Where to Go in October: Best Watersports Bases
by Yannick SchrothAug 5, 20267 min read
Photo: Koji Kamei via Pexels (free licence).
This is a summary; the guides hold the verified figures.
How we chose
October is a pivot: half these places are opening and half are closing, so timing within the month matters more than usual. October is the pivot month. Indonesia's season closes as the Red Sea and the Andaman coast open, and Europe's Atlantic coast gets its best swell of the year. Every base here is included because its own guide names October as part of its working window, not because the weather is generally nice, and where a place is marginal we say so rather than padding the list to a round number.
Marsa Alam
The prime dive window runs October through May, and oceanic whitetips are most numerous roughly October to December.
Dive season startsRead the guide → 0°14′S 130°31′E · DivingRaja Ampat
The dry-season sweet spot runs roughly October to April, when seas calm and visibility often tops 25 to 30 metres.
Dry season opensRead the guide → 8°38′N 98°15′E · DivingKhao Lak (Similan)
Mu Ko Similan National Park is open only about 15 October to 15 May, so October is the reopening.
Park reopensRead the guide → 39°36′N 9°04′W · Big-wave surfNazaré
The giant-wave season is winter, roughly October to March, on North Atlantic storm swells.
Big-wave seasonRead the guide → 29°02′N 13°38′W · Surf & windLanzarote
Atlantic groundswell peaks roughly October to April, and Famara handles most sizes.
Groundswell peaksRead the guide → 38°58′N 9°25′W · SurfEriceira
The prime surf season runs roughly October to May, and October still has the warm autumn water.
Prime seasonRead the guide → 68°14′N 13°37′E · Cold-water surfLofoten
Late September through November is the sweet spot: solid swell and enough daylight for full sessions.
Sweet spotRead the guide → 45°02′S 168°40′E · Adventure waterQueenstown
The adventure-water window is roughly October to April, as the southern spring opens the rivers.
Season opensRead the guide →Also good in October
- Fuerteventura, where the surf season runs October to March.
- Tofo, as whale sharks start their October to March peak.
- Peniche, where the contest window falls late October to early November.
FAQ
When does the Similan season start?
Mu Ko Similan National Park is open roughly 15 October to 15 May and closes for the monsoon, so October is the reopening. The best conditions inside that window run December to April.
Is October good for diving the Red Sea?
It is the start of the prime window: Marsa Alam's best diving runs October through May, with water around 22 to 28C and visibility frequently over 30m. Oceanic whitetips, its calling card, are most numerous from roughly October to December.
Sources
- Every entry above is drawn from our own destination guide for that place, and the claims here are the ones those guides already verify: Marsa Alam, Raja Ampat, Khao Lak (Similan), Nazare, Lanzarote, Ericeira, Lofoten, Queenstown.