Best time to dive Rowley Shoals

Three remote atolls about a day's sail west of Broome, reached only by one or two liveaboards. Trips run in a short calm window, from late September to early December, mainly October–November, before the cyclone season.

Peak season: September–November

Best upcoming months:7.2November 2026 7.2October 2027 7.2November 2027

Overall diving, month by month

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

Confidence: Nov medium · Dec medium · Jan low · Feb low · Mar low · Apr low · May medium · Jun low · Jul low · Aug low · Sep low · 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	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8
Macro life	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4
Coral & reef health	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4
Visibility	10	9	8	8	8	9	9	9	9	9	10	10	10	9
Water temperature	9	10	10	10	10	10	9	8	7	7	8	8	10	10
Weather & sea state	8	5	3	3	3	5	7	8	8	8	8	9	8	5
Operations & access	9	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	9	9	2

Climate outlook

How this year's forecast differs from a typical year

Water temperature -0.8 °C · Weaker Leeuwin Current in El Niño brings cooler water (stronger and warmer in La Niña) (Nov 2026 – June 2027)

Water temperature & visibility

Month	Water	Visibility
November 2026	27.5 °C (82 °F)	30–50 m
December 2026	28.8 °C (84 °F)	25–40 m
January 2027	29.3 °C (85 °F)	20–35 m
February 2027	29.2 °C (85 °F)	20–35 m
March 2027	29.3 °C (85 °F)	20–35 m
April 2027	28.9 °C (84 °F)	25–40 m
May 2027	27.6 °C (82 °F)	25–40 m
June 2027	26.2 °C (79 °F)	25–40 m
July 2027	25.3 °C (78 °F)	25–40 m
August 2027	24.9 °C (77 °F)	25–40 m
September 2027	25.5 °C (78 °F)	30–45 m
October 2027	26.6 °C (80 °F)	30–50 m
November 2027	28.1 °C (83 °F)	30–50 m
December 2027	29.7 °C (85 °F)	25–40 m

Marine life calendar

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
grey reef shark	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
potato cod	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
humpback whale							●	●	●
giant clam	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
manta ray	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
silvertip shark	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●

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

About the diving

Difficulty: Intermediate
Current strength: 3 / 5
Luxury level: 4 / 5
Typical depth: 5–30 m
Max depth of interest: 40 m
Dive styles: Liveaboard
Suggested certification: Open Water
Nearest airport: BME
Snorkelling: Good
Known for: grey reef shark, potato cod, silvertip shark, giant clam, manta ray

Famous sites: Clerke Reef channel · Mermaid Reef · Imperieuse Reef

Season notes & sources

Three remote atolls about a day's sail west of Broome, reached only by one or two liveaboards. Trips run in a short calm window, from late September to early December, mainly October–November, before the cyclone season.
Once among Australia's most untouched reefs, but the 2024–25 Western Australian marine heatwave caused 61–90% coral mortality at Mermaid and Clerke reefs. The sharks, cod and visibility remain the draw while the reefs recover.