Introduction

Rainy season may be upon us in Timor Leste which may put divers off visiting becasue of the rain. But what does the rain really mean for the diving around Dili and Atauro Island?

 Well we are here to settle the age-old argument; can you go diving during the rainy season? The simple answer is, of course! But let’s dig a little deeper into why the rain doesn’t keep us out of the water here in Timor-Leste. 

Facts about rainy season

It is a fact, rain can cause a large amount of runoff coming down into the sea thus decreasing visibility. However, a decrease in visibility can just as easily occur from upwellings, wind, and tides which occur year-round. Not to mention that reduced visibilty does not mean you can’t have an amazing dive.

 The beauty of Timor is found in many ways, from those crystal-clear days where you see the entire reef speckled with marine life, to those more intimate moments hunting for small treasures; tiny, dazzling nudibranchs, camouflaged shrimps, and colorful frogfish. Lower visibilty just means you have to be focused on a small area, much like a night dive, rather than witnessing the entire reef system. This actually makes macro spotting potential increase plus we really do see things at this time of year we don’t see at others. 

Though a rainy day can feel dreary, the nice side of rainy season in Timor is the pattern of rainfall. We may get showers almost daily, but this generally means sunny mornings and light afternoon showers NOT day long downpours. Additionaly, with diving you are going to get wet regardless so any rain is less liekly to dampen (pun intended 🙂 ) your spirits. Other activies may lose their appea when the rain hits. AND we can guarentee smiling faces and bubbly personalities depite the weather! This means happy divers and a nice green scenery on the journey to our dive sites. 

Other info;

Night dives can still be epic and enjoyable

Atauro Island will still have good viz no matter how much it rains and most day the sea is calm. True though that you may want to stay in your wetsuit on the boat trip back in case of a shower.

Even just going for one long early dive to look for macro helps you get outside and enjoy some nature before the heaven open

Getting stuck in a rain shower isn’t so bad either. The rain can help wash some of the salt off your body after a nice dive and we are DIVERS; you’re planning to get wet on the dive trip anyways! And have you ever seen rain falling on the ocean from down below? It is a beautiful sight to see!

There are intermitent moments when it’s not rainy for a few days and it is hot and humid as hell so why not book a dive to cool off!!!

So don’t let the rain keep you from diving, we certainly won’t!