Reef
down to 25 m
Hon Cau
Shallow branching-coral reefs with often the best visibility in Con Dao (frequently over 20 m), plus chances of bamboo sharks and turtles.
- Open Water
- Bamboo sharks
Côn Đảo
Diving in Vietnam
7 documented dive sites, 2 of them for Open Water divers. Known for turtles and nudibranchs.
- Best months
- Mar–May
- Water
- 27–30 °C
- Levels
- Open Water, Advanced, Experienced
- Nearest airport
- VCS
When to go
Pick a month: the diving season, from published sources, and the typical weather.
Pick a month
- Best
- Good
- Possible
- Closed
- Not documented yet
Côn Đảo in October
Possible- Sea
- 30 °C
- at the surface
- Air
- 29 °C
- 26 °C at night
- Rain
- 280 mm
- one of the wettest months
- Wind
- 17 km/h
- on average
Typical weather, not a forecast: averages for 2021–2025 (air, rain, wind) and 2023–2025 (sea), data from Open-Meteo (ERA5 / Copernicus, Météo-France). Covers an area of roughly 10 to 25 km around the destination.
Best March–May; good until September, when rain can reduce visibility and some outer-island trips are cancelled. October–February is the low season, with limited diving because of the north-east monsoon. Diving is inside a national park: permits and fees go through licensed operators.
Dive sites in Côn Đảo
From the easiest to the most demanding. Levels with a dashed outline are estimates we are still verifying.
Open Water friendly
usual dive down to 18 m2 sitesFor Advanced divers
usual dive down to 30 m3 sitesFor experienced divers
usual dive down to 40 m2 sitesdown to 40 m
Hun Trung
- Experienced
- Sharks
Wreck
down to 35 m
Grouper's Grotto
- Experienced
Marine life
When the big encounters happen, month by month.
Reported here, season not documented yet:
- Turtles
- Nudibranchs
- Moray eels
- Corals
- Bamboo sharks
- Reef sharks
- Dolphins
- Dugong
- Rays
- Cobia
- Tuna
- Barracuda
- Trevally
- Batfish
Where is Côn Đảo?
- Nearest airport
- VCS
Côn Đảo: frequently asked questions
- When is the best time to dive Côn Đảo?
- The best months to dive Côn Đảo are Mar–May. Best March–May; good until September, when rain can reduce visibility and some outer-island trips are cancelled. October–February is the low season, with limited diving because of the north-east monsoon. Diving is inside a national park: permits and fees go through licensed operators.
- Is Côn Đảo good for beginner divers?
- Yes, partly: 2 of the 7 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including Hon Cau and Hon Trac. The others need more experience or a higher certification.
- What is the water temperature in Côn Đảo?
- The water is usually between 27 °C and 30 °C over the year.
- What marine life can you see in Côn Đảo?
- Divers regularly see turtles, nudibranchs, moray eels and corals.
- How do you dive Côn Đảo?
- The nearest airport is VCS.
About this page
Seasons and marine life come from the sources below. Site levels and depths marked as estimated come from our original catalogue and are being checked one by one. Conditions change: always confirm with a local dive centre.
Your next dive is somewhere out there.
Find my next dive tripPhoto credits
- Sunlight and bubbles in deep blue water, Sarah Lee, Unsplash License, on Unsplash