Maldives · North & Central Atolls
Best Time to Dive in the North & Central Atolls, Maldives
4.30°N 73.55°E
Dive it January to April, when the downpours ease — 2 days a month of heavy rain instead of 7. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month.
- Best time
- Jan–Apr
- Water
- 29–30 °C
- Visibility
- 5–20 m
- Dived from
- liveaboard and day boat
- Tidal range
- 0.4–0.9 m
- Species logged
- 11
Worth knowing: 8 days a month of heavy rain.
Where it is
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in the North & Central Atolls, Maldives — 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 | Good | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Poor | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| Water temp (°C) | 29 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 |
| Visibility (m) | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 10–20 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 |
| Marine life | Busy | Busy | Busy | Steady | Busy | Steady | Busy | Busy | Peak | Peak | Peak | Busy |
| 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 North & Central Atolls, Maldives diving season
January to May · Peak season
5 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 29–30 °C
- Visibility
- 5–15 m
- Rain
- 14 days a month
Diving conditionsThe sea is calmer. It rains less.
Marine lifeTiger shark (hit-or-miss) peaks at North & Central Atolls, Maldives in these months.
June to December · Shoulder season
7 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 29–29 °C
- Visibility
- 5–15 m
- Rain
- 18 days a month
Diving conditionsThe sea is rougher. The wind is up.
Marine lifeReef manta (likely), Tiger shark (hit-or-miss) peak at North & Central Atolls, Maldives in these months.
- Water temperature is satellite sea-surface temperature, so expect it cooler below the thermocline.
- Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a.
Maldives water temperature and weather
571 underwater observation records · 23 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
North & Central Atolls, Maldives 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
Rarely
rough enough to cancel
Seas top 2.5 m on under 1% of days. Enough to cancel a liveaboard crossing
1
blowy days a month
Gusts over 40 km/h, about where a day boat stays in port
16
wet days a month
5 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1.2 m | 2% | 12 | 3 | 28 °C | 11.8 h |
| February | 1.1 m | 1% | 8 | 1 | 28 °C | 11.9 h |
| March | 0.9 m | 0% | 11 | 2 | 29 °C | 12.0 h |
| April | 0.8 m | 0% | 17 | 3 | 29 °C | 12.1 h |
| May | 1.6 m | 10% | 24 | 11 | 29 °C | 12.2 h |
| June | 1.3 m | 0% | 16 | 3 | 29 °C | 12.2 h |
| July | 1.4 m | 4% | 19 | 6 | 29 °C | 12.2 h |
| August | 1.5 m | 4% | 16 | 5 | 29 °C | 12.1 h |
| September | 1.2 m | 3% | 18 | 6 | 28 °C | 12.0 h |
| October | 1.4 m | 6% | 20 | 8 | 28 °C | 11.9 h |
| November | 0.9 m | 1% | 20 | 9 | 28 °C | 11.8 h |
| December | 1.2 m | 2% | 18 | 7 | 28 °C | 11.8 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: Moderate | February week 1: Excellent | March week 1: Excellent | April week 1: Excellent | May week 1: Moderate | June week 1: Moderate | July week 1: Moderate | August week 1: Moderate | September week 1: Moderate | October week 1: Moderate | November week 1: Moderate | 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: Excellent | July week 2: Good | August week 2: Moderate | September week 2: Moderate | October week 2: Poor | November week 2: Moderate | December week 2: Good |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Excellent | February week 3: Excellent | March week 3: Excellent | April week 3: Good | May week 3: Poor | June week 3: Good | July week 3: Moderate | August week 3: Good | September week 3: Good | October week 3: Moderate | 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: Good | May week 4: Poor | June week 4: Good | July week 4: Moderate | August week 4: Good | September week 4: Moderate | October week 4: Moderate | November week 4: Moderate | December week 4: Moderate |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: fourth of March
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 28 °C | 1.2 m | 25 km/h | 52% |
| Week 2 | Good | 28 °C | 1.2 m | 24 km/h | 39% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 28 °C | 1.2 m | 24 km/h | 30% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 28 °C | 1.1 m | 24 km/h | 31% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.1 m | 24 km/h | 24% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.2 m | 24 km/h | 25% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.1 m | 24 km/h | 29% |
| Week 4 | Good | 29 °C | 1.1 m | 25 km/h | 32% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.1 m | 22 km/h | 31% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 29 °C | 0.9 m | 18 km/h | 37% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 29 °C | 0.8 m | 17 km/h | 40% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.7 m | 16 km/h | 30% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.7 m | 15 km/h | 35% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.7 m | 16 km/h | 55% |
| Week 3 | Good | 30 °C | 0.8 m | 19 km/h | 63% |
