When to Visit Micronesia

Mornings often start clear and bright before clouds build through the afternoon. It is a decent time to be here if you want the islands at something close to their calmest.

Dive visibility around Chuuk Lagoon tends to be good this month. The reefs around Kosrae also show well.

Still manageable. But the afternoon downpours arrive with more regularity as the month progresses. By the end of March you start to feel the wet season establishing itself.

Pohnpei starts to feel very lush and very damp. Visitor numbers thin out. Not unpleasant if you embrace the tropical rhythm. But expect outdoor gear and clothing to stay in a state of perpetual partial-dampness.

The landscape turns an almost impossibly deep green. Waterfalls run full. The islands feel their most remote and unhurried. Visitor numbers drop to their lowest point. Mornings are the time to plan any outdoor activity.

The heat is what you notice most. The warm, close air makes shade useful by midday. Occasional stretches of several overcast days in a row are possible.

During the day, conditions feel much the same as the surrounding months. The cooler evenings offer real relief after the accumulated heat of the afternoon.

Micronesia feels quiet in a way that suits slow, unhurried travel.

The transition is gradual rather than sudden. Underwater, the reefs around Kosrae and Chuuk tend to be in good shape. Visitor numbers start to tick upward slightly.

Technically still the wetter half of the year but with a sense of transition building.

Worth noting for those who run warm: the slightly higher overnight temperature makes the accumulated heat sit differently than July's cooler nights.

Still substantial by most destinations' standards, but the trend is moving in the right direction. Visitors arrive toward the end of the month and the islands take on a settled, unhurried quality that carries well into the new year.