 m | 15% | 5 | 1 | 22 °C | 12.3 h |
| April | 2.8 m | 11% | 5 | 1 | 21 °C | 11.1 h |
| May | 3.1 m | 7% | 7 | 2 | 19 °C | 10.2 h |
| June | 3.5 m | 14% | 11 | 4 | 17 °C | 9.7 h |
| July | 3.9 m | 11% | 11 | 2 | 16 °C | 9.9 h |
| August | 3.8 m | 12% | 10 | 2 | 16 °C | 10.7 h |
| September | 3.4 m | 11% | 9 | 1 | 17 °C | 11.8 h |
| October | 2.6 m | 18% | 7 | 0 | 20 °C | 12.9 h |
| November | 2.4 m | 20% | 5 | 1 | 21 °C | 13.8 h |
| December | 2.5 m | 18% | 6 | 1 | 22 °C | 14.3 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: Excellent | March week 1: Excellent | April week 1: Good | May week 1: Good | June week 1: Moderate | July week 1: Poor | August week 1: Moderate | September week 1: Moderate | October week 1: Good | November week 1: Good | December week 1: Excellent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Excellent | February week 2: Excellent | March week 2: Excellent | April week 2: Excellent | May week 2: Good | June week 2: Poor | July week 2: Poor | August week 2: Poor | September week 2: Moderate | October week 2: Excellent | November week 2: Excellent | December week 2: Excellent |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Good | February week 3: Excellent | March week 3: Excellent | April week 3: Excellent | May week 3: Moderate | June week 3: Poor | July week 3: Moderate | August week 3: Poor | September week 3: Good | October week 3: Excellent | November week 3: Excellent | December week 3: Good |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Good | February week 4: Excellent | March week 4: Good | April week 4: Good | May week 4: Poor | June week 4: Poor | July week 4: Moderate | August week 4: Poor | September week 4: Excellent | October week 4: Excellent | November week 4: Excellent | December week 4: Excellent |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: first of January
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 19 °C | 2.4 m | 31 km/h | 13% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 19 °C | 2.4 m | 33 km/h | 12% |
| Week 3 | Good | 19 °C | 2.8 m | 32 km/h | 14% |
| Week 4 | Good | 19 °C | 2.7 m | 32 km/h | 14% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 19 °C | 2.5 m | 33 km/h | 12% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 19 °C | 2.6 m | 33 km/h | 10% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 19 °C | 2.5 m | 32 km/h | 12% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 18 °C | 2.4 m | 30 km/h | 11% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 18 °C | 2.5 m | 29 km/h | 15% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 18 °C | 2.7 m | 30 km/h | 15% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 17 °C | 2.6 m | 31 km/h | 13% |
| Week 4 | Good | 17 °C | 2.7 m | 30 km/h | 17% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 17 °C | 2.8 m | 29 km/h | 19% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 16 °C | 2.6 m | 27 km/h | 17% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 16 °C | 2.6 m | 26 km/h | 16% |
| Week 4 | Good | 16 °C | 3.0 m | 25 km/h | 19% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 16 °C | 2.9 m | 24 km/h | 19% |
| Week 2 | Good | 16 °C | 3.1 m | 23 km/h | 17% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 16 °C | 3.2 m | 23 km/h | 22% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 16 °C | 3.1 m | 24 km/h | 30% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 16 °C | 3.2 m | 25 km/h | 32% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 16 °C | 3.3 m | 26 km/h | 36% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 15 °C | 3.6 m | 27 km/h | 39% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 15 °C | 3.6 m | 28 km/h | 42% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 15 °C | 3.8 m | 28 km/h | 43% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 15 °C | 4.1 m | 26 km/h | 38% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 15 °C | 3.7 m | 25 km/h | 32% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 15 °C | 3.6 m | 26 km/h | 28% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 15 °C | 3.8 m | 27 km/h | 28% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 15 °C | 3.8 m | 27 km/h | 34% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 15 °C | 3.8 m | 28 km/h | 38% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 15 °C | 3.8 m | 28 km/h | 35% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 15 °C | 3.5 m | 28 km/h | 32% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 15 °C | 3.5 m | 28 km/h | 30% |
