Best time to dive North Malé Atoll

Northeast monsoon (December–April) brings calm, dry weather and the best visibility, often 20–30 m+. Southwest monsoon (May–November) brings rain, stronger currents and lower visibility; mid-May–June and October are the wettest stretches.

Peak season: December–March

Best upcoming months:7.7February 2027 7.6January 2027 7.4March 2027

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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	7	8	8	8	8	8	7	7	8	8	8	7	7	8
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
reef manta					●	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	●
grey reef shark	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	Peak
eagle ray	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
napoleon wrasse	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
moray eels	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●

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: reef manta, grey reef shark, eagle ray, napoleon wrasse

Famous sites: Banana Reef · Manta Point · Okobe Thila · HP Reef

Season notes & sources

Northeast monsoon (December–April) brings calm, dry weather and the best visibility, often 20–30 m+. Southwest monsoon (May–November) brings rain, stronger currents and lower visibility; mid-May–June and October are the wettest stretches.
Channel sharks and eagle rays peak on the east side in the northeast monsoon; manta cleaning stations near Malé are active roughly May/June–October/November.
Reefs bleached in 1998, 2016 and 2024; the 2024 event cost the central atolls over 40% of their live coral on average, worst on shallow lagoon reefs. Channel and outer reefs recover fastest. Reefs near Malé and Hulhumalé also face dredging and sediment. Bleaching risk peaks in April–May.
Kanduohgiri, beside a tuna-processing plant, is documented for dense aggregations of several moray species. This is a human-influenced site; confirm access locally. The calendar describes resident presence, not a measured seasonal peak.