NickyG

Have got two weeks off work at the end of September and would love to visit the Maldives, however, I've heard this is the rainy season. Has anyone been there at this time of year? If so, how rainy is rainy - rain all day, or just a shower in the evening? I visited the Caribbean in their rainy season and we had glorious weather with just a few showers in the evening. Would love to hear from anyone that's been to the Maldives! Thanks!

Cicerone

The question of the rainy season in the Maldives is a bit bizarre, and seems to come down to what part of the archipelago you are traveling to. In essence, there are two rainy seasons in the Maldives, at slightly different times, during different months and in different amounts of rain depending on where you are. I have been in the spring months during the low rain season, and we would occasionaly get brief showers during the day.

That being said, September is historically the middle of the rainy season generally. The Male area in the northern portion of the archipelago averages almost 10 inches in that month. The later you go in September to the Male area, the less chance of rain. Gan averages about 9 inches in that month, with heavier rains toward the end of the month. The Gan area generally is more rainy overall than Male.

To me, 9-10 inches of rain is a lot in a month, on islands that in the low season get 3 inches a month. By way of example, the heaviest rainfall month in the US Virgin Islands is September, where they get about 5 inches that month. Of course, there could be a hurricane associated with that, which you won't get in the Maldives, but the Maldives does get about twice as much rain during September than the heaviest rainfall month in the US Virgin Islands.

The biggest issue to me is if you were a diver. I would not go there in September, as you will have less water clarity, plus the current will be stronger. Snorkeling may not be as clear either, but at shallow depths you probably won't notice it as much. If you just want to sit on a beach and do a little snorkeling, I think you would be fine, as the snorkeling is much better IMO than many other places so even slightly obscured I think you would enjoy snorkeling

All that being said, the Maldives is a very LONG way to go just to sit on a beach. From the US, the flight takes something over 24 hours (I lived in Singapore when I traveled to the Maldives, so it was not a bad flight from there. However, I don't think I would go all the way to the Maldives from the US.) In all honesty, you will find just as excellent beaches and snorkeling closer to the US, like in the Caribbean (although September is iffy due to hurricanes.) If you want to mix beaches with some SE Asian culture, you might think about Thailand (Koh Samui rather than Phuket in September) or Bali and surrounding island areas; Bali has glorious weather in September, virtually no rainfall.

gard

Hi

My wife and I went to Sun Island in the south Ari atoll in April this year. It was a long way to go for us (from Norway) but we enjoyed it a lot. I have never been to a more beautiful beach place and it was close to paradise. The beaches were white, the ocean so blue...we spent days just relaxing, snokeling etc. I would go back any day I have posted a trip report and lots of pictures on my homepage www.gardkarlsen.com ...maybe you can get some idea of what to expect there

Regards
Gard
Stavanger, Norway

Riffic

Hi,

just back from 15 days in the Maldives (July 15-30) and this was "rainy season". The good thing about the Maldives is that rainy season is really not too bad, compared to other countries, e.g. Thailand and its monsoons. (the boeng 767 was sold out both ways, if that's any indication that people are not deterred from visiting then)

When we arrived, it did rain most of the day (some welcome gift!), and the second to last day--same thing. In between, it often rained 1X per day (strategically, this was often over the lunch hour), but usually less than 30 min or 1 hour. Probably 1/2 the nights, it also rained, but that's without consequence to beach time, of course.

The workers on the island told us that starting middle of August, the weather really starts to dry up, but I have no way to confirm this. Given their statements, September would be ok to visit.

To which Island are you going and are you traveling from the USA? That's a long trip! We live in Munich currently, and it was still a 9 hour direct flight to Male.

Maldives is simply the best place on earth to snorkel and relax. There cannot be any other place with so much unspoiled natural beauty. So long as we live in Europe, I can't think of anywhere else to spend a 2-week stint doing absolutely nothing, recharging your batteries).

If you have any questions, I'd be happy to try and answer, as I've done some research, and I know finding English language info (e.g. personal reviews) can be difficult.

NickyG

Hi All! - thanks for your replies, they are all very interesting and most useful. Cicerone - thanks for your reply, your comments about rainfall are very helpful and I will bear them in mind. Gard - I looked at your website and found this very informative and the photos of the Maldives stunning! Riffic - I'm very encouraged by your comments about the locals mentioning that the weather starts to dry up in August! We are hoping to visit Sun Island in the South Ari Atoll - it looks so beautiful. We are travelling from London, so the flight time will not be too long. We are happy to spend the days relaxing by the sea and snorkelling. My husband likes windsurfing, but am not sure if this is possible in the Maldives. Thanks again!