Pacific Islands · Samoa
Savai'i & Upolu
Lava tubes and drop-offs, with a marine reserve walkable from Apia
Samoa's islands are young and steep, and the diving reflects the geology: lava tubes, arches and drop-offs rather than broad reef flats, with the seabed falling away fast a short way offshore. Palolo Deep, a coral hole in the lagoon a few minutes' walk from central Apia, is a marine reserve and one of the most convenient dive and snorkel sites in the Pacific. Humpbacks pass between July and October, and the dive scene stays small.
About diving in Savai'i & Upolu
Diving fits around the weather rather than a timetable. Sites sit just outside the fringing reef, often only minutes from the launch point, so a two-tank morning is the standard shape of the day and afternoons go to the land side. The south-east trades leave the north coasts in the lee more often than not, and operators move around the islands rather than cancelling, which is the main reason a week here holds together.
The rock is young volcanic and barely weathered, and that gives the sites their shape. On Savai'i the flows are recent enough to date: Mount Matavanu erupted from 1905 to 1911 and ran lava into the sea on the north coast. Underwater the result is tubes, arches, chimneys and boulder fields, so a dive is often a route through structure rather than a swim along a reef. Visibility is decent but variable, because rain off these steep islands puts runoff straight into the water.
Shore diving is a real option here rather than a fallback, and the sheltered lagoon sites stay usable when swell closes the outside out, which is what keeps a trip going through a rough spell. The outer edge is a different proposition: the shelf is narrow, and where it ends there is surge and moving water. It suits divers touring both islands by road who want dives fitted around lava fields, waterfalls and villages, and who prefer topography and small animals to a big-animal count. Book ahead, because capacity is thin and one boat out of service can leave you without diving.
Best time to dive Savai'i & Upolu
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair |
| Sea surface | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 28°C82°F | 28°C82°F | 28°C82°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F |
| Daytime high | 30°C86°F | 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F |
| Rain | 274 mm10.8 in | 271 mm10.7 in | 157 mm6.2 in | 164 mm6.5 in | 146 mm5.7 in | 91 mm3.6 in | 85 mm3.3 in | 69 mm2.7 in | 70 mm2.8 in | 143 mm5.6 in | 207 mm8.1 in | 226 mm8.9 in |
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime |
| Sea surface | |||||
| 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F |
| Daytime high | |||||
| 30°C86°F | 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F |
| Rain | |||||
| 274 mm10.8 in | 271 mm10.7 in | 157 mm6.2 in | 164 mm6.5 in | 146 mm5.7 in | 91 mm3.6 in |
| Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair |
| Sea surface | |||||
| 28°C82°F | 28°C82°F | 28°C82°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F |
| Daytime high | |||||
| 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F |
| Rain | |||||
| 85 mm3.3 in | 69 mm2.7 in | 70 mm2.8 in | 143 mm5.6 in | 207 mm8.1 in | 226 mm8.9 in |
2011–2025 averages. Sea surface: NOAA Coral Reef Watch, measured at the surface, so deeper water can run colder. Daytime high and rain: NASA POWER.
May–Oct is the dry season with the calmest water and humpbacks Jul–Oct; Nov–Apr brings rain and cyclone risk.
Best months: May, June, July, August, September, October
Savai'i & Upolu water temperature and weather by month
The sea surface stays between 28 and 30 °C (82–86 °F) all year. Most rain falls from November to February, peaking at about 270 mm (11 in) in January; it stays largely dry from June to September. Daytime highs sit around 29 °C (84 °F) all year. The coldest water here is about 27 °C (81 °F), so pack a 3 mm, or even a 2 mm, suit.
Dive types & marine life
Turtles, reef-fish schools and macro life on the lava rock are the constants, with nudibranchs on the shallow lagoon sites in any month. Humpbacks move through Jul-Oct and are more often heard from the water than seen, so treat them as chance rather than a booking. Reef sharks, napoleon wrasse and passing pelagics sit on the outer drop-offs, best reached in the calm May-Oct stretch.
- Reef
- Wall
- Cave & cavern
- Coral garden
- Drift
- Sea turtles
- Reef fish swarms
- Reef sharks
- Whales
- Nudibranchs
- Macro critters
- Napoleon wrasse
- Dolphins
Best dive sites in Savai'i & Upolu
Coral garden
Coral garden off Apolima Island, dropping from 8 m to 40 m
Coral garden in the Apia lagoon with a shark-patrolled outer wall
Nu'usafe'e Island
Islet off Upolu's south coast with a drop-off and passing pelagics.
Boulder Reef
Lava boulder field outside the reef, dropping into open water.
Fagamalo
Savai'i north-coast site with lava arches and clear water.
How to get to Savai'i & Upolu
Faleolo International on Upolu is the way in, with links from Auckland, Sydney and Nadi. Apia is the usual base, a drive east of the airport, and most operators work Upolu's coasts. Savai'i is reached on the vehicle ferry from Mulifanua to Salelologa, then a drive around to the north coast.
Photos from Savai'i & Upolu
amanderson2 · CC BY 2.0
Dive videos
Scuba Diving in Samoa 'GO PRO' · Tim Simons on YouTube
Photo credits
- Astronaut view of the south end of Savai'i, the Apolima Strait and the reef-fringed west tip of Upolu with Manono by NASA *uploaded by Teinesavaii, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Table and branching hard corals crowd the lagoon floor at Palolo Deep, the marine reserve off Apia by amanderson2, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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