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Best diving in March

In March, conditions peak in the Maldives, Coron, the Similans. 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.

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Where to dive in March

  1. 1

    North & South Malé Atolls

    🇲🇻 Maldives
    Peak season ☀ 29°C ☂ 2.7 mm/day ≋ 9.6 kn

    Best months: Mar, Apr · 92 dive sites

    Diving in Maldives guide →
  2. 2

    Ari Atoll

    🇲🇻 Maldives
    Peak season ☀ 29°C ☂ 2.6 mm/day ≋ 9.4 kn

    Best months: Mar, Apr · 40 dive sites

    Diving in Maldives guide →
  3. 3

    Coron

    🇵🇭 Philippines
    Peak season ☀ 32°C ☂ 1.3 mm/day ≋ 9.2 kn

    Best months: Apr · 17 dive sites

    Diving in Philippines guide →
  4. 4

    Phuket & the Similan Islands

    🇹🇭 Thailand
    Peak season ☀ 31°C ☂ 2.7 mm/day ≋ 11.2 kn

    Best months: Apr · 16 dive sites

    Diving in Thailand guide →
  5. 5

    Tahiti

    🇫🇷 France
    Peak season ☀ 30°C ☂ 5.8 mm/day ≋ 7.7 kn

    Best months: Mar · 17 dive sites

    Diving in France guide →
  6. 6

    Koh Samui & Koh Tao

    🇹🇭 Thailand
    Peak season ☀ 29°C ☂ 1.2 mm/day ≋ 11.6 kn

    Best months: Apr · 16 dive sites

    Diving in Thailand guide →
  7. 7

    Apo Reef

    🇵🇭 Philippines
    Good season ☀ 29°C ☂ 0.3 mm/day ≋ 11.6 kn

    Best months: Apr, May · 21 dive sites

    Diving in Philippines guide →
  8. 8

    Raja Ampat

    🇮🇩 Indonesia
    Good season ☀ 30°C ☂ 8 mm/day ≋ 8.1 kn

    Best months: Oct, Nov · 84 dive sites

    Diving in Indonesia guide →
  9. 9

    Cozumel

    🇲🇽 Mexico
    Good season ☀ 29°C ☂ 1.3 mm/day ≋ 11.4 kn

    Best months: Sep · 26 dive sites

    Diving in Mexico guide →
  10. 10

    San Andrés

    🇨🇴 Colombia
    Good season ☀ 27°C ☂ 0.8 mm/day ≋ 15.6 kn

    Best months: Sep · 29 dive sites

    Diving in Colombia guide →

Skip in March

  • Bunaken & Lembeh (Indonesia) — rainy season
  • Malta & Gozo (Malta) — strong winds
  • Togean Islands (Indonesia) — rainy season
  • Portofino & Liguria (Italy) — cold season
  • Hyères & Port-Cros (France) — cold 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+
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
Nanshin Maru wreck (Black island beach) Philippines Diving
🇵🇭 Philippines

Nanshin Maru wreck (Black island beach)

Explore the Nanshin Maru wreck off Black Island Beach in the Philippines, a compelling dive destination with year-round accessibility and documented marine life.

Intermediate Jan·Feb·Mar+
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+
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+
Vallée aux Murènes France Diving
🇫🇷 France

Vallée aux Murènes

Vallée aux Murènes is a French dive site known for moray eel populations. Dive year-round in this unprotected area with 12 recorded species observations.

Beginner Jan·Feb·Mar+
La zelée France Diving
🇫🇷 France

La zelée

La Zélée is a historic French dive site with wreck diving potential and year-round access. Explore a World War I naval landmark in French Polynesia.

Intermediate Jan·Feb·Mar+
Tombant St Etienne France Diving
🇫🇷 France

Tombant St Etienne

Tombant St Etienne is a year-round dive site in French Polynesia's Baie de Punaauia, known for wall diving and diverse reef fish.

Intermediate 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+
Anilao — Secret Bay Philippines Diving
🇵🇭 Philippines

Anilao — Secret Bay

Anilao's Secret Bay is an intermediate dive site in the Philippines with depths of 8–25m and year-round access. Sheltered waters and diverse marine life make it a reliable choice for divers exploring Batangas.

Intermediate 8–25m 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+
Raja Ampat — Manta Sandy Indonesia Diving
🇮🇩 Indonesia

Raja Ampat — Manta Sandy

Two cleaning stations in Dampier Strait where reef mantas queue up to be cleaned by wrasses. Coral Triangle classic.

Intermediate 8–22m 20m Jan·Feb·Mar+
Raja Ampat — Blue Magic Indonesia Diving
🇮🇩 Indonesia

Raja Ampat — Blue Magic

Advanced drift dive through Raja Ampat's strongest currents, delivering high-speed encounters with pelagics and schooling reef fish year-round.

Advanced 12–40m
Raja Ampat — Cape Kri Indonesia Diving
🇮🇩 Indonesia

Raja Ampat — Cape Kri

Cape Kri in Raja Ampat delivers steep walls and strong currents packed with sharks, rays, and schooling fish. Advanced divers only.

Advanced 8–40m
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+
Trilogia Colombia Diving
🇨🇴 Colombia

Trilogia

Trilogia is a year-round dive destination in Colombia's Bahía de Las Sardinas. Limited depth and visibility data available; check local operators for current conditions.

Beginner
La Piramide Colombia Diving
🇨🇴 Colombia

La Piramide

La Piramide is a year-round dive destination in Colombia's Bahía de Las Sardinas, offering accessible underwater exploration with diverse marine life.

Jan·Feb·Mar+
Cantil del Hospital Colombia Diving
🇨🇴 Colombia

Cantil del Hospital

Cantil del Hospital offers year-round diving off Colombia's coast with documented marine life and accessible conditions for most skill levels.

Beginner Jan·Feb·Mar+

Dive guides by destination

Common questions

Where is the best diving in March?
The strongest picks for March: the Maldives (Maldives, ~29°C), Ari Atoll (Maldives, ~29°C), Coron (Philippines, ~32°C), the Similans (Thailand, ~31°C), Tahiti (France, ~30°C). Ranked on 5 years of climate data (wind, rain, air temperature) per dive region.
Where should you avoid diving in March?
Out of season in March: Bunaken (rainy season), Malta (strong winds), Togean Islands (rainy season), Portofino & Liguria (cold season), Hyères & Port-Cros (cold season).
How warm is it for diving in March?
Across the recommended regions, air temperatures run about 27–32°C in March.
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.
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