Dive season for Kosrae, Pohnpei, Majuro

[mstanley]

Hello,

I am planning to do a dive trip on the island hopper from HNL to GUM. My schedule is very flexible so I can pretty much choose which time of year to take my trip. When would be the best time to go considering visibility and overall dive conditions?

I have head conflicting reports. Some say JUN-NOV is a good time but isn't that rainy season? Perhaps the winds are calmer in the summer or visibility is better? I realize that diving can be done year-round but I would like to pick the best time of year. Thanks for any advice.

 

[Deep Water Dan]

I can't speak for Majuro as it's farther east, but for Kosrae and points west June, July, and August should be the best. The trade winds during the winter months create almost constant high surf conditions, sometimes even in places like Truk Lagoon. During the summer months the winds die down and with that the seas get much flatter. It is the rainy season and the rain can reduce the vis, but the high surf caused by the trade winds screws up the vis even more as everything gets churned up. Many sites on the islands out here are undiveable for much of the winter. The Village on Pohnpei just closed its doors so you'll have to make alternate plans if that's where you were planning on staying.

 

[mstanley]

Thanks very much for the advice, Dan. This is exactly what I was looking for. Any guidance for the best time to dive Palau and Yap? I have visited in Palau in August and also in July. Both were less than ideal but still spectacular because, well... it's Palau after all.

I am thinking of visiting Palau/Yap in a separate trip altogether anyway. Any thoughts?

 

[SpeckledGrouper]

We where in Kosrae September of 2011. It was perfect diving! Unlimited viz and calm seas. It did rain every day but that didn't affect anything other than trying to dry off dive shorts and rash guards outside the room. We stayed at Pacific Tree Lodge and also dove with them. Very, very excellent!!!! Would go back and do it all over again in a heartbeat.

 

[deveyn]

I lived in Pohnpei for two years. Sad that the Village, the only PADI dive shop shut down.

There are two other options though. You can go out with Pohnpei Surf club, who has a nice dive boat. I mostly went diving with the guys at Nihco Marine park. I also preferred staying at Nihco and have sent many happy divers to them.

Call Nihco, either the Office Supply store or the Marine Park (PPassSurf Camp). Ask for Jay, or Wilbur (Jay's dad) and tell them Dan sent you. You can also email me at deveyn at the gmail and I can give you some more tips and pointers and also send you some pictures. I've had several divers tell me that Pohnpei blows away Palau for many reasons, but it's a bit more wild west in the diving arrangements. It's worth the extra effort and I can help you find the right people to help you out. There is also a local group of expats who are experienced divers, divemasters and rescue divers.

Pictures from Kosrae, Chuuk and Pohnpei: Collection: Micronesia

Dan

 

[Deep Water Dan]

Pretty similar conditions for Palau/Yap as for Pohnpei/Guam, although Palau is far enough southwest of here that they typically don't get a lot of typhoons. The one last year was an anomoly. I've dove Palau in December and May, and I actually think our December trip was better. But Palau in December is a real madhouse. Palau and Yap are both susceptible to strong storm swells during the winter from storms up north. The manta mating season runs roughly from December to May or something like that, so take that into consideration. I was there in January and the manta action was fantastic, I'm heading back again this week. We did have a few days in January where some sites were undiveable due to the swells. I would think late spring, like right around now, would be good for a Palau/Yap combo trip. Rainy/typhoon season won't get into full swing for another month or so.

 

[divegirl0104]

I plan to go to Palau in May and this is my first trip. Any tips on where I should stay and the best dive sites? Any 'must sees?'

 

[guamrider]

I plan to go to Palau in May and this is my first trip. Any tips on where I should stay and the best dive sites? Any 'must sees?'

Saies Wall/Tunnel-Ulong Channel- Blue Corner are among the top sites. Go here and take your pick.

 

[dbeitz]

Hi, I run a dive resort in Kosrae, so I can offer you some answers to your questions. Kosrae and Pohnpei don't have a rainy season like the western Micronesian islands. We've had an official NOAA rain gauge at our property for well over 10 years, and Kosrae averages 12 to 15 inches of rain per month all year round, with a lot of that falling at night. I believe that Pohnpei receives more rain than Kosrae.

Kosrae really has two seasons, windy and not windy. (The air and water temperature are pretty constant all year round). That's probably why you have heard that June to November is good, because that is normally the 'not windy' time of the year. This can help visibility underwater, but not greatly, as we can easily get awesome 100' to 200' visibility during the windy season.

Kosrae is only 42 sq miles, but the very rugged mountains are 2,000' high, so there is just about always a sheltered side of the island. It is also has three harbors that are evenly spaced around the island, where we can tie up our boats. We have two dive boats, and usually leave them at the two marinas where conditions are best at that time of year. So on a daily basis we decide where the best conditions should be, drive to that marina and take the boat that will give us the shortest and most comfortable ride.

Also in the calmer months we are often able to dive on the north and eastern sides of the island, which is where the resident pod of spinner dolphins usually hang out. So it can add a bonus to your dive day to have a pod of dolphins riding the bow wave for a few minutes. I hope this information is helpful, and I know that you will enjoy visiting these beautiful islands.

 

[deveyn]

I have dived with Nautilus before. I can personally recommend them as a great operation and a good place to stay.

Kosrae is a bit different diving than Pohnpei. A shore dive in Kosrae is guaranteed to get you near perfect visibility, like on the Walung dropoff. In Pohnpei you have to go outside the barrier reef to get some good viz. Pohnpei definitely gets more rain than Kosrae, about 300+ inches a year, but the diving there is also quite good. Unfortunately their only PADI dive operation is shuttered. There are other people organizing dives. I was one of them while living in Pohnpei and if you need assistance organizing a dive trip I can help you out with local contacts. There was never a day in Pohnpei when we didn't see Mantas at Manta Road.

I highly recommend Kosrae as a dive destination. The food at Nautilus is great, and next door at Pacific Tree Lodge they make a great pizza, and on Tuesday nights Mama is making local food and her breadfruit soup is to die for. If you can arrange it, try to get there when the tangerines are in season.

Dan

Hi, I run a dive resort in Kosrae, so I can offer you some answers to your questions. Kosrae and Pohnpei don't have a rainy season like the western Micronesian islands. We've had an official NOAA rain gauge at our property for well over 10 years, and Kosrae averages 12 to 15 inches of rain per month all year round, with a lot of that falling at night. I believe that Pohnpei receives more rain than Kosrae.

Kosrae really has two seasons, windy and not windy. (The air and water temperature are pretty constant all year round). That's probably why you have heard that June to November is good, because that is normally the 'not windy' time of the year. This can help visibility underwater, but not greatly, as we can easily get awesome 100' to 200' visibility during the windy season.

Kosrae is only 42 sq miles, but the very rugged mountains are 2,000' high, so there is just about always a sheltered side of the island. It is also has three harbors that are evenly spaced around the island, where we can tie up our boats. We have two dive boats, and usually leave them at the two marinas where conditions are best at that time of year. So on a daily basis we decide where the best conditions should be, drive to that marina and take the boat that will give us the shortest and most comfortable ride.

Also in the calmer months we are often able to dive on the north and eastern sides of the island, which is where the resident pod of spinner dolphins usually hang out. So it can add a bonus to your dive day to have a pod of dolphins riding the bow wave for a few minutes. I hope this information is helpful, and I know that you will enjoy visiting these beautiful islands.