Reunion
Best Time to Dive in Reunion
21.07°S 55.21°E
Go May to September, when the downpours ease — 5 days a month of heavy rain instead of 11. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month. The wider season runs May to December.
- Best time
- May–Sep
- Water
- 24–29 °C
- Visibility
- 15–30 m
- Season runs
- May–Dec
- Dived from
- day boat
- Tidal range
- 0.2–0.6 m
- Species logged
- 7
Worth knowing: 64% of days see seas over 1.5 m.
Where it is
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Reunion — 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 | Poor | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Good |
| Water temp (°C) | 28 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| Visibility (m) | 15–25 | 20–30 | 15–25 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 20–30 |
| Marine life | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady |
| Best time | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season May–Sep
Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.
The Reunion diving season
January to March · Off season
3 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 28–29 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 27 days a month
Diving conditionsThe wind is up. It rains more.
April · Shoulder season
1 monthJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 28–28 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 25 days a month
Diving conditionsThe wind eases.
May to December · Peak season
8 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 24–27 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 20 days a month
Diving conditionsThe 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.
Reunion water temperature and weather
5,702 underwater observation records · 28 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Reunion 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
21
rough days a month
Seas top 1.5 m on 71% 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
22
wet days a month
9 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2.5 m | 1% | 28 | 15 | 29 °C | 13.1 h |
| February | 2.8 m | 1% | 26 | 14 | 29 °C | 12.7 h |
| March | 2.8 m | 1% | 27 | 13 | 29 °C | 12.1 h |
| April | 2.6 m | 0% | 25 | 12 | 28 °C | 11.5 h |
| May | 3.0 m | 0% | 19 | 5 | 26 °C | 11.0 h |
| June | 3.3 m | 0% | 20 | 5 | 24 °C | 10.7 h |
| July | 2.8 m | 0% | 18 | 6 | 23 °C | 10.8 h |
| August | 3.3 m | 0% | 20 | 5 | 23 °C | 11.3 h |
| September | 2.9 m | 0% | 20 | 5 | 24 °C | 11.9 h |
| October | 2.7 m | 0% | 19 | 6 | 25 °C | 12.5 h |
| November | 2.6 m | 0% | 21 | 7 | 26 °C | 13.0 h |
| December | 2.2 m | 0% | 25 | 12 | 28 °C | 13.3 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: Poor | February week 1: Poor | March week 1: Poor | April week 1: Moderate | May week 1: Excellent | June week 1: Excellent | July week 1: Excellent | August week 1: Excellent | September week 1: Excellent | October week 1: Excellent | November week 1: Excellent | December week 1: Good |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Poor | February week 2: Poor | March week 2: Moderate | April week 2: Good | May week 2: Excellent | June week 2: Excellent | July week 2: Excellent | August week 2: Excellent | September week 2: Excellent | October week 2: Excellent | November week 2: Excellent | December week 2: Good |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Poor | February week 3: Poor | March week 3: Poor | April week 3: Moderate | May week 3: Excellent | June week 3: Excellent | July week 3: Excellent | August week 3: Excellent | September week 3: Excellent | October week 3: Excellent | November week 3: Excellent | December week 3: Good |
| 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: Excellent | August week 4: Excellent | September week 4: Excellent | October week 4: Excellent | November week 4: Excellent | December week 4: Good |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: first of September
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 28 °C | 2.1 m | 14 km/h | 85% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 28 °C | 2.4 m | 14 km/h | 89% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 2.9 m | 14 km/h | 91% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 28 °C | 3.2 m | 13 km/h | 91% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 28 °C | 2.9 m | 13 km/h | 90% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 28 °C | 2.2 m | 13 km/h | 89% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 2.5 m | 14 km/h | 88% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 3.0 m | 14 km/h | 89% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 2.3 m | 14 km/h | 91% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 28 °C | 2.2 m | 13 km/h | 85% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 2.7 m | 13 km/h | 84% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 28 °C | 3.1 m | 13 km/h | 88% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 28 °C | 2.7 m | 12 km/h | 87% |
