Booking choice: The snorkeling and jet ski day with a motu lunch, 6 hours. Book this Tour details
The sea around Bora Bora stays warm in every month, and daytime highs move only a few degrees through the year. What changes is the rain, the chance of a tropical storm, and whether humpback whales are in the water outside the reef.
This guide covers the seasons month by month, the months people avoid and why, cyclones, the whale season, and the best time of day for a jet ski or snorkel tour.
The quick answer
Go between May and October for the drier, slightly cooler season; climate data puts June to September at the top. November to April is wetter, with the most rain in December and January, and it is cyclone season. Whales visit from July to November. On the day, book a morning slot: operators say the water tends to be calmer.
What is the best month to visit Bora Bora?
June to September, in the middle of the drier season. May and October sit on its edges and are also good.
Meteo-France Polynesie splits the year into a warm, wetter season from November to April and a cooler, drier season from May to October. Climate data for Bora Bora from Climats et Voyages gives daytime highs of about 29 to 32 C and a sea of 27 to 29 C in every month, with the least rain in June, August and September.
| Months | Season | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| May to October | Cooler and drier | Fewer showers; nights can drop to about 21 C from June to September |
| July to November | Whale season | Humpback whales visit the islands |
| November to April | Warmer and wetter | More rain; tropical storms and cyclones possible |
| December and January | Wettest months | Heaviest rain |
| December to March | Cyclone peak | Watch the forecast before tour days |
Seasons from Meteo-France Polynesie; averages from Climats et Voyages.
What months should you avoid in Bora Bora?
If rain worries you, December and January. They are the wettest months and sit in the peak of the cyclone season.
Avoid is a strong word. The wetter season still has plenty of sun, and rain on a high island often falls in showers that pass. Meteo-France notes that windward coasts and high ground get more rain. The trade-off is the storm risk: tropical storms and cyclones can occur from November to April, and bad weather can cancel a lagoon tour.
If you can only travel in the wetter months, leave a spare day in your plan for the tour you care most about. Each listing on this site allows free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
When is cyclone season in Bora Bora?
From November to April, sometimes into May, with the peak from December to March. Two cyclones that hit Bora Bora were Osea in 1997 and Oli in 2010.
Meteo-France gives the southern-hemisphere cyclone season as November to April, sometimes May, and the UK Foreign Office warns that tropical storms, including cyclones, can occur in those months. Cyclone Osea struck in late November 1997 and Cyclone Oli in February 2010, per Climats et Voyages.
In practice, a cyclone season trip means checking the forecast in the days before your tour and having travel insurance. Our post on the 2026-2027 cyclone season and jet ski tours covers what changes for bookings.
When can you see whales in Bora Bora?
From July to November, when humpback whales come to the islands to mate and raise their young. Watching them is regulated and done with licensed operators.
Tahiti Tourisme names Bora Bora among the whale-watching islands. Approaching whales on your own is prohibited, and only accredited professionals may run whale excursions, so a jet ski tour is not a way to see them up close. The jet ski listings describe routes inside the lagoon. Our post on the 2026 whale season has the details.
What time of day is best for a jet ski tour?
Morning, if you can. Operators say the water tends to be calmer early on, and you are back before the hottest hours.
Tour times vary by listing. One jet ski company listed by Tahiti Tourisme runs a morning departure and one at 2 pm. On the ATV day the ATV starts at 9:00 and the jet ski at noon. The Moana combination days can run the jet ski before or after lunch, and the shark snorkel is an afternoon trip.
Light matters too. Midday sun turns the lagoon its brightest turquoise, and late afternoon gives softer colours on Otemanu. Wear a hat that stays on and reapply sunscreen at the swim stop.
Three hours of snorkelling, a jet ski ride and a Polynesian lunch on a motu: the snorkel and jet ski day fills one calm day on the lagoon.
Book thisIs the water warm enough to swim all year?
Yes. The lagoon water stays at about 25 to 30 C through the year, warm enough to snorkel without a wetsuit in any month.
The ISRA factsheet gives the lagoon a temperature range of 25 to 30 C. Swimming and snorkelling are pleasant in any season. On a windy day in the cooler months, a light top helps on the boat ride back.
What happens to a tour if the weather turns?
The operator moves you to another date or refunds you. Separately, each listing lets you cancel free up to 24 hours before.
Operators offer rescheduling or a refund when they cancel for bad weather. The lagoon safari states it plainly: it needs good weather and a minimum number of travellers, and if either fails you get another date or a full refund. It does not refund a tour you cancel after it has started.
Book your jet ski tour for early in your stay. If the weather cancels it, you still have days to try again.
A full day on the lagoon: three hours of snorkelling with the chance of mantas and blacktips, a jet ski ride, and lunch on a private motu.
Book this Tour detailsFrequently asked questions
Does it rain every day in the wet season?
No. Rain usually comes in showers that pass. December and January get the most rain.
Is July a good time to visit Bora Bora?
Yes. It is in the drier season, nights are a little cooler, and the whale season begins in July.
Do jet ski tours run in the wet season?
Yes. Bad weather can cancel a tour, and the operator then offers another date or a refund.
When do manta rays appear?
Reef mantas visit the cleaning stations at Anau for much of the year. The listings here do not guarantee a sighting.
Ready to book
Choose your tour
Each option opens on GetYourGuide with the operator named and the inclusions listed.
Snorkeling and Jet Ski Tour with Polynesian Lunch
Three hours of snorkelling, a jet ski loop and lunch with your feet in the water on a motu
Bora Bora Jet Ski Tour Around the Island
- Pickup from your hotel or the Vaitape pier
- A local guide and all the equipment, life jacket included
- Two swim stops, one on a motu with a coconut husking demonstration
Full-Day Lagoon Safari & Lunch on a Motu
The lagoon from a boat instead of a jet ski: rays, reef sharks, coral and a motu picnic
