Skip to content
OpenWaterAtlas

Best diving in February

In February, conditions peak in the Maldives, Galápagos, Coron. We rated 10 dive regions in season this month on 5 years of wind, rain and temperature data — ranked below with their best dive sites, plus where to skip.

Where to dive in February

  1. 1

    North & South Malé Atolls

    🇲🇻 Maldives
    Good season ☀ 28°C ☂ 1.8 mm/day ≋ 12.8 kn

    Best months: Mar, Apr · 92 dive sites

    Diving in Maldives guide →
  2. 2

    Ari Atoll

    🇲🇻 Maldives
    Good season ☀ 28°C ☂ 1.9 mm/day ≋ 12.5 kn

    Best months: Mar, Apr · 40 dive sites

    Diving in Maldives guide →
  3. 3

    Galápagos

    🇪🇨 Ecuador
    Peak season ☀ 29°C ☂ 3.2 mm/day ≋ 7.6 kn

    Best months: Jan, Feb · 7 dive sites

  4. 4

    Coron

    🇵🇭 Philippines
    Good season ☀ 31°C ☂ 1.7 mm/day ≋ 9.9 kn

    Best months: Apr · 17 dive sites

    Diving in Philippines guide →
  5. 5

    Cozumel

    🇲🇽 Mexico
    Good season ☀ 27°C ☂ 1.2 mm/day ≋ 11.1 kn

    Best months: Sep · 26 dive sites

    Diving in Mexico guide →
  6. 6

    Phuket & the Similan Islands

    🇹🇭 Thailand
    Good season ☀ 30°C ☂ 2.3 mm/day ≋ 12.3 kn

    Best months: Apr · 16 dive sites

    Diving in Thailand guide →
  7. 7

    Koh Samui & Koh Tao

    🇹🇭 Thailand
    Good season ☀ 28°C ☂ 2.7 mm/day ≋ 12.2 kn

    Best months: Apr · 16 dive sites

    Diving in Thailand guide →
  8. 8

    Apo Reef

    🇵🇭 Philippines
    Good season ☀ 29°C ☂ 0.5 mm/day ≋ 13.8 kn

    Best months: Apr, May · 21 dive sites

    Diving in Philippines guide →
  9. 9

    Sharm el-Sheikh & Ras Mohammed

    🇪🇬 Egypt
    Good season ☀ 23°C ☂ 0.1 mm/day ≋ 13.4 kn

    Best months: Oct · 39 dive sites

    Diving in Egypt guide →
  10. 10

    Port Stephens

    🇦🇺 Australia
    Good season ☀ 27°C ☂ 2.9 mm/day ≋ 11.2 kn

    Best months: Dec · 8 dive sites

    Diving in Australia guide →

Skip in February

  • Komodo (Indonesia) — rainy season
  • Bunaken & Lembeh (Indonesia) — rainy season
  • Malta & Gozo (Malta) — cold season
  • Lombok & the Gili Islands (Indonesia) — rainy season
  • Bali (Indonesia) — rainy season

Top dive sites in season

North Malé — Manta Point (Lankan Reef) Maldives Diving
🇲🇻 Maldives

North Malé — Manta Point (Lankan Reef)

Intermediate manta ray dives at North Malé's Lankan Reef. Year-round diving in 8–25m depth.

Intermediate 8–25m Jan·Feb·Mar+
North Malé — Banana Reef Maldives Diving
🇲🇻 Maldives

North Malé — Banana Reef

Banana Reef in North Malé offers intermediate diving on a scenic coral formation with excellent fish life and accessible depths from 5–30m.

Intermediate 5–30m Jan·Feb·Mar+
Kandooma Thila Maldives Diving
🇲🇻 Maldives

Kandooma Thila

South Malé Atoll thila famous for grey reef shark wash on outgoing tides — challenging strong-current dive.

Advanced 15–30m 30m Jan·Feb·Mar+
South Ari Atoll — Whale Shark Marine Park Maldives Diving
🇲🇻 Maldives

South Ari Atoll — Whale Shark Marine Park

Year-round whale shark snorkeling along the south of Ari Atoll. Snorkel-only with sharks; scuba on surrounding sites.

Beginner 0–10m 20m Jan·Feb·Mar+
South Ari — Maamigili Whale Shark Maldives Diving
🇲🇻 Maldives

South Ari — Maamigili Whale Shark

Beginner-friendly whale shark encounters in shallow waters off South Ari Atoll. Year-round diving in the Maldives.

Beginner 5–15m
Kuda Rah Thila Maldives Diving
🇲🇻 Maldives

Kuda Rah Thila

Coral pinnacle in South Ari with cave overhangs, fans, and reliable grey reef sharks in current. Classic Maldivian thila dive.

Intermediate 15–30m 30m Jan·Feb·Mar+
Galápagos Deep Ecuador Diving
🇪🇨 Ecuador

Galápagos Deep

World-class Galápagos diving year-round in a marine reserve. Expect unique endemic species and pristine reef ecosystems.

Intermediate Jan·Feb·Mar+
Mosquera Ecuador Diving
🇪🇨 Ecuador

Mosquera

Mosquera is a year-round Galápagos dive site in the marine reserve, known for strong currents and pelagic encounters.

Advanced
Plazas Ecuador Diving
🇪🇨 Ecuador

Plazas

Plazas offers year-round diving in the Galápagos Marine Reserve with strong pelagic action and endemic species.

Intermediate Jan·Feb·Mar+
Coron — IRAKO Wreck Philippines Diving
🇵🇭 Philippines

Coron — IRAKO Wreck

Advanced wreck dive on the IRAKO in Coron, Philippines. A deep Japanese cargo ship from WWII in 28–42m of water.

