SnorkelForecast Field Atlas / Seasonal planning

Best Places to Snorkel in May

Where to snorkel in May: compare historical wave, wind, calm-water and temperature evidence at monitored destinations worldwide.

May is late spring in the north and late autumn in the south. Compare water temperature and wind exposure before choosing a coast.

Choose the coast and the day, not just the month. Summer does not guarantee calm water. Historical model scores reflect conditions at monitored model points—not reef quality, underwater visibility, wildlife or clearance to enter the sea.

Original comparable model evidence

May conditions by destination

These locations have a full year of comparable model observations. The table uses May data only, not the annual average; it is not a complete ranking of all the world’s reefs. Importantly, the model averages nighttime hours scored zero, so even a top place can have a modest score. This is not a percentage of safe snorkeling time.

Destinations compared
11
Countries represented
5
Observed month
May 2026
MODEL #01 / 11 MONITORED Mallorca Spain 69% calm sampled hours · 20.2°C sea MODEL #02 / 11 MONITORED Key Largo USA 54% calm sampled hours · 29.0°C sea MODEL #03 / 11 MONITORED Bahia Honda USA 51% calm sampled hours · 28.8°C sea
Comparable May marine model conditions. More points means more favorable modelled conditions, not a safety rating.
Destination Model score /100 · night included Calm sampled hours Sea temperature Hemisphere
01 Mallorca Spain · Water temperature history 37.0 69%73% calm mornings 20.2°C Northern
02 Key Largo USA · Water temperature history 31.5 54%53% calm mornings 29.0°C Northern
03 Bahia Honda USA · Water temperature history 31.2 51%52% calm mornings 28.8°C Northern
04 Looe Key USA · Water temperature history 30.7 51%52% calm mornings 28.5°C Northern
05 Dry Tortugas USA · Water temperature history 30.7 47%47% calm mornings 27.7°C Northern
06 Cozumel Mexico · Water temperature history 28.0 35%35% calm mornings 28.9°C Northern
07 Maui USA · Water temperature history 27.3 11%12% calm mornings 26.3°C Northern
08 Kauai USA · Water temperature history 26.1 0%0% calm mornings 25.4°C Northern
09 Oahu USA · Water temperature history 23.7 0%0% calm mornings 25.7°C Northern
10 Roatán Honduras · Water temperature history 21.1 6%6% calm mornings 28.1°C Northern
11 Kralendijk Bonaire · Water temperature history 13.9 0%0% calm mornings 27.5°C Northern

South of the equator

Southern Hemisphere destinations

March to May moves from late summer into autumn south of the equator. Sea temperatures, swell and wet seasons vary greatly by latitude.

No qualifying southern locations in the current comparable cohort; this is not a finding that southern snorkeling is worse.

Southern locations to investigate · unranked

These existing forecast destinations do not have comparable monthly scores yet and are not recommendations for this month.

  • Jervis BayTemperate New South Wales shore snorkeling; check exposure, swell and rainfall.
  • Ningaloo ReefWestern Australian fringing reef; safe access and tide windows vary by site.
  • Great Barrier ReefQueensland tropical reefs; summer overlaps marine-stinger, wet and cyclone seasons.
  • Goat Island Marine ReserveNew Zealand temperate-water reserve; local water temperature and swell matter.

North of the equator

Northern Hemisphere destinations

March to May brings a transition from winter to spring north of the equator. Winter swell and unsettled weather can persist at some popular coastlines.

  1. Mallorca37/100 · Spain
  2. Key Largo32/100 · USA
  3. Bahia Honda31/100 · USA
  4. Looe Key31/100 · USA
  5. Dry Tortugas31/100 · USA
  6. Cozumel28/100 · Mexico

How to use this comparison

Historical, not a live forecast

The sampled month is part of the 1 Oct 2025–30 Sep 2026 historical window. Models are not underwater observations or predictions for next year. Follow each location report for the current forecast.

Coverage before ranking

Each listed destination meets a 12-month coverage check with at least 20 qualified days per month and 18 hourly samples per day. No partial-year comparisons or mixed scoring profiles.

What 25/100 means

The all-hours Snorkel Score includes night hours scored zero. A 25/100 score does not mean a reef is poor or 25% of hours are safe. Calm-share is a wind-and-wave threshold, also not a safety guarantee. Visibility, shorebreak and hazardous currents require local checks.

Underlying data: Open-Meteo Marine API and historical weather. View the annual comparison. Commercial listings never affect the order.