Maldives
Best Time to Dive in Fuvahmulah
0.30°S 73.44°E
The wildlife is much the same all year (tiger shark), so go when the weather is best: January to April.
- Best time
- Jan–Apr
- Water
- 29–30 °C
- Visibility
- 20–35 m
- Dived from
- day boat
- Tidal range
- 0.4–1.1 m
- Species logged
- 2
Worth knowing: 49% of days see seas over 1.5 m.
Where it is
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Fuvahmulah — 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 | Good | Poor | Moderate | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Moderate |
| Water temp (°C) | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 |
| Visibility (m) | 20–30 | 25–35 | 25–35 | 25–35 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 25–35 | 25–35 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 |
| Marine life | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak |
| Best time | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season Jan–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 Fuvahmulah diving season
January to April · Peak season
4 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 29–30 °C
- Visibility
- 25–35 m
- Rain
- 14 days a month
Diving conditionsThe wind eases.
Marine lifeTiger shark (near-guaranteed) peaks at Fuvahmulah in these months.
May to October · Off season
6 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 29–30 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 16 days a month
Diving conditionsThe wind is up.
November to December · Shoulder season
2 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 29–29 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 19 days a month
Diving conditionsThe wind is up. It rains more.
Marine lifeTiger shark (near-guaranteed) peaks at Fuvahmulah in these months.
- Water temperature is satellite sea-surface temperature, so expect it cooler below the thermocline.
- Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a.
Fuvahmulah water temperature and weather
79 underwater observation records · 12 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Fuvahmulah 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
15
rough days a month
Seas top 1.5 m on 49% of days. Enough to cancel a day boat
0
blowy days a month
Gusts over 40 km/h, about where a day boat stays in port
15
wet days a month
5 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1.4 m | 0% | 15 | 4 | 28 °C | 12.0 h |
| February | 1.3 m | 0% | 13 | 3 | 29 °C | 12.0 h |
| March | 1.5 m | 1% | 11 | 3 | 29 °C | 12.0 h |
| April | 1.6 m | 0% | 16 | 5 | 29 °C | 12.0 h |
| May | 2.2 m | 6% | 20 | 9 | 29 °C | 12.0 h |
| June | 2.0 m | 0% | 10 | 2 | 29 °C | 12.0 h |
| July | 2.5 m | 0% | 17 | 4 | 29 °C | 12.0 h |
| August | 2.4 m | 0% | 15 | 4 | 29 °C | 12.0 h |
| September | 2.1 m | 1% | 13 | 5 | 29 °C | 12.0 h |
| October | 2.2 m | 4% | 17 | 5 | 28 °C | 12.0 h |
| November | 1.6 m | 3% | 19 | 7 | 28 °C | 12.0 h |
| December | 1.8 m | 1% | 19 | 7 | 28 °C | 12.0 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: Good | February week 1: Excellent | March week 1: Excellent | April week 1: Excellent | May week 1: Poor | June week 1: Moderate | July week 1: Moderate | August week 1: Poor | September week 1: Poor | October week 1: Poor | November week 1: Poor | December week 1: Moderate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Good | February week 2: Excellent | March week 2: Excellent | April week 2: Excellent | May week 2: Poor | June week 2: Good | July week 2: Poor | August week 2: Poor | September week 2: Moderate | October week 2: Poor | November week 2: Moderate | December week 2: Moderate |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Excellent | February week 3: Good | March week 3: Excellent | April week 3: Moderate | 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: Moderate | December week 3: Moderate |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Excellent | February week 4: Good | March week 4: Excellent | April week 4: Moderate | May week 4: Poor | June week 4: Moderate | July week 4: Poor | August week 4: Poor | September week 4: Poor | October week 4: Moderate | November week 4: Moderate | December week 4: Moderate |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: first of February
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 29 °C | 1.5 m | 20 km/h | 69% |
| Week 2 | Good | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 21 km/h | 53% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 22 km/h | 37% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 22 km/h | 33% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 21 km/h | 30% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 21 km/h | 38% |
| Week 3 | Good | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 20 km/h | 48% |
