Where to dive in March
Palau and Socorro lead the March list. Fuvahmulah is worth considering for tiger sharks, while Malpelo offers a demanding offshore trip. Sipadan and Jardines de la Reina suit divers looking for less exposed conditions.
Palau
Sharks, mantas and healthy reefs in one trip. The best time to dive here is February — March.
Read the Palau guide →6 destinations for March
Listed in overall rank order.
Palau
Sharks, mantas and healthy reefs in one trip.
Palau combines big animals with excellent reef diving. Blue Corner has grey reef sharks, jacks and tuna; German Channel is known for mantas; Ulong has beautiful hard coral. It is my first choice for a varied week of diving.
- Best months
- February — March
- Go for
- Grey reef sharks · Reef mantas · Spawning dives
Socorro
Close encounters with oceanic mantas.
Socorro’s oceanic mantas often circle divers and hover over their bubbles. Dolphins, hammerheads and Galápagos sharks add variety, and you may hear humpback song in February and March. The long crossing is worth considering if mantas are your main reason to travel.
- Best months
- February — March
- Go for
- Oceanic mantas · Bottlenose dolphins · Humpbacks
Malpelo
A demanding trip for schooling sharks.
Malpelo is an isolated rock in the eastern Pacific. The draws are scalloped hammerheads, Galápagos sharks, silkies and large morays. Expect negative entries, deep dives and strong current. Check the operator’s experience requirements before booking.
- Best months
- January — April
- Go for
- Hammerhead schools · Galápagos sharks · Silkies
Fuvahmulah + Huvadhoo
Tiger sharks, then the southern atoll channels.
Fuvahmulah is known for its tiger-shark dives. March also offers chances of threshers, hammerheads and oceanic mantas. The main tiger-shark site uses food to attract sharks. Add Huvadhoo for channel dives and encounters without feeding.
- Best months
- March
- Go for
- Tiger sharks · Threshers · Oceanic mantas
Jardines de la Reina
Caribbean reef sharks and large groupers.
Protection has helped Jardines retain large groupers, Caribbean reef sharks, silkies and healthy coral. It is a strong choice for Caribbean diving. The Pacific destinations higher on this list offer more of the large-animal variety this ranking favours.
- Best months
- January — March
- Go for
- Caribbean reef sharks · Silkies · Goliath grouper
Sipadan
Sharks, turtles and dense schools of fish.
Sipadan has grey and whitetip reef sharks, barracuda, jacks, turtles and bumphead parrotfish. Permits limit how many days you can dive there. Confirm your Sipadan days with the operator before booking; nearby Mabul and Kapalai offer different diving.
- Best months
- March — May
- Go for
- Reef sharks · Barracuda and jacks · Bumphead parrotfish