Best time to dive Ari Atoll

South Ari whale sharks are resident year-round (sighted on most trips), with a peak around August–November; they sit off the east side (Dhigurah) in the southwest monsoon and move west in the northeast monsoon. Mantas follow the same east–west shift.

Peak season: August–March

Best upcoming months:8.0February 2027 7.9January 2027 7.8November 2026

Book an Ari Atoll LiveaboardUpcoming departures on Divebooker

Overall diving, month by month

Balanced scoring · forecasts include the 2026/27 El Niño outlook

Confidence: Nov high · Dec medium · Jan medium · Feb medium · Mar medium · Apr medium · May medium · Jun low · Jul medium · Aug medium · Sep medium · Oct low · Nov low · Dec low

What's good when

Each attribute scored 0–10 for every month

	Nov2026	Dec	Jan2027	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Pelagic & big animals	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9
Macro life	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5
Coral & reef health	5	5	5	5	2	1	1	2	4	4	4	4	4	4
Visibility	7	8	8	9	9	8	7	6	6	6	6	7	7	8
Water temperature	10	10	10	10	10	9	9	10	10	10	10	10	10	10
Weather & sea state	7	8	9	9	9	9	7	5	5	6	6	6	7	8
Operations & access	9	10	10	10	10	10	9	8	8	8	8	8	9	10

Climate outlook

How this year's forecast differs from a typical year

Water temperature +0.7 °C · Indian Ocean warms in the months after an El Niño peak (Nov 2026 – July 2027)
Coral & reef health -2.6 · Post–El Niño marine heatwave; high bleaching risk (as in 1998, 2016 and 2024) (Mar 2027 – June 2027)
Coral & reef health -1.3 · Reefs still recovering from post–El Niño bleaching (Jul 2027 – December 2027)

Water temperature & visibility

Month	Water	Visibility
November 2026	28.9 °C (84 °F)	15–25 m
December 2026	28.4 °C (83 °F)	20–30 m
January 2027	28.5 °C (83 °F)	20–30 m
February 2027	29.1 °C (84 °F)	25–35 m
March 2027	29.6 °C (85 °F)	25–35 m
April 2027	30.7 °C (87 °F)	20–30 m
May 2027	30.6 °C (87 °F)	15–25 m
June 2027	30.0 °C (86 °F)	12–20 m
July 2027	29.4 °C (85 °F)	12–20 m
August 2027	28.8 °C (84 °F)	12–20 m
September 2027	28.7 °C (84 °F)	15–20 m
October 2027	28.6 °C (83 °F)	15–25 m
November 2027	28.5 °C (83 °F)	15–25 m
December 2027	28.0 °C (82 °F)	20–30 m

Marine life calendar

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
whale shark	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	●
reef manta	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
grey reef shark	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	Peak
scalloped hammerhead	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●

Peak = best odds · ● = regularly seen · blank = unlikely. Calendar months, every year.

About the diving

Difficulty: Intermediate
Current strength: 3 / 5
Luxury level: 5 / 5
Typical depth: 8–30 m
Max depth of interest: 30 m
Dive styles: Liveaboard, Resort, Day boat
Suggested certification: Advanced Open Water
Nearest airport: MLE
Snorkelling: Good
Known for: whale shark, reef manta, grey reef shark, scalloped hammerhead

Famous sites: Maamigili (whale sharks) · Maaya Thila · Fish Head · Rasdhoo Madivaru

Season notes & sources

South Ari whale sharks are resident year-round (sighted on most trips), with a peak around August–November; they sit off the east side (Dhigurah) in the southwest monsoon and move west in the northeast monsoon. Mantas follow the same east–west shift.
Outer reefs and thilas have held up: Reef Check found 49–64% hard coral at Rasdhoo and other outer sites in October 2025, with under 1% of colonies bleached. Shallow lagoon reefs took the 2024 bleaching hardest (one Ari lagoon reef lost 57% of its coral), and some inner sites such as Dega Thila are now mostly rubble and soft corallimorphs. Bleaching risk peaks in April–May.