Where to Dive in December: 12 Scuba Destinations by Region

Where to dive in December: the short list

December splits the diving map. In the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific it is diving season for the Maldives, Thailand's Similan Islands, Raja Ampat and Palau, while Koh Tao and Bali sit in monsoon weather. In the Caribbean the hurricane season has just ended, and in the southern hemisphere summer is starting. The table lists 12 places that work in December, grouped by region. For the other months, see where to dive each month.

Water temperatures are December averages: NOAA Coral Reef Watch's 1985-2012 monthly climatology where it has a station near the site, seatemperature.info's 10-year averages, or the figures in our destination guides. Where two sources differ we give both ends. Suits follow our wetsuit thickness chart for one dive of ordinary length, so go one step warmer for three dives a day. The last column names our guide to that place, where we have one.

Indian Ocean and Asia: Maldives, Andaman Sea, Raja Ampat and Palau

The Maldives is the simplest December choice. The Maldives Manta Conservation Programme says adult reef mantas use the cleaning stations at Rasfari in North Malé Atoll and Rangali Kandu in Ari Atoll during the northeast monsoon, December to April. Hanifaru Bay in Baa Atoll works on the opposite calendar. Its feeding aggregations follow the southwest monsoon, and in the Manta Trust's 2022 data all but seven sightings fell between May and November. Scuba is banned in the bay anyway.

Both shores of the Andaman Sea are in season. PADI gives October to May for Havelock (Swaraj Dweep), with December to March as the peak and 15-30 m of visibility. An India Meteorological Department paper adds that a northeast monsoon reaches the islands from November to January, so expect some showers. Our Andaman Islands guide covers ferries, permits and the chamber. On the Thai side, Mu Ko Similan National Park is open from 15 October to 15 May and stays closed in the southwest monsoon. The Thai National Parks guide calls December to April the best diving months, when wind is minimal, and lists a limit of 3,325 visitors a day.

In Raja Ampat, December falls inside the October-April calm season. Stay Raja Ampat puts the best chance of flat water between mid-October and mid-December, and it names December and January as a second wet spell, so the first half of the month is the safer bet. Palau changes in December too. The wind settles into the northeast, which puts the southwest outer walls in the lee, and Fish 'n Fins and PADI's blog both put German Channel's manta peak at December to March. The catch is storms. A Coral Reef Research Foundation review of storm tracks from 1945 to 2013 found that November and December had the most significant storms near Palau.

Is the Red Sea good for diving in December?

Yes, if you pack for cooler water and a cold boat. SCUBA Travel calls December to February the Red Sea's low season because the water cools, and Emperor Divers says boats and sites are quieter from mid-November to March. The sea is still warmer than the air. Ten-year averages put December at 24.6°C (76°F) in Hurghada, 24.9°C in Marsa Alam and 25.1°C in Sharm el-Sheikh. NOAA's climate normals give Hurghada a December high of 24°C and a low of 13°C, so the ride out and the surface interval feel colder than the dive.

The Gulf of Aqaba runs cooler. NOAA Coral Reef Watch's Gulf of Aqaba station and seatemperature.info put Dahab at 23.7-24.1°C in December, and Windfinder's Dahab records show December logging more Force 7-8 readings than any other month, even though its average wind is moderate. A 5mm suit is the usual choice in Dahab. Further south a 3mm works for divers who do not run cold, and Emperor says many divers prefer a 5mm in winter or on days with several dives. Our Red Sea diving guide compares the regions and links to month-by-month pages for Hurghada and Dahab.

Offshore, the December bet is Elphinstone. Dive The World says oceanic whitetips are seen there and in the rest of southern Egypt from October to the end of the year, and that Elphinstone is the one southern offshore site close enough to Marsa Alam for day trips. The Brothers and Daedalus need a liveaboard, and there December is a split decision: Emperor runs its route only from March to November, while Regal Dive lists it all year. Dive The World also warns that shorter winter days can mean later starts and only two dives.

Caribbean and Atlantic: after hurricane season

NOAA's National Hurricane Center ends the Atlantic hurricane season on 30 November, so December is the first month clear of it. Bonaire sits on the southern edge of the hurricane region in any case, and the Meteorological Department Curaçao gives the ABC islands a rainy season from October to January. For divers that means showers, not storms.

