Red Sea
Best Time to Dive in Dahab
28.51°N 34.53°E
The wildlife shows no season worth planning around, so the weather picks your month: October to January.
- Best time
- Oct–Jan
- Water
- 22–28 °C
- Visibility
- 10–30 m
- Dived from
- shore diving
- Tidal range
- 0.3–0.7 m
- Species logged
- 4
Where it is
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Dahab — 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 | Moderate | Poor | Moderate | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Poor | Poor | Good | Excellent | Excellent |
| Water temp (°C) | 23 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 24 |
| Visibility (m) | 10–20 | 10–20 | 10–20 | 10–20 | 20–30 | 15–25 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 15–25 | 10–20 | 10–20 |
| Marine life | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady |
| Best time | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season Oct–Jan
Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.
The Dahab diving season
February to March · Shoulder season
2 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 22–22 °C
- Visibility
- 10–20 m
- Rain
- 1 days a month
Diving conditionsIt rains more. The sea is rougher.
April to September · Off season
6 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 23–28 °C
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Rain
- 0 days a month
Diving conditionsSeas are usually flat. It rains less. The wind is up.
October to January · Peak season
4 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 23–27 °C
- Visibility
- 10–20 m
- Rain
- 1 days a month
Diving conditionsSeas are usually flat. It rains more. The wind eases.
- Water temperature is satellite sea-surface temperature, so expect it cooler below the thermocline.
- Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a.
Dahab water temperature and weather
151 underwater observation records · 22 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Dahab 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
3
rough days a month
Seas top 1.0 m on 11% of days. Enough to cancel a shore entry
0
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 | 0.9 m | 0% | 1 | 0 | 22 °C | 10.4 h |
| February | 1.1 m | 0% | 1 | 0 | 23 °C | 11.0 h |
| March | 1.2 m | 1% | 1 | 0 | 26 °C | 11.8 h |
| April | 1.2 m | 1% | 0 | 0 | 30 °C | 12.7 h |
| May | 1.1 m | 0% | 0 | 0 | 34 °C | 13.4 h |
| June | 1.0 m | 0% | 0 | 0 | 37 °C | 13.8 h |
| July | 0.9 m | 0% | 0 | 0 | 38 °C | 13.6 h |
| August | 1.0 m | 0% | 0 | 0 | 38 °C | 13.0 h |
| September | 1.0 m | 0% | 0 | 0 | 36 °C | 12.2 h |
| October | 1.0 m | 0% | 0 | 0 | 32 °C | 11.3 h |
| November | 0.9 m | 0% | 1 | 0 | 28 °C | 10.6 h |
| December | 0.9 m | 0% | 1 | 0 | 24 °C | 10.2 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: Excellent | February week 1: Good | March week 1: Moderate | April week 1: Poor | May week 1: Moderate | June week 1: Poor | July week 1: Moderate | August week 1: Moderate | September week 1: Poor | October week 1: Moderate | November week 1: Excellent | December week 1: Good |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Excellent | February week 2: Poor | March week 2: Poor | April week 2: Poor | May week 2: Poor | June week 2: Poor | July week 2: Moderate | August week 2: Poor | September week 2: Poor | October week 2: Moderate | November week 2: Excellent | December week 2: Excellent |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Moderate | February week 3: Poor | March week 3: Poor | April week 3: Poor | May week 3: Poor | June week 3: Poor | July week 3: Moderate | August week 3: Poor | September week 3: Poor | October week 3: Good | November week 3: Excellent | December week 3: Excellent |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Moderate | February week 4: Moderate | March week 4: Poor | April week 4: Good | May week 4: Poor | June week 4: Poor | July week 4: Good | August week 4: Poor | September week 4: Poor | October week 4: Excellent | November week 4: Good | December week 4: Excellent |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: first of November
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 23 °C | 0.8 m | 22 km/h | 4% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 23 °C | 0.9 m | 22 km/h | 3% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 22 °C | 1.0 m | 23 km/h | 4% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 22 °C | 0.9 m | 24 km/h | 6% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 22 °C | 1.0 m | 25 km/h | 3% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 22 °C | 1.1 m | 25 km/h | 5% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 22 °C | 1.2 m | 24 km/h | 6% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 22 °C | 1.2 m | 24 km/h | 4% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 22 °C | 1.1 m | 24 km/h | 3% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 22 °C | 1.2 m | 25 km/h | 5% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 22 °C | 1.3 m | 25 km/h | 4% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 22 °C | 1.2 m | 26 km/h | 3% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 22 °C | 1.2 m | 25 km/h | 2% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 22 °C | 1.2 m | 26 km/h | 1% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 23 °C | 1.2 m | 26 km/h | 1% |
