Southeast monsoon
Jun–Aug. Strong wind, heavy swell on the exposed sites, and the window when Pelni sailings and fast boats get cancelled outright.
Climate
The monsoon decides your trip
Not the flight prices, not the crowds — the wind. This is the climate version of the season question: what the two monsoons do, and which months they actually cover.
- Oct–Apr
- Calm window
- Jun–Aug
- Southeast monsoon
- 28–32°C
- Year-round range
In short
Banda has no dry season in the usual sense — it has two monsoons, and the one that matters is the southeast, Jun–Aug, when the sea rather than the rain is what stops you travelling.
- Temperature barely moves: 28–32°C all year.
- What changes is wind, swell and whether the boat sails.
- Hammerhead schooling on the outer walls runs Oct–Apr.
The two monsoons
What each season actually does
The calm window
Oct–Apr. Flatter sea, visibility of 18–28 m, and the only period when Hatta and Run are dependable.
Rain is not the issue
It rains in most months and it rarely stops anything. The forts, the town and the groves work wet. The sea is the constraint.
The diving calendar
Hammerheads at Hatta and Ai peak from roughly late September through April, which is the same window the crossing is reliable in.
The homepage register gives the month-by-month read, including the verdict for each one.
Which months should I avoid?
Jun–Aug, if the water matters to you. It is the southeast monsoon: crossings cancel, the outer islands are usually unreachable, and a tight schedule has nothing to absorb a delay with.
Is there a dry season?
Not in the way the phrase is normally used. Temperature sits at 28–32°C all year and it rains in most months. What changes between seasons is the wind and the sea state.
When is the diving best?
Oct–Apr, with visibility typically 18–28 m. Hammerhead schooling on the outer walls runs roughly the same window, peaking from late September.
Does the season change prices?
At both ends. Rooms and charter seats are scarcer and dearer in the calm months, particularly December and January; the monsoon is cheaper because fewer people will risk the crossing.
Next in this silo
The main season guide
Best time to visit 2026
Season by season, including hammerhead months.
Getting there via Ambon
Flights, the Pelni ferry and the charter hop.
Diving guide
Sites, depths, levels and the best windows.
Island hopping
Run, Ai, Hatta and Banda Besar by boat.
Itinerary ideas
3D2N, 4D3N and 5D4N shapes compared.
Plan your trip
Is your month a good one?
Send the dates you are looking at. If they fall in the monsoon we will say so plainly and suggest a better window.
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