In Roatán and Utila, our count of NOAA's HURDAT2 best-track data found no tropical storm or hurricane within 150 km of Roatán in any December from 1950 to 2025. The month is still wet there, with 208-399 mm of rain depending on the source, and about a quarter of daytime winds from the north. The sea stays at 27.1-27.6°C (81-82°F), so a 3mm suit is enough for most divers.

Madeira is the cool-water option for divers in Europe. Seatemperature.info's ten-year average for Funchal is 20.2°C (68°F) in December, which is 5mm water for one dive and 7mm for repetitive days. The Garajau reserve off Funchal is the signature dive, and Visit Madeira says its dusky groupers have been practically tamed by divers.

Southern summer and the Pacific: Great Barrier Reef, Sodwana and Socorro

December is early summer on the Great Barrier Reef. Spirit of Freedom, a Cairns liveaboard operator, gives about 27°C (80°F) water from September to December, with lighter winds than in winter. The Great Barrier Reef Foundation says outer reefs spawn in November or December and that spawning follows a full moon. December also sits inside two risk seasons. The Bureau of Meteorology's cyclone season runs from 1 November to 30 April, and the Whitsunday Regional Council says marine stings happen all year but are more frequent from November to May. A full-body lycra or neoprene suit is the main protection.

Sodwana Bay, in South Africa's iSimangaliso Wetland Park, has a December event of its own. A PeerJ study published in December 2024 photo-identified 574 spotted ragged-tooth sharks between 2018 and 2023, 97% of the females visibly pregnant, and found the highest numbers in December, January and February. Quarter-Mile Reef lies at 10-12 m. Park management closes it when the sharks first arrive and reopens it to divers once they settle, and Raggie Reef lies in a sanctuary where scuba is not allowed.

Socorro, 24 hours by boat from Cabo San Lucas, runs liveaboard trips from November to July. Nautilus Liveaboards says whale sharks are best seen from November through December and again from late April to June. Liveaboard.com says most trips expect Advanced Open Water and at least 50 logged dives, and that most divers wear 5-7mm because of strong currents and long bottom times. That is thicker than the December average of 26.5°C (80°F) on seatemperature.info would suggest, so follow the operator.

Where December is a poor month for diving

Some well-known places are in their worst weather in December. None of them closes, but boats get cancelled and visibility drops, so book them in another month or leave spare days.

• Koh Tao, Gulf of Thailand: SSI names October to December as the monsoon. A 2002 JICA study of the Gulf coast south of the island describes abundant rain continuing to the end of the year, with the highest waves between October and January. The Similan Islands, on Thailand's west coast, are the December alternative.
• Nusa Penida and Bali: a 2019 study of the Nusa Penida manta population notes that the northwest monsoon in December and January brings bad weather that limits access to the sites, and Legend Diving says those months affect visibility. The sunfish season, July to October, is over.
• Komodo: a 2022 PeerJ study of Komodo's reef mantas says December to February limits access to the north and centre of the park, even though the central manta sites get more visits in the northwest monsoon.
• Galápagos: the Galapagos Conservation Trust puts cool water on the southern islands from May to December and warmer currents with calmer seas from January to April. So December is still cool-season water there, and the warmer months start in January.

Planning a Christmas or New Year dive trip

Holiday weeks add a few rules that have nothing to do with the sea. These are the December details we found on the record:

• Indonesia: 25 December is a national holiday and 24 December 2026 a collective leave day under the government's holiday decree. Stay Raja Ampat says that on Indonesian public holidays usually only the 14:00 Sorong-Waisai ferry runs, so plan a resort or homestay transfer around it. Liveaboards board in Sorong.
• Bonaire: STINAPA's nature fee covers one calendar year and expires on 31 December, so a trip that runs over New Year needs a tag for each year.
• Similan Islands: the park admits up to 3,325 visitors a day, so confirm the boat trip before you book flights.
• Palau and the Great Barrier Reef: December falls in the busiest storm months for Palau and inside Australia's cyclone season. Read what the boat refunds if weather cancels a departure, and what your travel cover pays.