A year of diving: where to go, month by month

Most dive seasons are set by wind and rain rather than water temperature. In Southeast Asia the monsoons swing from one side of a country to the other, so one coast is calm while the other is rough. In the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific, the summer and autumn hurricane seasons shape the calendar. In the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, summer is simply when the sea is warmest and calmest.

That is why the same month can be peak season in one place and closed in another a few hundred kilometres away.

Thailand is the clearest example. The Similan Islands on the Andaman coast are at their best from around November to April and close for the wet season, while Koh Tao in the Gulf of Thailand runs roughly the opposite way, with its best months in spring and good diving through the summer. Malaysia's east coast islands close for the northeast monsoon around the turn of the year.

Indonesia and the Philippines have long seasons with a few rougher months. Raja Ampat is best from about October to April, while Komodo and Nusa Penida peak in the drier middle of the year.

The northern Red Sea dives all year, with spring and autumn the most comfortable. The Maldives peak in the dry northeast monsoon, from about December to April. In the western Pacific, Palau is at its best from November to April, and Fiji and the Great Barrier Reef peak in the southern winter and spring.

The Galápagos and Socorro are big-animal destinations with strong seasonal patterns: the Galápagos is busiest for whale sharks in the second half of the year, and Socorro trips run from late autumn to spring. Cozumel is best outside the Atlantic hurricane season. In Europe, Malta and Gozo and the Azores are summer destinations.

Every destination we cover, listed under the months it is in peak season. For the full picture, including months that are good but not peak, open any month in When to go.

• JanuaryAnilao, Cenotes of the Yucatán, Cozumel, Maldives, Moalboal, Palau, Raja Ampat, Similan Islands, Socorro Islands
• FebruaryAnilao, Cenotes of the Yucatán, Cozumel, Koh Tao, Maldives, Moalboal, Palau, Raja Ampat, Similan Islands, Socorro Islands
• MarchAnilao, Cenotes of the Yucatán, Cozumel, Koh Tao, Lembeh Strait, Malapascua, Maldives, Moalboal, Northern Red Sea, Palau, Raja Ampat, Roatán and the Bay Islands, Similan Islands, Sipadan, Socorro Islands
• AprilAnilao, Belize Barrier Reef, Cozumel, Koh Tao, Komodo, Lembeh Strait, Malapascua, Malaysia East Coast, Maldives, Moalboal, Northern Red Sea, Nusa Penida, Palau, Raja Ampat, Roatán and the Bay Islands, Similan Islands, Sipadan, Socorro Islands, Tubbataha Reefs, Tulamben and Amed
• MayAnilao, Belize Barrier Reef, Bonaire, Fiji, Koh Tao, Komodo, Lembeh Strait, Malapascua, Malaysia East Coast, Moalboal, Northern Red Sea, Nusa Penida, Roatán and the Bay Islands, Sipadan, Socorro Islands, Tubbataha Reefs, Tulamben and Amed
• JuneBonaire, Cocos Island, Fiji, Galápagos, Great Barrier Reef, Komodo, Kona, Malaysia East Coast, Malta and Gozo, Nusa Penida, Rangiroa and Fakarava, Sipadan, Tulamben and Amed
• JulyAzores, Bonaire, Cocos Island, Fiji, Galápagos, Great Barrier Reef, Komodo, Kona, Malaysia East Coast, Malta and Gozo, Nusa Penida, Rangiroa and Fakarava, Sipadan, Tulamben and Amed
• AugustAzores, Bonaire, Cocos Island, Fiji, Galápagos, Great Barrier Reef, Komodo, Kona, Malaysia East Coast, Malta and Gozo, Nusa Penida, Rangiroa and Fakarava, Sipadan, Tulamben and Amed
• SeptemberAzores, Bonaire, Cocos Island, Fiji, Galápagos, Great Barrier Reef, Komodo, Kona, Malaysia East Coast, Malta and Gozo, Northern Red Sea, Nusa Penida, Rangiroa and Fakarava, Sipadan, Tulamben and Amed
• OctoberBonaire, Cocos Island, Fiji, Galápagos, Great Barrier Reef, Komodo, Lembeh Strait, Malta and Gozo, Northern Red Sea, Nusa Penida, Raja Ampat, Rangiroa and Fakarava, Sipadan, Tulamben and Amed
• NovemberAnilao, Bonaire, Cenotes of the Yucatán, Cocos Island, Cozumel, Galápagos, Great Barrier Reef, Lembeh Strait, Northern Red Sea, Palau, Raja Ampat, Similan Islands, Socorro Islands
• DecemberAnilao, Cenotes of the Yucatán, Cozumel, Lembeh Strait, Maldives, Moalboal, Palau, Raja Ampat, Similan Islands, Socorro Islands