Cayman Islands · Caribbean

Best time to dive Cayman Islands

Peak season is November–April (25–28 °C), outside the hurricane window. Summer usually brings the calmest seas and warmest water, with some storm risk.

Peak season: year-round

Best upcoming months:6.3May 2027 6.2April 2027 6.2June 2027

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	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5
Macro life	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6
Coral & reef health	3	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	2	2	2	2	2	4
Visibility	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9
Water temperature	10	9	8	8	8	9	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	9
Weather & sea state	8	8	8	8	8	9	9	8	8	7	6	6	7	8
Operations & access	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10
Wreck diving	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6

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	28.0 °C (82 °F)	25–35 m
December 2026	27.0 °C (81 °F)	25–35 m
January 2027	26.5 °C (80 °F)	25–35 m
February 2027	26.0 °C (79 °F)	25–35 m
March 2027	26.5 °C (80 °F)	25–35 m
April 2027	27.0 °C (81 °F)	25–40 m
May 2027	28.0 °C (82 °F)	25–40 m
June 2027	28.5 °C (83 °F)	25–40 m
July 2027	29.0 °C (84 °F)	25–40 m
August 2027	29.5 °C (85 °F)	25–40 m
September 2027	29.5 °C (85 °F)	25–35 m
October 2027	29.0 °C (84 °F)	25–35 m
November 2027	28.0 °C (82 °F)	25–35 m
December 2027	27.0 °C (81 °F)	25–35 m

Marine life calendar

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
southern stingray	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
turtles	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
nassau grouper	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
reef sharks	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
tarpon	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●

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

About the diving

Difficulty: Beginner
Current strength: 1 / 5
Luxury level: 5 / 5
Typical depth: 5–30 m
Max depth of interest: 40 m
Dive styles: Resort, Day boat, Shore
Suggested certification: Open Water
Nearest airport: GCM
Snorkelling: Good
Known for: southern stingray, nassau grouper, turtles, reef sharks

Famous sites: Bloody Bay Wall · Stingray City · USS Kittiwake · MV Captain Keith Tibbetts

Season notes & sources

Peak season is November–April (25–28 °C), outside the hurricane window. Summer usually brings the calmest seas and warmest water, with some storm risk.
The 2023–24 marine heatwave caused catastrophic bleaching and mortality on Caribbean reefs including Cayman's.
Cayman tourism documents tarpon at shore-accessible Eden Rock and Devil’s Grotto. This is a resident-presence calendar; seasonal silverside events do not establish a tarpon abundance peak.