Seychelles
Best Time to Dive in the Seychelles
4.56°S 55.40°E
Plan for February to April for the calmest water — seas top 1.5 m on 3% of days, against 35% the rest of the year. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month.
- Best time
- Feb–Apr
- Water
- 26–30 °C
- Visibility
- 10–30 m
- Dived from
- day boat
- Tidal range
- 0.8–1.6 m
- Species logged
- 10
Worth knowing: 47% of days see seas over 1.5 m.
Where it is
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in the Seychelles — 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 | Good | Excellent | Excellent | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Good | Good | Poor |
| Water temp (°C) | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 29 |
| Visibility (m) | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 15–25 | 10–20 | 10–20 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 20–30 | 20–30 |
| Marine life | Busy | Busy | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Busy | Busy | Busy | Steady | Steady |
| Best time | Peak | Peak | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season Feb–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 Seychelles diving season
February to April · Peak season
3 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 29–30 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 18 days a month
Diving conditionsRain is frequent topside. The wind eases. The sea is calmer.
May to September · Off season
5 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 26–30 °C
- Visibility
- 15–25 m
- Rain
- 14 days a month
Diving conditionsRain is frequent topside. The wind is up. The sea is rougher.
Marine lifeWhale shark (hit-or-miss) peaks at Seychelles in these months.
October to November · Shoulder season
2 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 28–29 °C
- Visibility
- 15–25 m
- Rain
- 15 days a month
Diving conditionsRain is frequent topside. The wind eases. The sea is calmer.
Marine lifeWhale shark (hit-or-miss) peaks at Seychelles in these months.
December to January · Off season
2 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 29–29 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 24 days a month
Diving conditionsExpect some swell. It rains more. The wind eases.
- Spring tides run 1.6 m against 0.8 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.
Seychelles water temperature and weather
363 underwater observation records · 22 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Seychelles 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
8
rough days a month
Seas top 1.5 m on 27% 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
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 | 1.6 m | 1% | 23 | 9 | 28 °C | 12.2 h |
| February | 1.4 m | 1% | 17 | 4 | 28 °C | 12.1 h |
| March | 1.1 m | 0% | 16 | 4 | 29 °C | 12.0 h |
| April | 1.2 m | 0% | 21 | 6 | 29 °C | 11.9 h |
| May | 1.6 m | 0% | 20 | 6 | 29 °C | 11.8 h |
| June | 2.0 m | 4% | 15 | 2 | 27 °C | 11.7 h |
| July | 2.2 m | 9% | 11 | 2 | 26 °C | 11.8 h |
| August | 2.1 m | 6% | 8 | 1 | 26 °C | 11.9 h |
| September | 1.8 m | 4% | 13 | 3 | 27 °C | 12.0 h |
| October | 1.5 m | 0% | 14 | 3 | 27 °C | 12.1 h |
| November | 1.1 m | 0% | 16 | 6 | 28 °C | 12.2 h |
| December | 1.6 m | 2% | 24 | 10 | 28 °C | 12.3 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: Moderate | March week 1: Good | April week 1: Excellent | May week 1: Moderate | June week 1: Poor | July week 1: Poor | August week 1: Poor | September week 1: Poor | October week 1: Moderate | November week 1: Good | December week 1: Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Poor | February week 2: Good | March week 2: Excellent | April week 2: Excellent | May week 2: Poor | June week 2: Poor | July week 2: Poor | August week 2: Poor | September week 2: Poor | October week 2: Good | November week 2: Good | December week 2: Poor |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Poor | February week 3: Good | March week 3: Excellent | April week 3: Good | May week 3: Poor | June week 3: Poor | July week 3: Poor | August week 3: Poor | September week 3: Poor | October week 3: Excellent | November week 3: Excellent | December week 3: Poor |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Poor | February week 4: Excellent | March week 4: Excellent | April week 4: Good | May week 4: Poor | June week 4: Poor | July week 4: Moderate | August week 4: Poor | September week 4: Poor | October week 4: Good | November week 4: Good | December week 4: Poor |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: second of March
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 22 km/h | 76% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.5 m | 23 km/h | 77% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.6 m | 24 km/h | 71% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.6 m | 24 km/h | 66% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.5 m | 24 km/h | 55% |
| Week 2 | Good | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 22 km/h | 55% |