| Week 4 | Good | 30 °C | 0.9 m | 20 km/h | 61% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 30 °C | 1.1 m | 22 km/h | 72% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.4 m | 26 km/h | 80% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.6 m | 30 km/h | 78% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.6 m | 30 km/h | 70% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 28 km/h | 57% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 26 km/h | 48% |
| Week 3 | Good | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 25 km/h | 55% |
| Week 4 | Good | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 25 km/h | 56% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 24 km/h | 54% |
| Week 2 | Good | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 25 km/h | 59% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.5 m | 26 km/h | 61% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.5 m | 25 km/h | 58% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.5 m | 26 km/h | 54% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.6 m | 27 km/h | 49% |
| Week 3 | Good | 29 °C | 1.5 m | 24 km/h | 45% |
| Week 4 | Good | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 24 km/h | 57% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 25 km/h | 62% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.2 m | 23 km/h | 56% |
| Week 3 | Good | 29 °C | 1.1 m | 23 km/h | 60% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.1 m | 24 km/h | 67% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 26 km/h | 66% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.5 m | 28 km/h | 64% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 27 km/h | 63% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.2 m | 23 km/h | 64% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.0 m | 20 km/h | 64% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 29 °C | 0.9 m | 19 km/h | 65% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 29 °C | 0.9 m | 19 km/h | 67% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.0 m | 20 km/h | 70% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.1 m | 21 km/h | 67% |
| Week 2 | Good | 29 °C | 1.2 m | 21 km/h | 65% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.2 m | 23 km/h | 58% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.2 m | 25 km/h | 51% |
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 2.5 m.
Tides
Tropical storms
1 of the last 30 Januarys saw a tropical storm pass within 250 km. January is the only month with a recorded pass.
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
North & Central Atolls, Maldives marine life — what you'll see diving
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawksbill turtle | All year | Near-guaranteed | 114 | ||
| Blacktip reef shark | All year | Near-guaranteed | 161 | ||
| Ocellated eagle ray | All year | Near-guaranteed | 69 | ||
| Reef manta | Sep–Nov | Likely | 39 | ||
| Green turtle | All year | Likely | 34 | ||
| Spinner dolphin | All year | Likely | 23 | ||
| Camouflage grouper | Feb, Nov–Dec | Hit-or-miss | 12 | ||
| Whitetip reef shark | Mar, May, Sep | Likely | 41 | ||
| Grey reef shark | Mar, May, Oct, Dec | Likely | 19 | ||
| Napoleon wrasse | Mar, May, Sep, Dec | Likely | 21 | ||
| Tiger shark | Jan, Aug | Hit-or-miss | 9 |
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 the North & Central Atolls, Maldives — common questions
- When is the best time to dive the North & Central Atolls, Maldives?
- Dive it January to April, when the downpours ease — 2 days a month of heavy rain instead of 7. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month.
- When is the diving season at the North & Central Atolls, Maldives?
- The diving season at the North & Central Atolls, Maldives runs January to April.
- Is the diving at the North & Central Atolls, Maldives good for beginners?
- It is better with some experience. It suits Advanced Open Water divers or equivalent, so newer divers should ask the local operator which sites fit their level.
- How warm is the water at the North & Central Atolls, Maldives?
- Between 29 and 30 °C at the surface across the year, coldest in January and warmest in April. It runs cooler below the thermocline.
- What wetsuit do I need at the North & Central Atolls, Maldives?
- A skin or 3 mm shorty covers the coldest water of the year. The same suit works all year.
- What is the visibility like at the North & Central Atolls, Maldives?
- Roughly 5 to 20 m depending on the month. That is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a rather than measured in the water.
- What will I see diving the North & Central Atolls, Maldives?
- The most consistently recorded species are Hawksbill turtle (near-guaranteed), Blacktip reef shark (near-guaranteed) and Ocellated eagle ray (near-guaranteed), from 571 records within 60 km.
- Does the North & Central Atolls, Maldives get tropical storms?
- Yes. Over 30 years of records a storm passed within 250 km in Jan, most often in January at 1 of 30 years.
- Is there current at the North & Central Atolls, Maldives?
- The tide rises and falls 0.9 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 the North & Central Atolls, Maldives?
- May is the weakest month for conditions.
- How do you dive the North & Central Atolls, Maldives?
- Mostly from liveaboards and day boats. Trips run through the season, Jan–Apr.