01
Mola mola
Nusa Penida and Candidasa, July–October, drawn by cold upwellings. Over 1,000 kg and up to 3 metres across.
Planning · Seasons
The best time for a Bali luxury charter
Two seasons, with shoulder months between them. Weather, sea state, crowds and price all move with the calendar.
Season by season
What each season brings.
Air temperatures stay warm all year. What changes is rain, humidity, sea state and underwater visibility.
- Dry · May–September
- 27–30°C, humidity 70–75%, 30–50mm of rain a month. Sea 26–28°C, visibility often 25–30 metres. The calmest water for diving and island hopping.
- Shoulder · April, October, early November
- 27–30°C with brief late-afternoon showers, 80–120mm a month. Sea 27–29°C, visibility often over 20 metres, and fewer boats at anchor.
- Wet · December–March
- 28–31°C, humidity 80–90%, 200–350mm a month, wettest in January and February. Short afternoon bursts, often clear mornings, choppier exposed coasts. Sea 28–30°C.
Marine life
What is in the water, and when.
Price and lead time
What the season does to rates.
Yacht size, age and crew set the base rate; the season moves it.
Dry, May–September
- Charter rates
- Premium: often 20–30% above shoulder rates
- Book ahead
- 6–12 months, essential for July, August and the festive period
Shoulder
- Charter rates
- Typically 10–15% below peak
- Book ahead
- 3–6 months
Wet, December–March
- Charter rates
- Savings of 25–35%, excluding Christmas–New Year
- Book ahead
- 1–3 months is often enough
Budget a further 15–20% for discretionary spending, port fees and crew gratuities.
Busiest weeks
Avoid the last two weeks of July, all of August, and 20 December to 5 January.
Airfares and villas peak too. For dry-season weather with fewer crowds, choose mid-May to mid-June, or September.
Choose your window
Tell us your dates and priorities.
Calm seas, marine life, privacy or value: tell us what matters and we advise on the month and the route.