Red Sea
Best Time to Dive in the Strait of Gubal / Thistlegorm
27.81°N 33.92°E
The wildlife shows no season worth planning around, so the weather picks your month: October to December.
- Best time
- Oct–Dec
- Water
- 22–29 °C
- Visibility
- 15–25 m
- Dived from
- liveaboard and day boat
- Tidal range
- 0.3–0.6 m
- Species logged
- 8
Where it is
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in the Strait of Gubal / Thistlegorm — 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 | Moderate | Moderate | Poor | Moderate | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
| Water temp (°C) | 23 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 24 |
| Visibility (m) | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 |
| Marine life | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Busy | Busy | Steady | Steady | Busy | 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 Strait of Gubal / Thistlegorm diving season
January to March · Shoulder season
3 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 22–23 °C
- Visibility
- 15–25 m
- Rain
- 0 days a month
Diving conditionsSeas stay mostly calm. It rains more.
April to September · Off season
6 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 23–29 °C
- Visibility
- 15–25 m
- Rain
- 0 days a month
Diving conditionsExpect some swell. It rains less. The wind is up.
Marine lifeWhale shark (hit-or-miss) peaks at Strait of Gubal / Thistlegorm in these months.
October to December · Peak season
3 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 24–27 °C
- Visibility
- 15–25 m
- Rain
- 0 days a month
Diving conditionsThe wind eases. The sea is calmer.
Marine lifeWhale shark (hit-or-miss) peaks at Strait of Gubal / Thistlegorm in these months.
- Water temperature is satellite sea-surface temperature, so expect it cooler below the thermocline.
- Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a.
Strait of Gubal / Thistlegorm water temperature and weather
618 underwater observation records · 27 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Strait of Gubal / Thistlegorm 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
3
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 | 1.2 m | 6% | 0 | 0 | 21 °C | 10.4 h |
| February | 1.4 m | 13% | 1 | 0 | 22 °C | 11.0 h |
| March | 1.4 m | 16% | 0 | 0 | 26 °C | 11.8 h |
| April | 1.4 m | 14% | 0 | 0 | 30 °C | 12.7 h |
| May | 1.4 m | 13% | 0 | 0 | 34 °C | 13.4 h |
| June | 1.3 m | 13% | 0 | 0 | 37 °C | 13.8 h |
| July | 1.2 m | 9% | 0 | 0 | 38 °C | 13.6 h |
| August | 1.4 m | 16% | 0 | 0 | 38 °C | 13.0 h |
| September | 1.4 m | 9% | 0 | 0 | 35 °C | 12.2 h |
| October | 1.3 m | 1% | 0 | 0 | 32 °C | 11.3 h |
| November | 1.1 m | 2% | 0 | 0 | 27 °C | 10.6 h |
| December | 1.1 m | 3% | 0 | 0 | 23 °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: Good | 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: Good | February week 2: Poor | March week 2: Poor | April week 2: Poor | May week 2: Poor | June week 2: Poor | July week 2: Poor | August week 2: Poor | September week 2: Poor | October week 2: Excellent | November week 2: Excellent | December week 2: Excellent |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Moderate | February week 3: Moderate | March week 3: Poor | April week 3: Moderate | 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: Excellent |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Poor | February week 4: Moderate | March week 4: Poor | April week 4: Good | May week 4: Poor | June week 4: Poor | July week 4: Poor | August week 4: Poor | September week 4: Moderate | October week 4: Excellent | November week 4: Excellent | December week 4: Good |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: fourth of October
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 23 °C | 1.0 m | 24 km/h | 1% |
| Week 2 | Good | 23 °C | 1.0 m | 24 km/h | 1% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 23 °C | 1.2 m | 25 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 22 °C | 1.2 m | 27 km/h | 0% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 22 °C | 1.3 m | 27 km/h | 1% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 22 °C | 1.5 m | 27 km/h | 2% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 22 °C | 1.4 m | 28 km/h | 2% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 22 °C | 1.3 m | 27 km/h | 2% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 22 °C | 1.3 m | 25 km/h | 1% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 22 °C | 1.4 m | 27 km/h | 3% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 22 °C | 1.5 m | 31 km/h | 2% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 22 °C | 1.4 m | 30 km/h | 0% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 22 °C | 1.4 m | 29 km/h | 1% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 