| Week 4 | Good | 23 °C | 1.0 m | 25 km/h | 1% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 23 °C | 0.9 m | 26 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 24 °C | 1.1 m | 26 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 24 °C | 1.2 m | 27 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 25 °C | 1.1 m | 27 km/h | 0% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 25 °C | 1.0 m | 28 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 25 °C | 1.0 m | 28 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 26 °C | 1.0 m | 28 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 26 °C | 1.0 m | 27 km/h | 0% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 27 °C | 0.9 m | 27 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 27 °C | 0.9 m | 26 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 28 °C | 0.9 m | 26 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Good | 28 °C | 0.8 m | 25 km/h | 0% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 28 °C | 0.8 m | 25 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.0 m | 27 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.1 m | 27 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.0 m | 28 km/h | 0% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.0 m | 28 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.0 m | 28 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.0 m | 28 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 27 °C | 0.9 m | 28 km/h | 0% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 27 °C | 1.0 m | 27 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 27 °C | 1.0 m | 25 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Good | 26 °C | 1.0 m | 24 km/h | 1% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 26 °C | 1.0 m | 22 km/h | 2% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 26 °C | 0.8 m | 22 km/h | 1% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 26 °C | 0.9 m | 22 km/h | 2% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 26 °C | 0.9 m | 22 km/h | 3% |
| Week 4 | Good | 25 °C | 1.0 m | 21 km/h | 4% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 25 °C | 0.9 m | 21 km/h | 5% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 24 °C | 0.9 m | 21 km/h | 3% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 24 °C | 0.9 m | 22 km/h | 1% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 24 °C | 0.8 m | 22 km/h | 3% |
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: 5 mm | June: 3 mm | July: 3 mm | August: skin | September: 3 mm | October: 3 mm | November: 3 mm | December: 5 mm |
- Dec–May5 mm full suit
- Jun–Jul3 mm full suit
- Augskin or 3 mm shorty
- Sep–Nov3 mm full suit
Swell through the year
The rough end of each month — nine days in ten come in under it.
Amber is over 1.0 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
Dahab marine life — what you'll see diving
Only 151 records have been logged within 60 km. A thin record is not an empty reef.
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluespotted ribbontail ray | All year | Near-guaranteed | 76 | ||
| Hawksbill turtle | All year | Likely | 24 | ||
| Napoleon wrasse | All year | Likely | 21 | ||
| Green turtle | May–Aug, 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 Dahab — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Dahab?
- The wildlife shows no season worth planning around, so the weather picks your month: October to January.
- When is the diving season in Dahab?
- The diving season in Dahab runs October to January.
- Is the diving in Dahab good for beginners?
- Yes. It suits Open Water divers, so it works for a first trip after certification.
- How warm is the water in Dahab?
- Between 22 and 28 °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 Dahab?
- 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 Dahab?
- 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 Dahab?
- The most consistently recorded species are Bluespotted ribbontail ray (near-guaranteed), Hawksbill turtle (likely) and Napoleon wrasse (likely), from 151 records within 60 km.
- Does Dahab get tropical storms?
- No. None has passed within 250 km in 30 years of records.
- Is there current in Dahab?
- 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.
- When should I avoid Dahab?
- May–June, August are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive Dahab?
- Mostly from the shore. Trips run through the season, Oct–Jan.