| Week 3 | Good | 29 °C | 1.5 m | 21 km/h | 59% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 21 km/h | 60% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 29 °C | 1.1 m | 20 km/h | 53% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.1 m | 18 km/h | 47% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.1 m | 17 km/h | 50% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.2 m | 17 km/h | 58% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.1 m | 16 km/h | 69% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.2 m | 16 km/h | 70% |
| Week 3 | Good | 30 °C | 1.3 m | 17 km/h | 67% |
| Week 4 | Good | 30 °C | 1.2 m | 18 km/h | 71% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 30 °C | 1.3 m | 20 km/h | 75% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.5 m | 24 km/h | 72% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 30 °C | 1.7 m | 26 km/h | 61% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.8 m | 27 km/h | 55% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.8 m | 28 km/h | 56% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.9 m | 29 km/h | 55% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 2.0 m | 30 km/h | 46% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 27 °C | 2.3 m | 32 km/h | 43% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 27 °C | 2.3 m | 33 km/h | 45% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 27 °C | 2.2 m | 33 km/h | 41% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 26 °C | 2.1 m | 33 km/h | 34% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 26 °C | 2.1 m | 32 km/h | 27% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 26 °C | 2.0 m | 31 km/h | 26% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 26 °C | 2.1 m | 32 km/h | 26% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 26 °C | 1.9 m | 32 km/h | 24% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 26 °C | 2.0 m | 32 km/h | 29% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 26 °C | 2.0 m | 33 km/h | 39% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.8 m | 33 km/h | 48% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.9 m | 32 km/h | 48% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.7 m | 29 km/h | 42% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 28 °C | 1.6 m | 27 km/h | 41% |
| Week 2 | Good | 28 °C | 1.7 m | 25 km/h | 38% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 28 °C | 1.5 m | 24 km/h | 40% |
| Week 4 | Good | 28 °C | 1.3 m | 22 km/h | 54% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 29 °C | 1.2 m | 20 km/h | 62% |
| Week 2 | Good | 29 °C | 1.1 m | 19 km/h | 55% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.1 m | 18 km/h | 46% |
| Week 4 | Good | 29 °C | 1.1 m | 19 km/h | 53% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 20 km/h | 71% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.7 m | 21 km/h | 81% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.7 m | 23 km/h | 80% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.4 m | 22 km/h | 75% |
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: 3 mm | July: 3 mm | August: 3 mm | September: 3 mm | October: skin | November: skin | December: skin |
- Oct–Mayskin or 3 mm shorty
- Jun–Sep3 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
1 of the last 30 Septembers saw a tropical storm pass within 250 km. September 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
Seychelles marine life — what you'll see diving
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawksbill turtle | All year | Near-guaranteed | 103 | ||
| Ocellated eagle ray | All year | Near-guaranteed | 74 | ||
| Whitetip reef shark | All year | Likely | 32 | ||
| Green turtle | Jul–Sep, Nov | Hit-or-miss | 23 | ||
| Whale shark | Aug, Oct | Hit-or-miss | 21 | ||
| Loggerhead turtle | May | Hit-or-miss | 12 | ||
| Bumphead parrotfish | Jan–Feb, Sep | Likely | 9 | ||
| Blacktip reef shark | May, Aug | Hit-or-miss | 9 | ||
| Grey reef shark | Jan, Jul, Sep–Oct | Hit-or-miss | 8 | ||
| Bigeye trevally | Aug–Sep, Dec | Hit-or-miss | 8 |
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 Seychelles — common questions
- When is the best time to dive the Seychelles?
- Plan for February to April for the calmest water — seas top 1.5 m on 3% of days, against 35% the rest of the year. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month.
- When is the diving season at the Seychelles?
- The diving season at the Seychelles runs February to April.
- Is the diving at the Seychelles good for beginners?
- Yes. It suits Open Water divers, so it works for a first trip after certification.
- How warm is the water at the Seychelles?
- Between 26 and 30 °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 at the Seychelles?
- A 3 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 at the Seychelles?
- Roughly 10 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 the Seychelles?
- The most consistently recorded species are Hawksbill turtle (near-guaranteed), Ocellated eagle ray (near-guaranteed) and Whitetip reef shark (likely), from 363 records within 60 km.
- Does the Seychelles get tropical storms?
- Yes. Over 30 years of records a storm passed within 250 km in Sep, most often in September at 1 of 30 years.
- Is there current at the Seychelles?
- The tide rises and falls 1.6 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 the Seychelles?
- June–September, December are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive the Seychelles?
- Mostly from day boats. Trips run through the season, Feb–Apr.