Green season.

The wetter months: what they are really like, and who they suit.

Photo © Meeru Maldives Resort Island

The season

Rain that usually comes in showers, with sun in between.

The southwest monsoon usually arrives around the middle of May and eases in October, and brings most of the year’s rain. Most of it comes in showers that do not last long, with sunny spells between, though now and then it rains every day for several days, and the start of the monsoon can bring a few days of strong wind and rough sea. It is warm all year: the average temperature ranges from 25°C to 32°C.

It is also the season when mantas gather on the eastern sides of the atolls, and feed in large numbers in Hanifaru Bay.

Plan your stay

Choosing the island

What matters more in the wetter months.

A few things are worth more thought at this time of year.

  1. Mantas

    In the southwest monsoon mantas feed mostly on the eastern sides of the atolls, so an island on that side can put them closer.

  2. Hanifaru Bay

    Mantas gather in Hanifaru Bay, in Baa Atoll, between about May and November. Visitors snorkel there; diving is not allowed.

  3. Whale sharks

    Whale sharks are seen around South Ari Atoll all year, so the season does not rule them out.

  1. Surf

    The surf season runs from mid-February to November, with the best conditions often from March to May and from September to November.

  2. Somewhere to be when it rains

    A spa, a gym, covered restaurants and a villa you are happy to spend an afternoon in.

  3. A shorter transfer

    Rough sea can interrupt boats between islands, so a short transfer is worth more at this time of year.

What we arrange

Planned around the weather.

  1. The island

    An island chosen for the season as well as for your brief.

  2. Trips early in the stay

    Boat trips planned for the first days, so there is time to move them if the weather turns.

  3. Transfers

    Seaplane, speedboat or domestic flight, timed around your international flights.

  4. One contact

    One contact from your first message until you fly home.

A sample week

Five nights in the wetter months.

One way five nights can run. Every island is different, and nothing here is fixed.

  1. Day 1

    Arrive

    Land at Velana International Airport, transfer to the island, and a swim before dinner.

  2. Day 2

    Out to the mantas

    A snorkelling trip early in the stay, while there is time to move it.

  3. Day 3

    A showery day

    The spa in the afternoon, and the reef again when the sun comes out.

  4. Day 4

    The reef

    Snorkel the house reef, or dive with the dive centre.

  5. Day 5

    Sunset

    A sunset cruise on a dhoni, if the sea allows.

  6. Day 6

    Home

    Breakfast, a last swim, and a transfer timed to your flight.

Questions

Asked about the green season.

Anything not answered here, ask the reservations team on WhatsApp or by email, every day from 8am to 10pm Maldives time.

Contact us

Also worth a look

More ways to plan it.

Tell us about the trip. We reply within one working day.

Who is travelling, when, and what matters most. It takes about two minutes and goes straight to the reservations team.

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