Dry season
May – September
Minimal rain, flat seas and visibility that reaches 30 metres in June to August. The easiest conditions to learn in, and the busiest.
Visibility 25–30 m · peak crowds
Silo · Trip planning
Best Time to Dive Lombok Season, visibility and what it costs you
Diving runs all year. May to September gives you the clearest water and the calmest surface; November to March gives you the reef almost to yourself and a bill 20–30% lower.
- May–Sep
- Dry season
- 30 m
- Peak visibility
- 27–30 °C
- Water, year round
- Nov–Mar
- Wet season
- 20–30%
- Off-peak savings
- 365
- Days we operate
Three seasons
What Each Season Actually Gives You
There is no bad month. There is a month that suits what you want.
Shoulder
April & October
The best-of-both months. Conditions still strong, crowds manageable, and accommodation starts discounting.
Visibility 20–25 m · fewer boats
Wet season
November – March
Runoff drops inshore visibility to 10–15 metres, but offshore sites hold up and the water warms to 29–30 °C. The macro season, and the quiet one.
Prices 20–30% lower · best macro
Month by month
What You Will Meet Underwater
The reef changes with the season, and so does what is worth looking for.
Turtles, all year
Green and hawksbill turtles are resident. Season barely affects them — Turtle Heaven delivers in January as reliably as in July.
Reef sharks, dry season
Blacktip and whitetip patrol the deeper slope at Shark Point. Clear water makes them far easier to spot from May to September.
Macro, wet season
Warmer, nutrient-rich water brings breeding behaviour in the small species. Nudibranchs, crustaceans and ghost pipefish are at their best November to March.
Big schools, June–Aug
Flat seas and 30-metre visibility are when the fusilier and trevally aggregations are actually worth photographing.
Water stays between 27 and 30 °C all year, so a 3 mm wetsuit covers every month. Nothing here requires a thicker suit or a drysuit.
Crowds and cost
When to Book for What
Course prices do not change with the season. Everything around them does.
July – August
Peak USD
Book 3–4 weeks ahead
Everything at capacity: dive centres, boats, restaurants. Instructor availability is the constraint, not the weather.
Book this optionApril & October
Shoulder USD
Book 2 weeks ahead
Strong conditions without the queues, and accommodation begins to discount. The month most divers should pick.
Book this optionNovember – March
−20–30% USD
Book 1–2 weeks ahead
Flights, villas and packages all drop. Fewer divers on every site, and the macro is at its peak.
Book this optionPeak season is July to August and December to January. Outside those windows two weeks of notice is usually enough; inside them, allow three to four.
Whatever the month
What Does Not Change
Warm water
27–30 °C every month of the year. A 3 mm suit or a rash guard is enough whenever you come.
The same ratio
A maximum of four students per instructor in August as in February.
Open all year
We run 365 days a year. Rain does not cancel a dive; unsafe sea state does, and we move sites instead.
No rushed courses
Extra sessions are free in peak season too. Busy does not mean hurried.
Finish the PADI eLearning before you arrive whatever month you pick. It removes 8 to 10 hours of classroom time and puts them back into the water.
Next
Now Pack for It
The season decides your bag as much as your dates. Dry season means sun protection and a rash guard; wet season means a light shell and a dry bag. Our packing guide covers both, plus the gear worth bringing rather than renting.
Packing guide
Planning
Common Questions
No. Diving runs year round and the water never drops below 27 °C. The wet season reduces inshore visibility to 10–15 metres, but offshore sites hold up and operations continue.
June to August, on conditions alone — flat seas and visibility to 30 metres. If you would rather not share the reef, April or October give you most of that with a fraction of the crowd.
Rain does not. Unsafe sea state does, and when it happens we move to a sheltered site rather than cancel. Being on three islands means there is almost always a lee side.
No. Our course prices are the same all year. What changes is everything around them — flights, accommodation and packages drop 20–30% from November to March.
Two weeks normally. Three to four for July to August and December to January, when instructor availability is the limiting factor.
Pick your dates
Four Steps to Booking
Tell us the window you are working with and we will tell you honestly what the water will be doing.
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Your window
The dates you can travel, and the course you want.
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Our answer
Expected conditions, instructor availability, and the Medical Statement.
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20% deposit
Locks the dates. eLearning access follows straight after.
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Arrive
Balance payable on arrival.