India
Best Time to Dive in Lakshadweep
10.58°N 72.65°E
Plan for December to April for the best conditions. We have no reliable wildlife season for this site. Diving holds up from November to April.
- Best time
- Dec–Apr
- Water
- 28–31 °C
- Visibility
- 15–30 m
- Season runs
- Nov–Apr
- Dived from
- day boat
- Tidal range
- 0.8–1.4 m
Where it is
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Lakshadweep — 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 | Moderate | Moderate | Excellent | Excellent |
| Water temp (°C) | 29 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 |
| Visibility (m) | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 20–30 | 20–30 |
| Marine life | No data | No data | No data | No data | No data | No data | No data | No data | No data | No data | No data | No data |
| 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 Lakshadweep diving season
May · Shoulder season
1 monthJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 31–31 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 16 days a month
Diving conditionsThe sea is rougher. It rains more.
June to August · Off season
3 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 28–30 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 24 days a month
Diving conditionsSwell is common, and crossings can be rough. The wind is up. It rains more.
September to October · Shoulder season
2 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 29–29 °C
- Visibility
- 15–25 m
- Rain
- 18 days a month
Diving conditionsIt rains more. The sea is rougher.
November to April · Peak season
6 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 29–31 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 6 days a month
Diving conditionsExpect some swell. The wind eases. It rains less.
- Water temperature is satellite sea-surface temperature, so expect it cooler below the thermocline.
- Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a.
Lakshadweep water temperature and weather
10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Lakshadweep 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
11
rough days a month
Seas top 1.5 m on 38% of days. Enough to cancel a day boat
2
blowy days a month
Gusts over 40 km/h, about where a day boat stays in port
13
wet days a month
4 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1.3 m | 0% | 5 | 1 | 28 °C | 11.4 h |
| February | 1.1 m | 0% | 2 | 0 | 28 °C | 11.7 h |
| March | 1.1 m | 0% | 3 | 0 | 29 °C | 11.9 h |
| April | 1.4 m | 0% | 7 | 1 | 30 °C | 12.2 h |
| May | 2.5 m | 8% | 16 | 6 | 30 °C | 12.5 h |
| June | 3.4 m | 15% | 26 | 10 | 29 °C | 12.6 h |
| July | 3.7 m | 20% | 24 | 8 | 28 °C | 12.6 h |
| August | 3.2 m | 10% | 21 | 7 | 28 °C | 12.4 h |
| September | 2.3 m | 3% | 19 | 5 | 28 °C | 12.1 h |
| October | 1.9 m | 3% | 17 | 6 | 28 °C | 11.8 h |
| November | 1.2 m | 1% | 12 | 3 | 29 °C | 11.5 h |
| December | 1.3 m | 1% | 9 | 2 | 28 °C | 11.4 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: Excellent | May week 1: Good | June week 1: Poor | July week 1: Poor | August week 1: Poor | September week 1: Poor | October week 1: Moderate | November week 1: Excellent | 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: Moderate | June week 2: Poor | July week 2: Poor | August week 2: Poor | September week 2: Moderate | October week 2: Moderate | November week 2: Excellent | December week 2: Excellent |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Excellent | February week 3: Excellent | March week 3: Excellent | April week 3: Excellent | May week 3: Poor | June week 3: Poor | July week 3: Poor | August week 3: Poor | September week 3: Moderate | October week 3: Moderate | November week 3: Excellent | December week 3: Excellent |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Excellent | February week 4: Excellent | March week 4: Excellent | April week 4: Excellent | May week 4: Poor | June week 4: Poor | July week 4: Poor | August week 4: Poor | September week 4: Moderate | October week 4: Moderate | November week 4: Excellent | December week 4: Excellent |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: first of April
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.2 m | 18 km/h | 20% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.2 m | 19 km/h | 18% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 19 km/h | 14% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.2 m | 18 km/h | 10% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.1 m | 19 km/h | 6% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.1 m | 19 km/h | 4% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.0 m | 18 km/h | 8% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.0 m | 19 km/h | 13% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.1 m | 18 km/h | 11% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.1 m | 18 km/h | 11% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.1 m | 18 km/h | 9% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.2 m | 18 km/h | 8% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.3 m | 17 km/h | 14% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.3 m | 17 km/h | 24% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 31 °C | 1.4 m | 17 km/h | 26% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 31 °C | 1.4 m | 18 km/h | 21% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 31 °C | 1.5 m | 19 km/h | 26% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 31 °C | 1.9 m | 20 km/h | 44% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 30 °C | 2.5 m | 24 km/h | 60% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 30 °C | 3.5 m | 28 km/h | 70% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 30 °C | 3.3 m | 30 km/h | 84% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 30 °C | 3.3 m | 32 km/h | 87% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 29 °C | 3.5 m | 35 km/h | 83% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 3.6 m | 35 km/h | 82% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 4.1 m | 35 km/h | 83% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 4.0 m | 36 km/h | 83% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 3.6 m | 36 km/h | 76% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 28 °C | 3.5 m | 34 km/h | 69% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 28 °C | 3.4 m | 32 km/h | 70% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 28 °C | 3.2 m | 32 km/h | 66% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 2.7 m | 30 km/h | 62% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 28 °C | 2.6 m | 30 km/h | 71% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 28 °C | 2.5 m | 30 km/h | 74% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 28 °C | 2.3 m | 28 km/h | 70% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 29 °C | 2.0 m | 27 km/h | 65% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 29 °C | 2.0 m | 25 km/h | 59% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 29 °C | 2.0 m | 23 km/h | 60% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.8 m | 22 km/h | 66% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 29 °C | 2.0 m | 20 km/h | 59% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 29 °C | 2.3 m | 17 km/h | 44% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.5 m | 16 km/h | 43% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.2 m | 17 km/h | 41% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.1 m | 17 km/h | 41% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.2 m | 18 km/h | 40% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.2 m | 20 km/h | 37% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 20 km/h | 35% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 18 km/h | 24% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.2 m | 18 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: 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
2 of the last 30 Mays saw a tropical storm pass within 250 km. Anything has been recorded May, Oct–Dec.
Share of the last 30 years with a storm that month.
- 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
Lakshadweep marine life — what you'll see diving
Only 0 records have been logged within 60 km. A thin record is not an empty reef.
No survey records within 60 km of this site.
- 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 Lakshadweep — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Lakshadweep?
- Plan for December to April for the best conditions. We have no reliable wildlife season for this site. Diving holds up from November to April.
- When is the diving season in Lakshadweep?
- The diving season in Lakshadweep runs November to April, and it is at its best December to April.
- Is the diving in Lakshadweep good for beginners?
- Yes. It suits Open Water divers, so it works for a first trip after certification.
- How warm is the water in Lakshadweep?
- Between 28 and 31 °C at the surface across the year, coldest in August and warmest in April. It runs cooler below the thermocline.
- What wetsuit do I need in Lakshadweep?
- 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 Lakshadweep?
- Roughly 15 to 30 m depending on the month. That is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a rather than measured in the water.
- Does Lakshadweep get tropical storms?
- Yes. Over 30 years of records a storm passed within 250 km in May, Oct–Dec, most often in May at 2 of 30 years.
- Is there current in Lakshadweep?
- The tide rises and falls 1.4 m around the full and new moon, against 0.8 m in between. How much of that becomes current depends on the shape of the channel.
- When should I avoid Lakshadweep?
- June–July are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive Lakshadweep?
- Mostly from day boats. Trips run through the season, Nov–Apr.