Red Sea
Best Time to Dive in Zabargad & Rocky Island
23.59°N 36.20°E
Aim for May to August for the long days — 13.1 hours of light against 11.4. Too few records to show a wildlife season, so the weather picks the month.
- Best time
- May–Aug
- Water
- 24–31 °C
- Visibility
- 15–30 m
- Dived from
- liveaboard
- Tidal range
- 0.3–0.5 m
- Species logged
- 5
Where it is
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Zabargad & Rocky Island — 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 | Poor | Poor | Good | Good | Good | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Good | Good | Moderate |
| Water temp (°C) | 25 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 30 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 26 |
| Visibility (m) | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 20–30 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 15–25 | 20–30 | 15–25 |
| Marine life | Busy | Quiet | Quiet | Busy | Steady | Busy | Busy | Busy | Busy | Busy | Busy | Steady |
| Best time | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season May–Aug
Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.
The Zabargad & Rocky Island diving season
February to March · Off season
2 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 24–24 °C
- Visibility
- 15–25 m
- Rain
- 0 days a month
Diving conditionsThe sea is rougher. It rains less.
April to November · Peak season
8 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 25–31 °C
- Visibility
- 15–25 m
- Rain
- 0 days a month
Diving conditionsIt rains less. The sea is calmer.
December to January · Shoulder season
2 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 25–26 °C
- Visibility
- 15–25 m
- Rain
- 1 days a month
Diving conditionsExpect some swell. It rains more. The wind is up.
- Water temperature is satellite sea-surface temperature, so expect it cooler below the thermocline.
- Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a.
Zabargad & Rocky Island water temperature and weather
127 underwater observation records · 20 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Zabargad & Rocky Island 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 | 1.7 m | 13% | 1 | 0 | 23 °C | 10.7 h |
| February | 1.9 m | 15% | 0 | 0 | 23 °C | 11.2 h |
| March | 2.1 m | 17% | 0 | 0 | 24 °C | 11.8 h |
| April | 1.6 m | 10% | 0 | 0 | 26 °C | 12.6 h |
| May | 1.7 m | 7% | 0 | 0 | 28 °C | 13.1 h |
| June | 1.4 m | 10% | 0 | 0 | 30 °C | 13.4 h |
| July | 0.9 m | 2% | 0 | 0 | 32 °C | 13.3 h |
| August | 1.4 m | 5% | 0 | 0 | 32 °C | 12.8 h |
| September | 1.5 m | 10% | 0 | 0 | 31 °C | 12.1 h |
| October | 1.6 m | 7% | 1 | 0 | 29 °C | 11.4 h |
| November | 1.4 m | 1% | 2 | 1 | 27 °C | 10.8 h |
| December | 1.6 m | 9% | 1 | 0 | 25 °C | 10.6 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: Poor | March week 1: Moderate | April week 1: Moderate | May week 1: Excellent | June week 1: Good | July week 1: Excellent | August week 1: Excellent | September week 1: Good | October week 1: Good | November week 1: Excellent | December week 1: Good |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Moderate | February week 2: Poor | March week 2: Poor | April week 2: Good | May week 2: Good | June week 2: Good | July week 2: Excellent | August week 2: Excellent | September week 2: Moderate | October week 2: Good | November week 2: Excellent | December week 2: Moderate |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Poor | February week 3: Poor | March week 3: Poor | April week 3: Good | May week 3: Good | June week 3: Good | July week 3: Excellent | August week 3: Good | September week 3: Moderate | October week 3: Good | November week 3: Good | December week 3: Moderate |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Poor | February week 4: Moderate | March week 4: Poor | April week 4: Excellent | May week 4: Good | June week 4: Good | July week 4: Excellent | August week 4: Good | September week 4: Good | October week 4: Excellent | November week 4: Good | December week 4: Good |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: first of August
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 25 °C | 1.5 m | 31 km/h | 2% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 25 °C | 1.5 m | 32 km/h | 2% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 25 °C | 1.7 m | 32 km/h | 2% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 24 °C | 1.8 m | 33 km/h | 2% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 24 °C | 1.8 m | 34 km/h | 2% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 24 °C | 1.9 m | 35 km/h | 2% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 24 °C | 1.9 m | 34 km/h | 1% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 24 °C | 1.8 m | 31 km/h | 1% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 24 °C | 1.8 m | 30 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 24 °C | 2.0 m | 31 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 24 °C | 2.2 m | 32 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 24 °C | 2.1 