Mozambique
Best Time to Dive in Ponta do Ouro
26.85°S 32.90°E
Go May to July for the calmest water — seas top 1.5 m on 39% of days, against 59% the rest of the year. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month.
- Best time
- May–Jul
- Water
- 22–28 °C
- Visibility
- 15–35 m
- Dived from
- day boat
- Tidal range
- 0.7–2.2 m
- Species logged
- 8
Worth knowing: 58% of days see seas over 1.5 m.
Where it is
222 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Ponta do Ouro — 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 | Moderate | Poor | Poor | Poor | Excellent | Good | Good | Moderate | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor |
| Water temp (°C) | 27 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 26 |
| Visibility (m) | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 25–35 |
| Marine life | Busy | Busy | Busy | Steady | Busy | Steady | Busy | Busy | Busy | Steady | Busy | Steady |
| Best time | Peak | Peak | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season May–Jul
Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.
The Ponta do Ouro diving season
May to July · Peak season
3 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 23–25 °C
- Visibility
- 15–25 m
- Rain
- 6 days a month
Diving conditionsIt rains less. The wind eases.
Marine lifeWhale shark (hit-or-miss) peaks at Ponta do Ouro in these months.
August · Shoulder season
1 monthJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 22–22 °C
- Visibility
- 15–25 m
- Rain
- 6 days a month
Diving conditionsIt rains less. The wind is up.
September to April · Off season
8 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 23–28 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 13 days a month
Diving conditionsIt rains more.
- Spring tides run 2.2 m against 0.7 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.
Ponta do Ouro water temperature and weather
7,117 underwater observation records · 24 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Ponta do Ouro 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
16
rough days a month
Seas top 1.5 m on 54% of days. Enough to cancel a day boat
1
blowy days a month
Gusts over 40 km/h, about where a day boat stays in port
10
wet days a month
2 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2.5 m | 4% | 15 | 3 | 28 °C | 13.5 h |
| February | 2.4 m | 4% | 17 | 5 | 28 °C | 12.9 h |
| March | 2.5 m | 2% | 15 | 3 | 28 °C | 12.2 h |
| April | 2.5 m | 1% | 12 | 2 | 26 °C | 11.4 h |
| May | 2.1 m | 2% | 7 | 1 | 25 °C | 10.7 h |
| June | 2.1 m | 1% | 6 | 1 | 23 °C | 10.3 h |
| July | 2.2 m | 2% | 6 | 0 | 23 °C | 10.5 h |
| August | 2.5 m | 3% | 6 | 1 | 24 °C | 11.0 h |
| September | 2.5 m | 6% | 6 | 1 | 24 °C | 11.9 h |
| October | 2.4 m | 4% | 10 | 2 | 25 °C | 12.7 h |
| November | 2.4 m | 2% | 11 | 2 | 26 °C | 13.3 h |
| December | 2.1 m | 4% | 14 | 4 | 27 °C | 13.7 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: Poor | March week 1: Poor | April week 1: Moderate | May week 1: Good | June week 1: Moderate | July week 1: Excellent | August week 1: Good | September week 1: Poor | October week 1: Poor | November week 1: Poor | December week 1: Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Poor | February week 2: Poor | March week 2: Poor | April week 2: Poor | May week 2: Excellent | June week 2: Moderate | July week 2: Good | August week 2: Good | September week 2: Moderate | October week 2: Poor | November week 2: Poor | December week 2: Poor |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Poor | February week 3: Poor | March week 3: Poor | April week 3: Poor | May week 3: Excellent | June week 3: Excellent | July week 3: Moderate | August week 3: Poor | September week 3: Poor | October week 3: Poor | November week 3: Poor | December week 3: Moderate |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Poor | February week 4: Poor | March week 4: Poor | April week 4: Moderate | May week 4: Excellent | June week 4: Excellent | July week 4: Moderate | August week 4: Poor | September week 4: Poor | October week 4: Poor | November week 4: Poor | December week 4: Poor |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: second of May
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 26 °C | 2.4 m | 22 km/h | 46% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 27 °C | 2.3 m | 21 km/h | 51% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 27 °C | 2.5 m | 21 km/h | 52% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 27 °C | 2.5 m | 22 km/h | 50% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 27 °C | 2.4 m | 22 km/h | 54% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 28 °C | 2.4 m | 21 km/h | 58% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 2.4 m | 22 km/h | 59% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 28 °C | 2.6 m | 21 km/h | 55% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 27 °C | 2.4 m | 20 km/h | 46% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 27 °C | 2.4 m | 19 km/h | 49% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 27 °C | 2.7 m | 20 km/h | 52% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 27 °C | 2.3 m | 20 km/h | 44% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 27 °C | 2.3 m | 21 km/h | 43% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 26 °C | 2.8 m | 21 km/h | 41% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 