| Week 4 | Good | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 20 km/h | 50% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.4 m | 18 km/h | 35% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.4 m | 17 km/h | 30% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.5 m | 17 km/h | 41% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.5 m | 17 km/h | 41% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.6 m | 17 km/h | 39% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.5 m | 18 km/h | 47% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 30 °C | 1.6 m | 20 km/h | 56% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 30 °C | 1.8 m | 21 km/h | 65% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 30 °C | 2.1 m | 23 km/h | 78% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 30 °C | 2.2 m | 26 km/h | 77% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 30 °C | 2.1 m | 25 km/h | 59% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 30 °C | 2.0 m | 22 km/h | 45% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 30 °C | 2.0 m | 21 km/h | 34% |
| Week 2 | Good | 30 °C | 2.1 m | 19 km/h | 31% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 30 °C | 2.0 m | 18 km/h | 44% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 30 °C | 2.1 m | 17 km/h | 41% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 30 °C | 2.4 m | 17 km/h | 40% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 30 °C | 2.5 m | 19 km/h | 49% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 30 °C | 2.6 m | 20 km/h | 59% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 2.6 m | 20 km/h | 59% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 2.4 m | 19 km/h | 49% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 2.4 m | 19 km/h | 48% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 29 °C | 2.3 m | 20 km/h | 53% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 2.2 m | 20 km/h | 52% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 2.2 m | 21 km/h | 43% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 29 °C | 2.0 m | 21 km/h | 38% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 29 °C | 2.0 m | 21 km/h | 46% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 2.0 m | 23 km/h | 51% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 2.1 m | 24 km/h | 57% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 2.3 m | 26 km/h | 60% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 29 °C | 2.3 m | 24 km/h | 47% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 29 °C | 2.0 m | 23 km/h | 51% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.8 m | 24 km/h | 64% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.6 m | 25 km/h | 63% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.5 m | 26 km/h | 63% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.6 m | 25 km/h | 65% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.7 m | 24 km/h | 67% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.6 m | 23 km/h | 67% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.8 m | 21 km/h | 56% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.8 m | 20 km/h | 60% |
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: skin | February: skin | March: skin | April: skin | May: skin | June: skin | July: skin | August: skin | September: skin | October: skin | November: skin | December: skin |
One suit covers the whole year: a skin 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 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
Fuvahmulah marine life — what you'll see diving
Only 79 records have been logged within 60 km. A thin record is not an empty reef.
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tiger shark | Feb–Mar, Dec | Near-guaranteed | 23 | ||
| Hawksbill turtle | May, Sep–Dec | Likely | 10 |
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 Fuvahmulah — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Fuvahmulah?
- The wildlife is much the same all year (tiger shark), so go when the weather is best: January to April.
- When is the diving season in Fuvahmulah?
- The diving season in Fuvahmulah runs January to April.
- Is the diving in Fuvahmulah 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 Fuvahmulah?
- Between 29 and 30 °C at the surface across the year, coldest in December and warmest in April. It runs cooler below the thermocline.
- What wetsuit do I need in Fuvahmulah?
- A skin or 3 mm shorty covers the coldest water of the year. The same suit works all year.
- What is the visibility like in Fuvahmulah?
- Roughly 20 to 35 m depending on the month. That is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a rather than measured in the water.
- What will I see diving Fuvahmulah?
- The most consistently recorded species are Tiger shark (near-guaranteed) and Hawksbill turtle (likely), from 79 records within 60 km.
- Does Fuvahmulah get tropical storms?
- No. None has passed within 250 km in 30 years of records.
- Is there current in Fuvahmulah?
- The tide rises and falls 1.1 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 Fuvahmulah?
- May is the weakest month for conditions.
- How do you dive Fuvahmulah?
- Mostly from day boats. Trips run through the season, Jan–Apr.