Best time to dive Banda Sea
Two liveaboard windows: March–April/May and September–November. June–July is the rainiest and roughest, and diving is largely a no-go.
Peak season: October–November
Book a Banda Sea LiveaboardUpcoming departures on DivebookerOverall diving, month by month
Balanced scoring · forecasts include the 2026/27 El Niño outlook
Confidence: Nov medium · Dec medium · Jan medium · Feb medium · Mar medium · Apr medium · May medium · Jun medium · 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 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 6 |
| Macro life | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Coral & reef health | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Visibility | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Water temperature | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 |
| Weather & sea state | 9 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 |
| Operations & access | 9 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 5 |
Climate outlook
How this year's forecast differs from a typical year
- Weather & sea state +1 · El Niño makes the wet season drier (Nov 2026 – April 2027)
- Water temperature -0.8 °C · Indonesian seas run cooler during El Niño (Nov 2026 – April 2027)
- Coral & reef health -1 · El Niño sea-level drop and heat stress damage shallow reefs (Nov 2026 – December 2027)
Water temperature & visibility
| Month | Water | Visibility |
|---|---|---|
| November 2026 | 27.8 °C (82 °F) | 30–40 m |
| December 2026 | 28.2 °C (83 °F) | 25–35 m |
| January 2027 | 28.3 °C (83 °F) | 20–30 m |
| February 2027 | 28.4 °C (83 °F) | 20–30 m |
| March 2027 | 28.6 °C (83 °F) | 25–35 m |
| April 2027 | 28.7 °C (84 °F) | 25–40 m |
| May 2027 | 27.8 °C (82 °F) | 25–35 m |
| June 2027 | 26.9 °C (80 °F) | 20–30 m |
| July 2027 | 26.0 °C (79 °F) | 20–30 m |
| August 2027 | 26.1 °C (79 °F) | 20–30 m |
| September 2027 | 26.6 °C (80 °F) | 25–40 m |
| October 2027 | 27.7 °C (82 °F) | 30–40 m |
| November 2027 | 28.7 °C (84 °F) | 30–40 m |
| December 2027 | 29.2 °C (85 °F) | 25–35 m |
Marine life calendar
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| scalloped hammerhead | Peak | Peak | ● | |||||||||
| sea snakes | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
| dolphins | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
| mandarinfish | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
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
- 5–30 m
- Max depth of interest
- 40 m
- Dive styles
- Liveaboard, Resort
- Suggested certification
- Advanced Open Water
- Nearest airport
- AMQ
- Snorkelling
- Good
- Known for
- scalloped hammerhead, sea snakes, dolphins, mandarinfish
Famous sites: Lava Flow · Manuk · Batu Kapal · Hatta Island
Season notes & sources
- Two liveaboard windows: March–April/May and September–November. June–July is the rainiest and roughest, and diving is largely a no-go.
- Hammerhead aggregations are most consistent from late September to mid-October.
Sources
- Best Time to Dive in the Banda Islands (Original Diving)
- Banda Sea and Forgotten Islands (ZuBlu)
- Diving the Banda Sea: hammerheads, Spice Islands, best time to go (Ocean Earth Travels)
- Coral mortality induced by the 2015–2016 El Niño in Indonesia (Biogeosciences, 2017)
- Singapore’s corals may come under threat in 2027 if El Niño turns strong (Asia News Network)