26 °C | 2.7 m | 20 km/h | 35% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 26 °C | 2.3 m | 20 km/h | 38% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 26 °C | 2.2 m | 20 km/h | 31% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 25 °C | 1.8 m | 19 km/h | 24% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 25 °C | 2.2 m | 19 km/h | 23% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 24 °C | 2.2 m | 20 km/h | 20% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 24 °C | 2.4 m | 20 km/h | 24% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 24 °C | 2.3 m | 21 km/h | 22% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 23 °C | 2.0 m | 20 km/h | 20% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 23 °C | 1.9 m | 20 km/h | 17% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 23 °C | 2.0 m | 21 km/h | 16% |
| Week 2 | Good | 23 °C | 2.2 m | 22 km/h | 19% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 23 °C | 2.3 m | 21 km/h | 21% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 23 °C | 2.2 m | 22 km/h | 19% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 22 °C | 2.1 m | 23 km/h | 19% |
| Week 2 | Good | 22 °C | 2.1 m | 24 km/h | 19% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 22 °C | 2.4 m | 24 km/h | 17% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 22 °C | 2.8 m | 25 km/h | 17% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 22 °C | 2.6 m | 25 km/h | 16% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 23 °C | 2.4 m | 25 km/h | 17% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 23 °C | 2.7 m | 27 km/h | 22% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 23 °C | 2.6 m | 26 km/h | 30% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 23 °C | 2.4 m | 26 km/h | 34% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 23 °C | 2.3 m | 26 km/h | 29% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 23 °C | 2.3 m | 26 km/h | 32% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 24 °C | 2.3 m | 26 km/h | 35% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 24 °C | 2.3 m | 26 km/h | 36% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 24 °C | 2.4 m | 26 km/h | 39% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 25 °C | 2.4 m | 26 km/h | 39% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 25 °C | 2.4 m | 26 km/h | 35% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 25 °C | 2.2 m | 26 km/h | 41% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 25 °C | 2.0 m | 25 km/h | 47% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 26 °C | 2.1 m | 24 km/h | 44% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 26 °C | 2.4 m | 24 km/h | 44% |
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: 3 mm | February: 3 mm | March: 3 mm | April: 3 mm | May: 3 mm | June: 5 mm | July: 5 mm | August: 5 mm | September: 5 mm | October: 5 mm | November: 5 mm | December: 3 mm |
- Dec–May3 mm full suit
- Jun–Nov5 mm full suit
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 Marchs saw a tropical storm pass within 250 km. March 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
Ponta do Ouro marine life — what you'll see diving
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humpback whale | Aug–Sep | Near-guaranteed | 379 | ||
| Loggerhead turtle | Jan–Feb | Likely | 135 | ||
| Bull shark | All year | Likely | 5631 | ||
| Tiger shark | All year | Likely | 856 | ||
| Whale shark | May, Jul | Hit-or-miss | 30 | ||
| Potato cod | Mar, May, Sep | Likely | 20 | ||
| Green turtle | Feb, Jul, Sep | Hit-or-miss | 11 | ||
| Bluespotted ribbontail ray | May, Jul, Nov | 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 Ponta do Ouro — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Ponta do Ouro?
- Go May to July for the calmest water — seas top 1.5 m on 39% of days, against 59% the rest of the year. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month.
- When is the diving season in Ponta do Ouro?
- The diving season in Ponta do Ouro runs May to July.
- Is the diving in Ponta do Ouro good for beginners?
- Yes. It suits Open Water divers, so it works for a first trip after certification.
- How warm is the water in Ponta do Ouro?
- Between 22 and 28 °C at the surface across the year, coldest in August and warmest in February. It runs cooler below the thermocline.
- What wetsuit do I need in Ponta do Ouro?
- A 5 mm full suit covers the coldest water of the year. In the warmest months a 3 mm full suit is enough.
- What is the visibility like in Ponta do Ouro?
- Roughly 15 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 Ponta do Ouro?
- The most consistently recorded species are Humpback whale (near-guaranteed), Loggerhead turtle (likely) and Bull shark (likely), from 7,117 records within 60 km.
- Does Ponta do Ouro get tropical storms?
- Yes. Over 30 years of records a storm passed within 250 km in Mar, most often in March at 2 of 30 years.
- Is there current in Ponta do Ouro?
- The tide rises and falls 2.2 m around the full and new moon, against 0.7 m in between. How much of that becomes current depends on the shape of the channel.
- When should I avoid Ponta do Ouro?
- February, October, December are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive Ponta do Ouro?
- Mostly from day boats. Trips run through the season, May–Jul.