Best Places to Dive in September

The best places to dive in September

MV Odyssey in open water
The MV Odyssey in Rowley Shoals, Australia

September can be tricky to dive, as many destinations are transitioning between seasons. However, the Sea of Cortez in Mexico is magical to visit during September and promises unforgettable encounters with marine megafauna. One of Australia’s best-kept secrets, Rowley Shoals, has a very short season beginning at the end of September and is regarded as one of the best dive sites in Australia. The drop in humidity and excellent visibility during September make Fiji the ultimate dive holiday destination.

Places like the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and various locations in Indonesia are still great liveaboard options, as they have no strict dive season. Liveaboard.com has the unique option of allowing you to search for dive destinations during a particular month, making finding your next liveaboard getaway incredibly simple. You can find this feature on our home page.

Mexico is always amazing

Diver approaching a shipwreck in Mexico

From August, diving in Mexico is incredible. There are two destinations to choose from, Guadalupe Island or the Sea of Cortes, and your choice will be dictated by what marine life you most want to dive with.

The Sea of Cortes, also in Mexico, is often compared to an aquarium thanks to its incredible visibility and stunning array of marine life. The beauty of the Sea of Cortes lies in the huge amount of marine biodiversity that can be seen there. From diving with curious Californian sea lions that love nothing more than coming up and sniffing a camera dome to the macro life scattered along the coral reefs, there is life everywhere you look. The area is renowned for being one where you’re guaranteed to dive with sea lions, and you’ll encounter mantas, sharks, and even dolphins, along with huge schools of pelagic fish.

 
Mexico
Colorful Coral Reefs and Mysterious Shipwrecks

Australia’s hidden gem

Expedition vessel Homer
'Homer,' a 12m expedition vessel accompanying the MV Odyssey, ensures divers reach the best spots comfortably.

Australia is most well known for its iconic Great Barrier Reef, but Australia's best-kept secret lies on the other side of the country. Rowley Shoals Marine Park is 300 kilometers off Broome, Western Australia. Blink, and you’ll miss this spectacular location dive season. This dive destination is truly off the beaten track and can only be accessed by liveaboard for a few months of the year. The stunning reefs of Rowley Shoals can only be dived from very late September through until late November.

The Rowley Shoals are essentially a chain of three coral atolls at the edge of the continental shelf in Western Australia. You will find coral gardens covered in vibrant, soft, and hard corals, surrounded by colorful reef fish. The ‘Northern Wall’ located on the Mermaid Atoll features a steep drop to 80 meters and is home to every species of reef fish imaginable. More than 200 species of coral and 600 species of fish can be found in the Rowley Shoals, and only 200 people have the privilege of visiting this relatively unknown dive site a year. The MV Odyssey offers limited diving trips to the Rowley Shoals, Australia. The advanced catamaran design ensures that the Odyssey Liveaboard is stable, relaxed, and spacious and visits the best of the Rowley Shoals.

 
Australia
Get face-to-face with the largest fish in the sea

Visit the ‘friendliest people on Earth’

Fiji is a tropical paradise with fantastic diving, and the hospitality to travelers has resulted in the country being coined as one of the friendliest in the world. During September, the humidity and heat in Fiji are not overwhelming, and the water is cooler, resulting in phenomenal visibility. September is the tail end of winter in Fiji, and with water temperatures rarely dropping below 24 degrees, Fiji is not cold. You can expect visibility of around 30 meters dive after dive during winter, and the cooler air temperatures mean you won’t be sweating in the hot tropical sun during your surface intervals.

The favorable conditions of Fiji make this a destination that can be dived by those with only their Open Water Certification. Most liveaboards, such as the Fiji Siren and Fiji Aggressor, will ask that divers who book a liveaboard have a minimum of 20 or so dives logged for safety precautions. You can expect a mixture of dive types onboard a liveaboard in Fiji. Drift dives are the norm in Taveuni Island, and a site called ‘Rainbow Reef’ will dazzle you with the stunning array of colors on both the coral reefs and the fish that call it home.

 
Fiji
Where Adventure Meets Serenity Beneath the Waves