23 °C | 1.5 m | 29 km/h | 1% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 23 °C | 1.4 m | 28 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Good | 23 °C | 1.3 m | 27 km/h | 0% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 24 °C | 1.3 m | 28 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 24 °C | 1.4 m | 28 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 25 °C | 1.5 m | 29 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 25 °C | 1.4 m | 30 km/h | 0% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 25 °C | 1.3 m | 30 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 26 °C | 1.3 m | 32 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 26 °C | 1.4 m | 33 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 26 °C | 1.4 m | 33 km/h | 0% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.2 m | 32 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 27 °C | 1.2 m | 31 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.2 m | 31 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.1 m | 30 km/h | 0% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.2 m | 30 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 33 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.5 m | 34 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.5 m | 34 km/h | 0% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.4 m | 33 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.3 m | 33 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 28 °C | 1.3 m | 32 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 27 °C | 1.2 m | 31 km/h | 0% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 27 °C | 1.3 m | 30 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.3 m | 28 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.2 m | 26 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.1 m | 24 km/h | 1% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.0 m | 23 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 27 °C | 1.1 m | 22 km/h | 1% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 26 °C | 1.1 m | 23 km/h | 1% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 26 °C | 1.1 m | 22 km/h | 0% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 25 °C | 1.1 m | 22 km/h | 1% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 25 °C | 1.2 m | 23 km/h | 1% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 24 °C | 1.1 m | 23 km/h | 1% |
| Week 4 | Good | 24 °C | 1.1 m | 25 km/h | 1% |
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 2.5 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
Strait of Gubal / Thistlegorm marine life — what you'll see diving
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluespotted ribbontail ray | All year | Near-guaranteed | 322 | ||
| Napoleon wrasse | All year | Near-guaranteed | 105 | ||
| Hawksbill turtle | All year | Near-guaranteed | 49 | ||
| Ocellated eagle ray | All year | Likely | 24 | ||
| Green turtle | All year | Hit-or-miss | 13 | ||
| Bottlenose dolphin | Jul, Nov | Likely | 30 | ||
| Whale shark | Jun–Jul, Nov | Hit-or-miss | 29 | ||
| Spinner dolphin | Jul, Oct–Nov | Likely | 16 |
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 Strait of Gubal / Thistlegorm — common questions
- When is the best time to dive the Strait of Gubal / Thistlegorm?
- The wildlife shows no season worth planning around, so the weather picks your month: October to December.
- When is the diving season at the Strait of Gubal / Thistlegorm?
- The diving season at the Strait of Gubal / Thistlegorm runs October to December.
- Is the diving at the Strait of Gubal / Thistlegorm 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 at the Strait of Gubal / Thistlegorm?
- Between 22 and 29 °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 at the Strait of Gubal / Thistlegorm?
- 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 at the Strait of Gubal / Thistlegorm?
- Roughly 15 to 25 m depending on the month. That is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a rather than measured in the water.
- What will I see diving the Strait of Gubal / Thistlegorm?
- The most consistently recorded species are Bluespotted ribbontail ray (near-guaranteed), Napoleon wrasse (near-guaranteed) and Hawksbill turtle (near-guaranteed), from 618 records within 60 km.
- Does the Strait of Gubal / Thistlegorm get tropical storms?
- No. None has passed within 250 km in 30 years of records.
- Is there current at the Strait of Gubal / Thistlegorm?
- The tide rises and falls 0.6 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 the Strait of Gubal / Thistlegorm?
- August is the weakest month for conditions.
- How do you dive the Strait of Gubal / Thistlegorm?
- Mostly from liveaboards and day boats. Trips run through the season, Oct–Dec.