Photographing Turtles — Photographing Turtles by William Warby from London, England, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Malaysia · Indo-Pacific

Best time to dive Sipadan & Semporna

Diveable year-round; best roughly March/April–October (calm, 20–40 m+ visibility). November–February is wetter with squalls and choppier water. Turtle nesting peaks August–September.

Peak season: March–October

Best upcoming months:8.4June 2027 8.4July 2027 8.4August 2027

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

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	27.7 °C (82 °F)	15–25 m
January 2027	27.8 °C (82 °F)	15–25 m
February 2027	27.9 °C (82 °F)	15–25 m
March 2027	28.6 °C (83 °F)	20–30 m
April 2027	29.2 °C (85 °F)	20–40 m
May 2027	29.3 °C (85 °F)	20–40 m
June 2027	29.4 °C (85 °F)	25–40 m
July 2027	29.0 °C (84 °F)	25–40 m
August 2027	29.1 °C (84 °F)	25–40 m
September 2027	29.1 °C (84 °F)	20–35 m
October 2027	29.2 °C (85 °F)	20–30 m
November 2027	29.2 °C (85 °F)	15–25 m
December 2027	28.7 °C (84 °F)	15–25 m

Marine life calendar

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
green turtle	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
turtle nesting							●	Peak	Peak	●
barracuda tornado	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
bumphead parrotfish	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
grey reef shark	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
schooling jacks	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●

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: Resort, Day boat
Suggested certification: Advanced Open Water
Nearest airport: TWU
Snorkelling: Good
Known for: green turtle, barracuda tornado, bumphead parrotfish, grey reef shark

Famous sites: Barracuda Point · South Point · Drop Off · Hanging Gardens

Season notes & sources

Diveable year-round; best roughly March/April–October (calm, 20–40 m+ visibility). November–February is wetter with squalls and choppier water. Turtle nesting peaks August–September.
Sipadan is limited to 176 diver permits a day; book early, especially in peak months. Sabah Parks occasionally closes the island for reef recovery (it closed for November 2023).
Barracuda Point has large schools of jacks and barracuda; Seaventures describes these schools as resident throughout the year. Island permits and current affect visits. Turtle nesting is a separate event, not evidence of improved underwater sightings.

Sources