Raja Laut

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a year-round yacht charter destination. The weather hovers around the 30°C mark throughout the year, and in some cruising areas there are distinct "dry seasons" when there is very little rain and generally excellent conditions for a yacht charter holiday: for example, Komodo between April and October, and the Andaman Sea between December and April.

On a macro level there are 2 main seasons when trade winds are either predominantly from the Northeast (NE Monsoon) or from the Southwest (SW Monsoon). However, individual cruising regions have different weather. Please see below for more details.

Andaman Sea Weather (Phuket, Langkawi, Mergui, Andaman and Nicobar)

The best time for a yacht charter in the Andaman Sea region is during the dry season, between December and April.

The region has a moderate temperature all through the year within the range of 23°C to 31°C. It has a tropical climate. There are no severe climate conditions except for tropical storms and rains in late summers and monsoons. The monsoons (May to August) and post-monsoons (September to November) are accompanied by medium to heavy rain falls.

Komodo - Flores Weather (Lesser Sunda Region)

The area due east from Bali is the Komodo - Flores region and is best visited by yacht between the months of April and October. In general Indonesia has two yearly seasons of monsoon winds: the southeast monsoon (dry) and the northwest monsoon (rain). The dry season usually runs from the end of April to the end of September and the rainy season from November to March. The exception to this pattern is the Raja Ampat/Banda region where seasons are reversed (more rain falls between May and September).

Bali's weather follows the normal Indonesian pattern of a dry season from May to September and a rainy season from November to March. Bali weather is typical of the tropics, where the sun rises around 6am and sets at 6pm most of the year. In general temperatures vary between 25°C and 30°C, and the humidity between 65% and 85%.

Komodo National Park has the driest climates of Indonesia. Komodo National Park has little or no rainfall for approximately 7 months of the year (between April and October). Most of the annual rainfall of between 800mm and 1000mm will come between the months of November to March. Mean daily temperatures in the dry season from May to October are around 30°C.

In Komodo the highest annual temperature in the park is 43 °C, the minimum is 17 °C. November is the hottest month of the year. The highest humidity is in February at 86%. The lowest humidity is in October at 75%.

Raja Ampat Weather (West Papua)

There is no distinct dry season in the Raja Ampat. However the best time for a yacht charter exploration of Raja Ampat is during March and May or August and November. Avoid May, June and July when the weather can be quite rough.

In coastal region and the islands of the Raja Ampat, the months of May to September brings the highest rainfall. Temperatures typically vary between 24°C 30-34°C, and the relative humidity is constantly high between 60 to 90%.

Sabah Weather (Borneo)

There is no truly distinct "dry season" in Sabah. The best time for a yacht charter holiday in Borneo is between February, March and April when the weather is comparatively dry. However rain may be expected during the entire year.

The northeast monsoon season in November to January brings a lot of rain and it is better to avoid going to Sabah at this time of year.

Borneo has an equatorial climate. Temperature varies from 21°C to 32°C in the lowlands, while in the hilly regions temperature varies from 13°C to 23°C. Average annual rainfall is 2000 mm.

Singapore/Tioman Weather (South China Sea)

Best visited between February and August. November to January is the rainy season. There is no distinct "dry season" in the Singapore and Tioman region, but February to August is considered to be the best time for a yacht charter vacation. When it does rain, it's generally only for a short period.

Like most of Southeast Asia, the weather in Singapore and Tioman is generally hot and humid. It's warm and humid year round, with the temperature almost never dropping below 20°C, even at night, and usually climbing to 30°C during the day. Humidity is high, mounting over a 75% mark.

Maldives Weather

The Maldives has a year-round hot tropical climate. There are two monsoons, the southwest from May to October and the northeast from November to April. Generally the southwest brings more wind and rain in June and July. The temperature rarely falls below 25°C (77°F). Since Maldives consists of small islands and are surrounded by seas, hot days are often tempered by cooling sea breezes and balmy evening temperatures.Throughout the year, temperature remains almost same in the Maldives. However, daily temperature ranges from around 31 degrees Celsius in daytime to 23 degrees Celsius in nighttime.

Koh Samui Weather (Gulf of Thailand)

In the northern part of the Gulf of Thailand between November and May the weather is mostly dry, with the rainy season starting June until October. Koh Samui is the exception because it is located in the southern part of the Gulf of Thailand, and it has 3 distinct seasons. The rainy season is from October to December, while February to May is the hot and dry season. June to September brings more tropical rain showers. However, it is still much drier than Phuket and the West Coast of Thailand as it is shielded from the southwest monsoon that hits Thailand's Andaman coast during this period.

Naturally, the climate in Koh Samui is tropical, with a average annual daily temperature of 25°C to 35°C and high humidity. The hottest months are April to September, while November and December are cooler.