m | 33 km/h | 0% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 25 °C | 2.0 m | 30 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Good | 25 °C | 1.7 m | 30 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Good | 25 °C | 1.6 m | 30 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 26 °C | 1.3 m | 29 km/h | 0% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 26 °C | 1.4 m | 29 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Good | 27 °C | 1.7 m | 30 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Good | 27 °C | 1.7 m | 29 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Good | 28 °C | 1.6 m | 31 km/h | 0% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 28 °C | 1.4 m | 31 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Good | 28 °C | 1.2 m | 31 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Good | 29 °C | 1.5 m | 31 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Good | 29 °C | 1.4 m | 30 km/h | 0% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.0 m | 24 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.0 m | 21 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 30 °C | 1.0 m | 21 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 31 °C | 0.8 m | 22 km/h | 0% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 31 °C | 1.0 m | 23 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 31 °C | 1.4 m | 26 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Good | 31 °C | 1.4 m | 27 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Good | 31 °C | 1.5 m | 28 km/h | 0% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 31 °C | 1.5 m | 31 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 30 °C | 1.5 m | 33 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 30 °C | 1.5 m | 34 km/h | 0% |
| Week 4 | Good | 30 °C | 1.4 m | 33 km/h | 0% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 30 °C | 1.4 m | 33 km/h | 0% |
| Week 2 | Good | 30 °C | 1.6 m | 31 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Good | 29 °C | 1.7 m | 30 km/h | 1% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.5 m | 27 km/h | 6% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 29 °C | 1.2 m | 26 km/h | 7% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 28 °C | 1.3 m | 27 km/h | 6% |
| Week 3 | Good | 28 °C | 1.5 m | 28 km/h | 6% |
| Week 4 | Good | 28 °C | 1.5 m | 29 km/h | 5% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 27 °C | 1.5 m | 30 km/h | 6% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 27 °C | 1.6 m | 31 km/h | 5% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 26 °C | 1.7 m | 33 km/h | 1% |
| Week 4 | Good | 26 °C | 1.6 m | 31 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: 3 mm | May: 3 mm | June: skin | July: skin | August: skin | September: skin | October: skin | November: skin | December: 3 mm |
- Jan–Mar5 mm full suit
- Apr–May3 mm full suit
- Jun–Novskin or 3 mm shorty
- 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
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
Zabargad & Rocky Island marine life — what you'll see diving
Only 127 records have been logged within 60 km. A thin record is not an empty reef.
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spinner dolphin | Jun–Jul | Likely | 42 | ||
| Bottlenose dolphin | Jun | Hit-or-miss | 18 | ||
| Bluespotted ribbontail ray | Apr, Sep–Nov | Likely | 19 | ||
| Napoleon wrasse | Apr, Jul | Likely | 16 | ||
| Hawksbill turtle | Jan, Apr, Aug | Likely | 10 |
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 Zabargad & Rocky Island — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Zabargad & Rocky Island?
- Aim for May to August for the long days — 13.1 hours of light against 11.4. Too few records to show a wildlife season, so the weather picks the month.
- When is the diving season in Zabargad & Rocky Island?
- The diving season in Zabargad & Rocky Island runs May to August.
- Is the diving in Zabargad & Rocky Island good for beginners?
- Not really. It is for experienced divers, so it is not a place to learn or to make your first dives after certification.
- How warm is the water in Zabargad & Rocky Island?
- Between 24 and 31 °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 Zabargad & Rocky Island?
- 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 Zabargad & Rocky Island?
- Roughly 15 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 Zabargad & Rocky Island?
- The most consistently recorded species are Spinner dolphin (likely), Bottlenose dolphin (hit-or-miss) and Bluespotted ribbontail ray (likely), from 127 records within 60 km.
- Does Zabargad & Rocky Island get tropical storms?
- No. None has passed within 250 km in 30 years of records.
- Is there current in Zabargad & Rocky Island?
- The tide rises and falls 0.5 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 Zabargad & Rocky Island?
- February–March are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive Zabargad & Rocky Island?
- Mostly from liveaboards. Trips run through the season, May–Aug.