Best time to dive Raja Ampat

Main season is October to May. Southeast winds from roughly June to September make the south (Misool) rough; most liveaboards stop and diving shifts to resorts in the north.

Peak season: November–April

Best upcoming months:8.4December 2026 8.3November 2026 8.3January 2027

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

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	28.3 °C (83 °F)	15–25 m
December 2026	28.2 °C (83 °F)	12–22 m
January 2027	27.8 °C (82 °F)	10–20 m
February 2027	27.9 °C (82 °F)	10–20 m
March 2027	28.6 °C (83 °F)	12–22 m
April 2027	29.2 °C (85 °F)	15–25 m
May 2027	29.3 °C (85 °F)	15–25 m
June 2027	28.9 °C (84 °F)	12–20 m
July 2027	28.5 °C (83 °F)	10–20 m
August 2027	28.1 °C (83 °F)	10–20 m
September 2027	28.1 °C (83 °F)	15–25 m
October 2027	28.7 °C (84 °F)	15–30 m
November 2027	29.2 °C (85 °F)	15–25 m
December 2027	29.2 °C (85 °F)	12–22 m

Marine life calendar

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
oceanic manta	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	●					●	●	Peak
reef manta	Peak	Peak	Peak	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	Peak	Peak
wobbegong	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
pygmy seahorse	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
walking shark	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
moray eels	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
mandarinfish	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
octopus	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
lionfish	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
turtles	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
giant clam	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●

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

About the diving

Difficulty: Intermediate
Current strength: 4 / 5
Luxury level: 5 / 5
Typical depth: 5–30 m
Max depth of interest: 40 m
Dive styles: Liveaboard, Resort, Day boat
Suggested certification: Advanced Open Water
Nearest airport: SOQ
Snorkelling: Good
Known for: oceanic manta, reef manta, wobbegong, pygmy seahorse, walking shark

Famous sites: Cape Kri · Sardine Reef · Manta Sandy · Blue Magic · Boo Windows

Season notes & sources

Main season is October to May. Southeast winds from roughly June to September make the south (Misool) rough; most liveaboards stop and diving shifts to resorts in the north.
Manta chances are highest from about November/December to April at Dampier Strait and Misool cleaning stations. Plankton that brings mantas also lowers visibility.
From July to September most liveaboards leave for Komodo and Banda, though a few still run northern routes (Dampier Strait, Wayag); resorts in the north stay open.
Papua Diving offers night and sunset mandarin dives throughout the year, describing morays, lionfish and octopuses among the reef encounters. These are resident groups, not evidence of a monthly population peak; some areas and itineraries have seasonal access.
Papua Diving documents frequent turtle encounters at Cape Kri and Sauwandarek and features giant clams among regional reef life. Added calendars use the resident-presence convention, without a new monthly abundance peak.