Red Sea
Best Time to Dive in Abu Dabbab
25.34°N 34.75°E
You come for the resident dugongs and green turtles in the seagrass bay. Nothing about it runs to a calendar, and neither do the conditions, so any month works.
- Best time
- Any month
- Water
- 23–30 °C
- Visibility
- 10–30 m
- Dived from
- day boat and shore diving
- Tidal range
- 0.3–0.7 m
- Species logged
- 11
Where it is
222 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Abu Dabbab — monthly breakdown
Conditions barely change across the year, so no month beats another — pick on wildlife or price.
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 | Even | Even | Even | Even | Even | Even | Even | Even | Even | Even | Even | Even |
| Water temp (°C) | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 26 | 27 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 25 |
| Visibility (m) | 10–20 | 10–20 | 10–20 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 10–20 |
| Marine life | Steady | Busy | Steady | Steady | Busy | Busy | Busy | Busy | Busy | Busy | Peak | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorSame all year
Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.
The Abu Dabbab diving season
Good all year
12 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 23–30 °C
- Visibility
- 15–25 m
- Rain
- 0 days a month
Diving conditionsSeas stay mostly calm.
Marine lifeOceanic whitetip (likely), Scalloped hammerhead (hit-or-miss) peak at Abu Dabbab in these months.
- Water temperature is satellite sea-surface temperature, so expect it cooler below the thermocline.
- Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a.
Abu Dabbab water temperature and weather
1,396 underwater observation records · 26 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Abu Dabbab 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
2
rough days a month
Seas top 1.5 m on 7% 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
0
wet days a month
0 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1.3 m | 1% | 0 | 0 | 23 °C | 10.6 h |
| February | 1.5 m | 2% | 0 | 0 | 23 °C | 11.1 h |
| March | 1.8 m | 4% | 0 | 0 | 26 °C | 11.8 h |
| April | 1.5 m | 3% | 0 | 0 | 30 °C | 12.6 h |
| May | 1.6 m | 2% | 0 | 0 | 33 °C | 13.2 h |
| June | 1.3 m | 6% | 0 | 0 | 35 °C | 13.6 h |
| July | 1.1 m | 1% | 0 | 0 | 37 °C | 13.4 h |
| August | 1.4 m | 3% | 0 | 0 | 37 °C | 12.9 h |
| September | 1.4 m | 2% | 0 | 0 | 35 °C | 12.1 h |
| October | 1.3 m | 0% | 0 | 0 | 32 °C | 11.4 h |
| November | 1.2 m | 0% | 1 | 0 | 28 °C | 10.7 h |
| December | 1.2 m | 0% | 0 | 0 | 25 °C | 10.4 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: Moderate | February week 1: Moderate | March week 1: Moderate | April week 1: Moderate | 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: Moderate | February week 2: Moderate | March week 2: Moderate | April week 2: Moderate | May week 2: Moderate | June week 2: Moderate | July week 2: Moderate | August week 2: Moderate | September week 2: Moderate | October week 2: Moderate | November week 2: Moderate | December week 2: Moderate |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Moderate | February week 3: Moderate | March week 3: Moderate | April week 3: Moderate | May week 3: Moderate | June week 3: Moderate | July week 3: Moderate | August week 3: Moderate | September week 3: Moderate | October week 3: Moderate | November week 3: Moderate | December week 3: Moderate |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Moderate | February week 4: Moderate | March week 4: Moderate | April week 4: Moderate | May week 4: Moderate | June week 4: Moderate | July week 4: Moderate | August week 4: Moderate | September week 4: Moderate | October week 4: Moderate | November week 4: Moderate | December week 4: Moderate |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: first of November
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 24 °C | 1.2 m | 25 km/h | 1% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 23 °C | 1.2 m | 25 km/h | 1% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 23 °C | 1.4 m | 26 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 23 °C | 1.5 m | 27 km/h | 0% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 23 °C | 1.4 m | 27 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 23 °C | 1.5 m | 27 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 23 °C | 1.6 m | 27 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 23 °C | 1.5 m | 27 km/h | 0% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 23 °C | 1.5 m | 27 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 23 °C | 1.7 m | 28 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 23 °C | 1.8 m | 29 km/h | 1% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 23 °C | 1.7 m | 30 km/h | 0% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 23 °C | 1.6 m | 29 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 24 °C | 1.7 m | 29 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 24 °C | 1.7 m | 29 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 24 °C | 1.3 m | 28 km/h | 0% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 25 °C | 1.2 m | 29 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 25 °C | 1.5 m | 30 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 26 °C | 1.6 m | 30 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 26 °C | 1.6 m | 30 km/h | 0% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 27 °C | 1.4 m | 31 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 27 °C | 1.2 m | 31 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 28 °C | 1.3 m | 32 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 28 °C | 1.3 m | 32 km/h | 0% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 28 °C | 1.1 m | 30 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.1 m | 30 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.1 m | 29 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.0 m | 28 km/h | 0% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 30 °C | 1.0 m | 28 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 30 °C | 1.3 m | 30 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 30 °C | 1.5 m | 30 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 30 °C | 1.5 m | 31 km/h | 0% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 30 °C | 1.4 m | 31 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 31 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.5 m | 31 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 30 km/h | 0% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 29 °C | 1.3 m | 29 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 28 °C | 1.2 m | 28 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 28 °C | 1.3 m | 27 km/h | 1% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 28 °C | 1.3 m | 26 km/h | 3% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 27 °C | 1.0 m | 25 km/h | 3% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 27 °C | 1.1 m | 24 km/h | 2% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 27 °C | 1.3 m | 25 km/h | 3% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 26 °C | 1.3 m | 25 km/h | 2% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 26 °C | 1.2 m | 24 km/h | 1% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 25 °C | 1.3 m | 25 km/h | 1% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 25 °C | 1.3 m | 25 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 25 °C | 1.2 m | 25 km/h | 0% |
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: 5 mm | February: 5 mm | March: 5 mm | April: 5 mm | May: 3 mm | June: 3 mm | July: skin | August: skin | September: skin | October: skin | November: 3 mm | December: 3 mm |
- Jan–Apr5 mm full suit
- May–Jun3 mm full suit
- Jul–Octskin or 3 mm shorty
- 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
No tropical storm has come within 250 km in 30 years of records. Swell and wind set the season, not cyclones.
- 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
Abu Dabbab marine life — what you'll see diving
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluespotted ribbontail ray | All year | Near-guaranteed | 455 | ||
| Green turtle | All year | Near-guaranteed | 450 | ||
| Spinner dolphin | All year | Near-guaranteed | 66 | ||
| Hawksbill turtle | All year | Near-guaranteed | 126 | ||
| Dugong | All year | Near-guaranteed | 76 | ||
| Ocellated eagle ray | All year | Likely | 46 | ||
| Napoleon wrasse | All year | Likely | 52 | ||
| Whitetip reef shark | All year | Likely | 32 | ||
| Oceanic whitetip | Nov–Dec | Likely | 32 | ||
| Scalloped hammerhead | May–Jun | Hit-or-miss | 8 | ||
| Bottlenose dolphin | Feb, Jun–Jul, Dec | Likely | 18 |
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 Abu Dabbab — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Abu Dabbab?
- Conditions barely change across the year at Abu Dabbab, so any month works — pick on wildlife or price.
- When is the diving season in Abu Dabbab?
- There is no real season in Abu Dabbab: conditions barely change, so you can dive any month.
- Is the diving in Abu Dabbab good for beginners?
- Yes. It suits Open Water divers, so it works for a first trip after certification.
- How warm is the water in Abu Dabbab?
- Between 23 and 30 °C at the surface across the year, coldest in February and warmest in August. It runs cooler below the thermocline.
- What wetsuit do I need in Abu Dabbab?
- 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 Abu Dabbab?
- 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 Abu Dabbab?
- The most consistently recorded species are Bluespotted ribbontail ray (near-guaranteed), Green turtle (near-guaranteed) and Spinner dolphin (near-guaranteed), from 1,396 records within 60 km.
- Does Abu Dabbab get tropical storms?
- No. None has passed within 250 km in 30 years of records.
- Is there current in Abu Dabbab?
- The tide rises and falls 0.7 m around the full and new moon, against 0.3 m in between. How much of that becomes current depends on the shape of the channel.
- How do you dive Abu Dabbab?
- Mostly from day boats and the shore. Trips run through the season, Oct–Dec.