Best time to dive Bahamas (Tiger Beach & Bimini)

Tiger Beach tiger sharks peak roughly October–April (present year-round); Bimini great hammerheads December to mid-April (peak January–March); Cat Island oceanic whitetips mainly April–May, tailing off through June–July. Winter water is cooler (~25 °C).

Peak season: November–June

Best upcoming months:8.0December 2026 8.0January 2027 8.0February 2027

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Overall diving, month by month

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

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

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	10	10	10	10	9	9	9	8	8	8	8	9	10
Macro life	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4
Coral & reef health	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	3	3	3	3	3	5
Visibility	8	8	8	8	8	9	9	9	9	9	9	8	8	8
Water temperature	8	8	7	6	7	8	8	10	10	10	10	10	8	8
Weather & sea state	8	7	7	7	8	8	9	8	8	7	6	6	7	7
Operations & access	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10

Climate outlook

How this year's forecast differs from a typical year

Weather & sea state +1.3 · El Niño suppresses Atlantic hurricanes; La Niña tends to bring more (Nov 2026 – November 2027)
Coral & reef health -1.6 · Late-summer bleaching risk in the year after a strong El Niño (Jul 2027 – November 2027)

Water temperature & visibility

Month	Water	Visibility
November 2026	26.5 °C (80 °F)	20–30 m
December 2026	25.5 °C (78 °F)	20–30 m
January 2027	24.5 °C (76 °F)	20–30 m
February 2027	24.0 °C (75 °F)	20–30 m
March 2027	24.5 °C (76 °F)	20–30 m
April 2027	25.5 °C (78 °F)	25–35 m
May 2027	26.5 °C (80 °F)	25–35 m
June 2027	28.0 °C (82 °F)	25–35 m
July 2027	29.0 °C (84 °F)	25–40 m
August 2027	29.5 °C (85 °F)	25–40 m
September 2027	29.0 °C (84 °F)	25–35 m
October 2027	28.0 °C (82 °F)	20–30 m
November 2027	26.5 °C (80 °F)	20–30 m
December 2027	25.5 °C (78 °F)	20–30 m

Marine life calendar

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
tiger shark	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	●	●	●	●	●	Peak	Peak	Peak
great hammerhead	Peak	Peak	Peak	●								●
oceanic whitetip shark			●	Peak	Peak	●	●
lemon shark	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●

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

About the diving

Difficulty: Intermediate
Current strength: 2 / 5
Luxury level: 3 / 5
Typical depth: 5–25 m
Max depth of interest: 30 m
Dive styles: Liveaboard, Day boat
Suggested certification: Advanced Open Water (shark dives)
Nearest airport: FPO
Snorkelling: Good
Known for: tiger shark, great hammerhead, lemon shark, oceanic whitetip shark

Famous sites: Tiger Beach · Bimini hammerhead sand · Shark Wall · Theo's Wreck

Season notes & sources

Tiger Beach tiger sharks peak roughly October–April (present year-round); Bimini great hammerheads December to mid-April (peak January–March); Cat Island oceanic whitetips mainly April–May, tailing off through June–July. Winter water is cooler (~25 °C).