Oman
Best Time to Dive in Musandam
26.26°N 56.36°E
The wildlife shows no season worth planning around, so the weather picks your month: October to December.
- Best time
- Oct–Dec
- Water
- 23–32 °C
- Visibility
- 0–10 m
- Dived from
- liveaboard and day boat
- Tidal range
- 1.2–2.4 m
- Species logged
- 3
Where it is
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Musandam — 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 | Moderate | Poor | Moderate | Good | Moderate | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
| Water temp (°C) | 24 | 23 | 24 | 26 | 29 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 30 | 28 | 26 |
| Visibility (m) | 0–10 | 0–10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0–10 | 0–10 |
| Marine life | Steady | Steady | Quiet | Quiet | Busy | Peak | Steady | Quiet | Steady | Steady | Busy | Steady |
| Best time | Peak | Peak | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season Oct–Dec
Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.
The Musandam diving season
January · Off season
1 monthJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 24–24 °C
- Rain
- 3 days a month
Diving conditionsIt rains more. The sea is rougher.
February to June · Shoulder season
5 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 23–31 °C
- Rain
- 1 days a month
Diving conditionsThe wind is up. It rains more.
Marine lifeWhale shark (hit-or-miss) peaks at Musandam in these months.
July to August · Off season
2 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 32–32 °C
- Rain
- 0 days a month
Diving conditionsIt rains less. The wind is up.
September · Shoulder season
1 monthJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 32–32 °C
- Rain
- 0 days a month
Diving conditionsThe sea is calmer. It rains less.
October to December · Peak season
3 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 26–30 °C
- Rain
- 1 days a month
Diving conditionsThe wind eases. The sea is calmer.
Marine lifeWhale shark (hit-or-miss) peaks at Musandam in these months.
- Spring tides run 2.4 m against 1.2 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.
Musandam water temperature and weather
153 underwater observation records · 16 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Musandam 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
Rarely
rough enough to cancel
Seas top 2.5 m on under 1% of days. Enough to cancel a liveaboard crossing
2
blowy days a month
Gusts over 40 km/h, about where a day boat stays in port
1
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 | 7% | 3 | 1 | 23 °C | 10.5 h |
| February | 0.8 m | 8% | 4 | 0 | 24 °C | 11.1 h |
| March | 0.8 m | 7% | 3 | 1 | 26 °C | 11.8 h |
| April | 0.6 m | 6% | 1 | 0 | 31 °C | 12.6 h |
| May | 0.6 m | 4% | 0 | 0 | 35 °C | 13.3 h |
| June | 0.7 m | 5% | 0 | 0 | 37 °C | 13.6 h |
| July | 0.9 m | 7% | 0 | 0 | 36 °C | 13.5 h |
| August | 0.9 m | 10% | 0 | 0 | 36 °C | 12.9 h |
| September | 0.8 m | 5% | 0 | 0 | 35 °C | 12.1 h |
| October | 0.5 m | 0% | 0 | 0 | 33 °C | 11.4 h |
| November | 0.4 m | 0% | 1 | 0 | 29 °C | 10.7 h |
| December | 0.7 m | 1% | 2 | 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: Poor | July week 1: Poor | August week 1: Poor | September week 1: Poor | October week 1: Good | November week 1: Excellent | December week 1: Excellent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Poor | February week 2: Moderate | March week 2: Moderate | April week 2: Moderate | May week 2: Moderate | June week 2: Poor | July week 2: Poor | August week 2: Moderate | September week 2: Poor | October week 2: Good | November week 2: Excellent | December week 2: Excellent |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Poor | February week 3: Good | March week 3: Poor | April week 3: Moderate | May week 3: Moderate | June week 3: Moderate | July week 3: Poor | August week 3: Moderate | September week 3: Moderate | October week 3: Excellent | November week 3: Excellent | December week 3: Good |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Poor | February week 4: Moderate | March week 4: Poor | April week 4: Moderate | May week 4: Good | June week 4: Moderate | July week 4: Moderate | August week 4: Poor | September week 4: Good | October week 4: Excellent | November week 4: Excellent | December week 4: Good |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: first of December
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 24 °C | 0.9 m | 21 km/h | 10% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 24 °C | 0.9 m | 24 km/h | 10% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 24 °C | 0.9 m | 25 km/h | 11% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 23 °C | 0.8 m | 25 km/h | 10% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 23 °C | 0.8 m | 26 km/h | 7% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 23 °C | 0.7 m | 25 km/h | 11% |