| Week 3 | Good | 15 °C | 3.4 m | 28 km/h | 27% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 15 °C | 3.0 m | 28 km/h | 25% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 16 °C | 2.7 m | 29 km/h | 23% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 16 °C | 2.6 m | 30 km/h | 22% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 16 °C | 2.5 m | 30 km/h | 19% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 16 °C | 2.5 m | 32 km/h | 22% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 17 °C | 2.5 m | 33 km/h | 21% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 17 °C | 2.5 m | 32 km/h | 14% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 17 °C | 2.4 m | 32 km/h | 17% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 17 °C | 2.4 m | 31 km/h | 22% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 18 °C | 2.4 m | 31 km/h | 21% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 18 °C | 2.5 m | 31 km/h | 20% |
| Week 3 | Good | 18 °C | 2.6 m | 32 km/h | 18% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 18 °C | 2.5 m | 32 km/h | 16% |
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: 5 mm + | February: 5 mm + | March: 7 mm | April: 7 mm | May: 7 mm | June: 7 mm | July: 7 mm | August: 7 mm | September: 7 mm | October: 7 mm | November: 7 mm | December: 7 mm |
- Jan–Feb5 mm with hood and gloves
- Mar–Dec7 mm semi-dry
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
Cape Town / False Bay marine life — what you'll see diving
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape fur seal | All year | Near-guaranteed | 1480 | ||
| Humpback whale | Nov–Jan | Likely | 2397 | ||
| Common dolphin | All year | Likely | 49 | ||
| Yellowfin tuna | All year | Likely | 5580 | ||
| Shortfin mako | All year | Likely | 145 | ||
| Blue shark | All year | Likely | 77 | ||
| Great white shark | All year | Likely | 25 | ||
| Ocean sunfish | All year | Likely | 28 | ||
| Bronze whaler | Dec–Feb, Apr | Hit-or-miss | 24 | ||
| Leopard seal | Jul | Hit-or-miss | 12 | ||
| Orca | Apr–May | Hit-or-miss | 9 | ||
| Southern elephant seal | Feb–Mar, Jul | Hit-or-miss | 42 | ||
| Bottlenose dolphin | Apr, Sep | Hit-or-miss | 9 | ||
| Basking shark | Feb, Jul | Hit-or-miss | 8 |
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 Cape Town / False Bay — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Cape Town / False Bay?
- You come for the sevengill cowsharks in the Castle Rock kelp. Nothing about it runs to a calendar, so it comes down to the weather: go December to April. The full season runs September to April.
- When is the diving season in Cape Town / False Bay?
- The diving season in Cape Town / False Bay runs September to April, and it is at its best December to April.
- Is the diving in Cape Town / False Bay good for beginners?
- Not really. It is for experienced divers, so it is not a place to learn or to make your first dives after certification.
- How warm is the water in Cape Town / False Bay?
- Between 15 and 19 °C at the surface across the year, coldest in August and warmest in January. It runs cooler below the thermocline.
- What wetsuit do I need in Cape Town / False Bay?
- A 7 mm semi-dry covers the coldest water of the year. In the warmest months a 5 mm with hood and gloves is enough.
- What is the visibility like in Cape Town / False Bay?
- Roughly 0 to 15 m depending on the month. That is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a rather than measured in the water.
- What will I see diving Cape Town / False Bay?
- The most consistently recorded species are Cape fur seal (near-guaranteed), Humpback whale (likely) and Common dolphin (likely), from 9,930 records within 60 km.
- Does Cape Town / False Bay get tropical storms?
- No. None has passed within 250 km in 30 years of records.
- Is there current in Cape Town / False Bay?
- The tide rises and falls 1.6 m around the full and new moon, against 0.6 m in between. How much of that becomes current depends on the shape of the channel.
- When should I avoid Cape Town / False Bay?
- June–August are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive Cape Town / False Bay?
- Mostly from day boats and the shore. Trips run through the season, Sep–Apr.