| Week 2 | Good | 28 °C | 2.5 m | 12 km/h | 83% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 28 °C | 2.6 m | 12 km/h | 81% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 28 °C | 2.6 m | 13 km/h | 79% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 27 °C | 2.8 m | 13 km/h | 70% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 27 °C | 2.7 m | 13 km/h | 62% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 27 °C | 3.1 m | 13 km/h | 63% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 26 °C | 3.4 m | 12 km/h | 59% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 26 °C | 3.3 m | 12 km/h | 63% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 25 °C | 3.2 m | 13 km/h | 72% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 25 °C | 3.1 m | 13 km/h | 64% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 25 °C | 3.4 m | 12 km/h | 58% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 25 °C | 3.1 m | 12 km/h | 56% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 24 °C | 2.7 m | 13 km/h | 53% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 24 °C | 2.7 m | 13 km/h | 60% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 24 °C | 2.9 m | 13 km/h | 59% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 24 °C | 3.4 m | 13 km/h | 57% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 24 °C | 3.0 m | 13 km/h | 67% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 24 °C | 3.1 m | 14 km/h | 66% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 24 °C | 3.0 m | 14 km/h | 68% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 24 °C | 2.7 m | 14 km/h | 71% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 24 °C | 2.7 m | 14 km/h | 68% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 24 °C | 2.9 m | 14 km/h | 65% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 24 °C | 3.1 m | 14 km/h | 62% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 24 °C | 2.9 m | 15 km/h | 57% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 25 °C | 2.9 m | 15 km/h | 60% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 25 °C | 2.7 m | 14 km/h | 68% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 25 °C | 2.2 m | 15 km/h | 64% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 25 °C | 2.3 m | 14 km/h | 61% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 26 °C | 2.6 m | 14 km/h | 64% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 26 °C | 2.5 m | 14 km/h | 70% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 26 °C | 2.3 m | 15 km/h | 75% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 27 °C | 2.2 m | 14 km/h | 77% |
| Week 2 | Good | 27 °C | 2.3 m | 13 km/h | 81% |
| Week 3 | Good | 27 °C | 2.2 m | 14 km/h | 80% |
| Week 4 | Good | 28 °C | 2.1 m | 15 km/h | 79% |
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: 3 mm | June: 3 mm | July: 5 mm | August: 5 mm | September: 5 mm | October: 5 mm | November: 3 mm | December: 3 mm |
- Jan–Aprskin or 3 mm shorty
- May–Jun3 mm full suit
- Jul–Oct5 mm full suit
- Nov–Dec3 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
9 of the last 30 Januarys saw a tropical storm pass within 250 km. Anything has been recorded Nov–Apr.
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
Reunion marine life — what you'll see diving
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humpback whale | Jul–Sep | Near-guaranteed | 4738 | ||
| Green turtle | All year | Likely | 56 | ||
| Spinner dolphin | All year | Likely | 23 | ||
| Loggerhead turtle | Dec–Jan, Mar–Apr | Hit-or-miss | 760 | ||
| Hawksbill turtle | All year | Hit-or-miss | 18 | ||
| Bottlenose dolphin | Feb–Mar, May | Hit-or-miss | 10 | ||
| Ocellated eagle ray | May, Nov–Dec | Hit-or-miss | 12 |
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 Reunion — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Reunion?
- Go May to September, when the downpours ease — 5 days a month of heavy rain instead of 11. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month. The wider season runs May to December.
- When is the diving season in Reunion?
- The diving season in Reunion runs May to December, and it is at its best May to September.
- Is the diving in Reunion good for beginners?
- Yes. It suits Open Water divers, so it works for a first trip after certification.
- How warm is the water in Reunion?
- Between 24 and 29 °C at the surface across the year, coldest in August and warmest in March. It runs cooler below the thermocline.
- What wetsuit do I need in Reunion?
- A 5 mm full suit covers the coldest water of the year. In the warmest months a skin or 3 mm shorty is enough.
- What is the visibility like in Reunion?
- Roughly 15 to 30 m depending on the month. That is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a rather than measured in the water.
- What will I see diving Reunion?
- The most consistently recorded species are Humpback whale (near-guaranteed), Green turtle (likely) and Spinner dolphin (likely), from 5,702 records within 60 km.
- Does Reunion get tropical storms?
- Yes. Over 30 years of records a storm passed within 250 km in Nov–Apr, most often in January at 9 of 30 years.
- Is there current in Reunion?
- The tide rises and falls 0.6 m around the full and new moon, against 0.2 m in between. How much of that becomes current depends on the shape of the channel.
- When should I avoid Reunion?
- January–February are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive Reunion?
- Mostly from day boats. Trips run through the season, May–Dec.