| Week 3 | Good | 23 °C | 0.8 m | 24 km/h | 14% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 23 °C | 0.8 m | 24 km/h | 12% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 23 °C | 0.8 m | 24 km/h | 9% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 23 °C | 0.6 m | 25 km/h | 6% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 24 °C | 0.8 m | 27 km/h | 9% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 24 °C | 0.9 m | 26 km/h | 9% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 25 °C | 0.6 m | 25 km/h | 3% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 25 °C | 0.6 m | 26 km/h | 3% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 26 °C | 0.6 m | 26 km/h | 4% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 27 °C | 0.5 m | 26 km/h | 2% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 28 °C | 0.6 m | 26 km/h | 1% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 28 °C | 0.6 m | 27 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 29 °C | 0.6 m | 26 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Good | 30 °C | 0.5 m | 26 km/h | 0% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 30 °C | 0.6 m | 26 km/h | 1% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 31 °C | 0.7 m | 26 km/h | 1% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 31 °C | 0.8 m | 27 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 32 °C | 0.9 m | 28 km/h | 0% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 32 °C | 0.9 m | 28 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 32 °C | 0.9 m | 28 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 32 °C | 0.9 m | 28 km/h | 1% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 32 °C | 0.9 m | 28 km/h | 2% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 32 °C | 0.9 m | 27 km/h | 1% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 32 °C | 0.9 m | 30 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 32 °C | 0.9 m | 31 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 32 °C | 0.9 m | 28 km/h | 0% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 32 °C | 0.9 m | 27 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 32 °C | 0.9 m | 26 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 32 °C | 0.8 m | 24 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Good | 31 °C | 0.7 m | 24 km/h | 0% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 31 °C | 0.6 m | 24 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Good | 31 °C | 0.5 m | 23 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.5 m | 21 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 30 °C | 0.5 m | 19 km/h | 1% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 29 °C | 0.5 m | 19 km/h | 3% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 28 °C | 0.4 m | 19 km/h | 5% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 28 °C | 0.4 m | 20 km/h | 5% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 27 °C | 0.4 m | 19 km/h | 4% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 27 °C | 0.5 m | 18 km/h | 4% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 26 °C | 0.6 m | 20 km/h | 7% |
| Week 3 | Good | 26 °C | 0.7 m | 20 km/h | 9% |
| Week 4 | Good | 25 °C | 0.8 m | 20 km/h | 8% |
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: 3 mm | May: skin | June: skin | July: skin | August: skin | September: skin | October: skin | November: 3 mm | December: 3 mm |
- Jan–Mar5 mm full suit
- Apr3 mm full suit
- May–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 2.5 m.
Tides
Tropical storms
1 of the last 30 Junes saw a tropical storm pass within 250 km. June 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
Musandam marine life — what you'll see diving
Only 153 records have been logged within 60 km. A thin record is not an empty reef.
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green turtle | May–Jun | Near-guaranteed | 124 | ||
| Hawksbill turtle | May | Likely | 10 | ||
| Whale shark | Jun, Oct–Nov | 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 Musandam — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Musandam?
- The wildlife shows no season worth planning around, so the weather picks your month: October to December.
- When is the diving season in Musandam?
- The diving season in Musandam runs October to December.
- Is the diving in Musandam good for beginners?
- It is better with some experience. It suits Advanced Open Water divers or equivalent, so newer divers should ask the local operator which sites fit their level.
- How warm is the water in Musandam?
- Between 23 and 32 °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 Musandam?
- 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 Musandam?
- Roughly 0 to 10 m depending on the month. That is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a rather than measured in the water.
- What will I see diving Musandam?
- The most consistently recorded species are Green turtle (near-guaranteed), Hawksbill turtle (likely) and Whale shark (hit-or-miss), from 153 records within 60 km.
- Does Musandam get tropical storms?
- Yes. Over 30 years of records a storm passed within 250 km in Jun, most often in June at 1 of 30 years.
- Is there current in Musandam?
- The tide rises and falls 2.4 m around the full and new moon, against 1.2 m in between. How much of that becomes current depends on the shape of the channel.
- When should I avoid Musandam?
- July–August are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive Musandam?
- Mostly from liveaboards and day boats. Trips run through the season, Oct–Dec.