Hulhangu and iruvai: the Maldivian monsoons explained

The Maldives Meteorological Service (often called the MET office) uses the same two-season pattern in its official climate summary.

April and December are transition months. The wind swings round, and the weather can do almost anything for a few weeks.

Iruvai is the season most visitors picture when they think of the Maldives. The MET office describes January to March as the dry season, and its records show the most sunshine at this time of year, around 10 to 11 hours a day on average.

What iruvai feels like

• Clear skies and a steady breeze from the east.
• Calmer seas on most days, which suits boat trips, snorkelling and sandbank days.

How the MET office declares it

The MET office announces the start of each monsoon rather than fixing it to a calendar date. As reported by Atoll Times, the northeast monsoon is declared once winds have turned easterly and stayed above about 10 knots for at least two days in a row. The start moves from year to year: in early 2025, for example, it was declared on 3 January, later than usual. The effects tend to arrive first in the northern and central atolls.

Hulhangu brings the rain. The MET office places the southwest monsoon from mid-May to November and notes that rainfall is heavier in this season. Its Malé averages show November as the wettest month of the year.

What hulhangu feels like

• More cloud, and more frequent showers and storms.
• Wind from the south-west and west, sometimes strong and gusty during squalls.
• Rougher seas on some days, especially in open water between atolls.
• Long dry, bright spells between the rain. A wet day is rarely wet all day.

The MET climate page describes most showers as short, with sunshine in between.

How the MET office declares it

As reported by Atoll Times in May 2026, the southwest monsoon can be declared after 1 May when, for at least two days in a row, most southern weather stations record meaningful daily rain and south-westerly to westerly winds above about 10 knots. The MET office says the effects are usually felt first in the south in the first or second week of May and cover the whole country by the end of the month. In 2026 the southern onset came in early May, and the MET office marked the monsoon’s arrival on 8 May.

The transition months are the least predictable. The wind weakens and changes direction, and calm, glassy days can be followed by a sudden storm. Atoll Times describes the changeover as lasting about a month and often unsettled.

April is usually the hottest time of year. The MET office notes that temperatures peak in March and April, before the southwest monsoon arrives. December can feel like an early start to the dry season in some years and like the tail of the wet season in others.

If you are travelling in these months, build a little slack into your plans, especially around boat transfers. See the Maldives in April and the Maldives in December for month-by-month detail.

The Maldives stretches a long way from north to south, and the MET office records a clear difference. Average yearly rainfall rises from roughly 1,780 mm in the north to about 1,970 mm in the central atolls and about 2,220 mm in the south.

The southwest monsoon also tends to reach the south first, so the southern atolls may turn wet a little earlier in May.

The monsoon winds do more than bring or hold back rain. They also push the ocean currents that flow through the atoll chain.

Currents switch with the season

Oceanographic research on the central Indian Ocean describes a westward current during the northeast monsoon and an eastward current during the southwest monsoon. The atolls sit across this flow like a barrier. Water forced through the channels (kandu) and around the atolls stirs up nutrients on the side the current is flowing towards, and that side becomes richer in plankton.

This is why channel dives depend on both tide and season. Our guide to currents and channels explains more.

Mantas follow the monsoon

Manta rays feed on plankton, so they move with it. During hulhangu, roughly May to November, mantas feed mainly on the eastern sides of the atolls. During iruvai they move to the western sides. Manta researchers have recorded this side-switching for years, and it shapes where trips go in each season.

Dhiffushi sits on the eastern rim of North Malé (Kaafu) Atoll, so the southwest monsoon is its manta season; see the island’s manta spot, Dhiya Adi Faru. For the wider picture, read manta rays in the Maldives.

Swell and rough weather

During active spells of the southwest monsoon, the MET office issues advisories for strong winds, rough seas and swell, sometimes with gusts reaching 40–45 mph in showers. The weather hazards guide covers how to check alerts.

The same season brings the larger swells that surfers look for. If you are coming for waves, see surfing in the Maldives.

Before satellite forecasts, Maldivians tracked the year through the nakaiy, a calendar of 27 periods of about two weeks each, named after stars. The nakaiy are divided between hulhangu and iruvai, and fishers and farmers used them to decide when to sail and when to plant.

Some traditional knowledge still marks a seasonal turning point in mid-April. As reported by the Maldives Independent in 2026, one Maldivian astronomer described a traditional change-of-season day on 14 April. This is a cultural reckoning, not an official definition: the MET office declares each monsoon from wind and rain data each year. Read more in the nakaiy calendar.

Neither season is a bad time to visit. They simply suit different trips.

If you travel in iruvai (January to March)

• Expect the most sunshine and calmer seas on most days.
• Mantas are mostly on the western sides of the atolls.
• Bring strong sun protection: clear skies mean high UV.

If you travel in hulhangu (mid-May to November)

• Expect showers and some stormy days, mixed with plenty of sunshine.
• It is the main season for mantas on the eastern sides of the atolls, including around Dhiffushi.
• Allow a spare day before your flight home, in case boats are delayed by rough seas.
• Pack a light rain jacket and a dry bag for phones and cameras.

Boats and ferries in any season

Speedboats and public ferries run all year, but crews and the authorities may delay or cancel crossings in bad weather. Check the latest MET advisories and avoid a same-day boat-to-flight connection. How to get to Dhiffushi explains the options for one local island.

For a month-by-month view, start with the best time to visit the Maldives.