Advanced 28–42m
Barracuda Lake Philippines Diving
🇵🇭 Philippines

Barracuda Lake

Barracuda Lake in the Philippines is a year-round dive destination known for its unique freshwater-saltwater mix and abundant barracuda schools.

Intermediate Jan·Feb·Mar+
Playa del Carmen — Bull Shark Season Mexico Diving
🇲🇽 Mexico

Playa del Carmen — Bull Shark Season

Pregnant female bull sharks gather off Playa from November to March. 25m sand bottom dive, 8-15 sharks at close range.

Advanced 22–28m 18m Jan·Feb·Mar+
Cozumel — Palancar Caves Mexico Diving
🇲🇽 Mexico

Cozumel — Palancar Caves

Palancar Caves near Cozumel offers intermediate divers a chance to explore dramatic underwater formations and tunnels in Mexico's Caribbean.

Intermediate 15–35m
Palancar Reef Mexico Diving
🇲🇽 Mexico

Palancar Reef

Palancar Reef is a world-class dive site off Cozumel, Mexico, featuring healthy coral formations and abundant marine life year-round.

Intermediate 20m Jan·Feb·Mar+
Hin Jom Thailand Diving
🇹🇭 Thailand

Hin Jom

Hin Jom is a year-round Thai dive site with 12 documented species observations and active community footage. Visit now—coral bleaching watch in effect.

Intermediate Jan·Feb·Mar+
MS King Cruiser Thailand Diving
🇹🇭 Thailand

MS King Cruiser

Explore Thailand's famous King Cruiser wreck, a passenger ferry sunk in 1997 that's become a thriving artificial reef and dive destination.

Intermediate Jan·Feb·Mar+
Hin Mu Sang Thailand Diving
🇹🇭 Thailand

Hin Mu Sang

Hin Mu Sang is a year-round dive site off Thailand's coast, hosting diverse marine life and accessible diving for all levels.

Beginner Jan·Feb·Mar+
Green Rock Thailand Diving
🇹🇭 Thailand

Green Rock

Green Rock is a year-round Gulf of Thailand dive site near Ko Nang Yuan with documented marine life and accessible conditions for divers of various levels.

Beginner Jan·Feb·Mar+
Pottery Thailand Diving
🇹🇭 Thailand

Pottery

Pottery is a year-round dive site in Mae Haad Bay, Surat Thani, Thailand, with 12 recorded species observations and active community video documentation.

Beginner Jan·Feb·Mar+
HTMS Sattakut Thailand Diving
🇹🇭 Thailand

HTMS Sattakut

HTMS Sattakut is a wreck dive site in Thailand accessible year-round, featuring recorded marine species observations and community-documented footage.

Intermediate Jan·Feb·Mar+
Apo Reef — Shark Ridge Philippines Diving
🇵🇭 Philippines

Apo Reef — Shark Ridge

Shark Ridge at Apo Reef is an advanced deep-wall dive in the Philippines' premier marine park, known for pelagic encounters and pristine coral.

Advanced 12–35m
Barracuda Point Philippines Diving
🇵🇭 Philippines

Barracuda Point

Barracuda Point is a year-round dive site within Apo Reef Natural Park, Philippines, known for encounters with schooling barracuda and healthy coral.

Intermediate Jan·Feb·Mar+
Ras Mohammed — Shark & Yolanda Reef Egypt Diving
🇪🇬 Egypt

Ras Mohammed — Shark & Yolanda Reef

Egypt's most famous dive — twin reefs at the tip of Sinai with strong currents, schooling barracuda, and the cargo of the Yolanda wreck.

Advanced 12–40m 30m Mar·Apr·May+
SS Thistlegorm Egypt Diving
🇪🇬 Egypt

SS Thistlegorm

WWII British cargo ship sunk by German bombers in 1941, holds full of motorcycles, trucks, rifles. World's best wreck dive.

Advanced 15–32m 20m Mar·Apr·May+
Ras Bob Reef Egypt Diving
🇪🇬 Egypt

Ras Bob Reef

Ras Bob Reef offers year-round diving in Egypt's Red Sea with healthy coral and diverse marine life. A accessible reef destination for divers of all levels.

Intermediate 25m Jan·Feb·Mar+
Looking Glass Australia Diving
🇦🇺 Australia

Looking Glass

Looking Glass is a year-round dive site in Port Stephens, NSW, within a marine protected area with healthy coral and 12 documented species.

Beginner Jan·Feb·Mar+
Swansea Bridge Australia Diving
🇦🇺 Australia

Swansea Bridge

Swansea Bridge is a year-round dive site near Sydney offering consistent access to local marine life without seasonal restrictions.

Beginner Jan·Feb·Mar+
North Rock Australia Diving
🇦🇺 Australia

North Rock

North Rock is a year-round dive site in Port Stephens, NSW, protected within a marine park and home to diverse marine species.

Beginner Jan·Feb·Mar+

Dive guides by destination

Common questions

Where is the best diving in February?
The strongest picks for February: the Maldives (Maldives, ~28°C), Ari Atoll (Maldives, ~28°C), Galápagos (Ecuador, ~29°C), Coron (Philippines, ~31°C), Cozumel (Mexico, ~27°C). Ranked on 5 years of climate data (wind, rain, air temperature) per dive region.
Where should you avoid diving in February?
Out of season in February: Komodo (rainy season), Bunaken (rainy season), Malta (cold season), Lombok & Gili (rainy season), Bali (rainy season).
How warm is it for diving in February?
Across the recommended regions, air temperatures run about 23–31°C in February.
How are these destinations rated?
Each region is scored against its own year and against fixed diver thresholds for rain, wind and warmth — data, not a travel brochure.
View →