Things to Do in Micronesia in May

May's scattered rains work in your favor - the brief downpours settle surface sediment, giving you glass-clear water above WWII shipwrecks. The Fujikawa Maru sits at 34 m (112 ft) with its cargo hold still packed with Zero fighter planes, and morning dives before afternoon storms hit are surreal - you descend through warm shafts of sunlight into the green haze of the engine room where sake bottles still line the shelves.

The ancient canal city on Pohnpei shines in May's cooling rains - the basalt walls of Nan Douwas release steam after showers, and the sound of rain on the tidal canals creates this otherworldly echo. You'll need low tide timing to walk the causeways. But the wet stones turn deep black, making the 8th-century stonework look freshly carved.

May delivers the year's most reliable manta sightings before plankton clouds the water. At Mi'l Channel, these 4 m (13 ft) wingspan giants glide past in 12 m (39 ft) of water - close enough to hear the whoosh of water over their wings. The channel's current runs gentler in May, making it manageable for intermediate swimmers.

The wet season fills Kosrae's mangrove tunnels - you paddle through cathedral-like root systems where herons perch above and juvenile reef fish dart below. May's higher tides let you access the inner channels that dry out in summer, and the sound of rain on the mangrove canopy is oddly peaceful.

May's slower tourism pace means village chiefs have time for proper welcome ceremonies - you'll sit cross-legged in the nahs (meeting house) while women weave coconut fronds and explain how island navigation works using stick charts. The afternoon rains become part of the experience, drumming on the thatched roof while elders tell stories.