Best time to dive Wakatobi

Dry season (about April–October) is calmest with the best visibility; the light wet season is January–February with almost no river run-off. July–August is coolest (about 25 °C), windier and the spawning period with big fish numbers.

Peak season: year-round

Best upcoming months:7.4November 2026 7.2December 2026 7.2April 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	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	6	6	6	6	5	5	5
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	9	9	8	8	9	9	9	9	8	8	9	9	9	9
Water temperature	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	9	8	7	8	10	9	10
Weather & sea state	10	9	8	7	8	9	9	8	7	7	8	9	9	8
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	29.3 °C (85 °F)	30–40 m
December 2026	28.7 °C (84 °F)	25–35 m
January 2027	28.3 °C (83 °F)	20–30 m
February 2027	28.4 °C (83 °F)	20–30 m
March 2027	28.6 °C (83 °F)	25–35 m
April 2027	28.7 °C (84 °F)	30–40 m
May 2027	28.3 °C (83 °F)	30–40 m
June 2027	27.4 °C (81 °F)	25–35 m
July 2027	26.0 °C (79 °F)	20–30 m
August 2027	25.1 °C (77 °F)	20–30 m
September 2027	26.1 °C (79 °F)	25–35 m
October 2027	28.2 °C (83 °F)	30–40 m
November 2027	30.2 °C (86 °F)	30–40 m
December 2027	29.7 °C (85 °F)	25–35 m

Marine life calendar

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
pygmy seahorse	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
hawksbill turtle	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
spawning aggregations							Peak	Peak
ghost pipefish	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
moray eels	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
ribbon eels	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
garden eels	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
nudibranchs	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
octopus	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
mandarinfish	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
sea snakes	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
giant clam	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
schooling jacks	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
lionfish	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
frogfish	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●

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

About the diving

Difficulty: Beginner
Current strength: 2 / 5
Luxury level: 4 / 5
Typical depth: 5–30 m
Max depth of interest: 40 m
Dive styles: Resort, Liveaboard
Suggested certification: Open Water
Nearest airport: WNI
Snorkelling: Good
Known for: pygmy seahorse, hawksbill turtle, ghost pipefish, schooling fish

Famous sites: House Reef · Roma · Blade · Table Coral City

Season notes & sources

Dry season (about April–October) is calmest with the best visibility; the light wet season is January–February with almost no river run-off. July–August is coolest (about 25 °C), windier and the spawning period with big fish numbers.
Local site descriptions record morays, ribbon eels, garden eels, nudibranchs, octopus/cuttlefish, dusk mandarinfish, banded sea snakes, giant clams, frogfish, lionfish and resident jacks. Entries describe resident groups across sites, with no supported monthly peak; individuals and site access vary.