Fiji · Month comparison
May vs September
May ranks #1 overall vs September at #2. Dry season begins — 90mm of rain, 7 hours of sunshine, and the best diving conditions returning.
May
#1 of 12 months
Best match
Dry season begins — 90mm of rain, 7 hours of sunshine, and the best diving conditions returning.
- ↑Dry season properly underway: 90mm versus 154mm in April — the pattern shifts to occasional light showers rather than heavy rain, and multi-day stretches of clear weather become normal
- ↑Diving visibility recovering to dry-season clarity: 15–25 metres of visibility in the Somosomo Strait (Taveuni) and the Mamanuca outer reefs as river runoff subsides
September
#2 of 12 months
Best match
The sweet spot — dry season conditions with crowds and prices easing from the August peak.
- ↑Excellent dry-season weather with 15–20% lower prices than August: September gives essentially the same conditions as July–August with a meaningful cost reduction as the Australian school holiday influx ends
- ↑Whale season extending into September: humpback encounters remain available throughout the month, with sightings becoming slightly less predictable toward the end as the migration moves on
| Factor | May | September |
|---|---|---|
| Weather score | 8 | 9 |
| Value score | 6 | 4 |
| Crowd score | 6 | 5 |
| Events score | 4 | 4 |
| Atmosphere | 8 | 9 |
| Avg high temp | 28°C | 27°C |
| Monthly rain | 90mm | 70mm |
| Daily sunshine | 7hrs | 7.5hrs |
May trade-offs
- ↓90mm is still light rain: May is not reliably dry, and island transfers to the more exposed Yasawa Islands still carry occasional weather delays
- ↓Cooler evenings by Fiji standards: 22°C lows mean a light layer is useful after dark — nothing dramatic, but a shift from the wet-season warmth
- ↓Visibility still building toward its best: while dramatically better than March–April, May's visibility is below the July–August peak at many dive sites
September trade-offs
- ↓70mm of rain starting to nudge up from August's 58mm: September is still very much the dry season, but the occasional isolated shower is more likely than in August
- ↓Whale encounters less predictable toward late September: operators can no longer guarantee sightings as the migration moves south — earlier in the month is better
- ↓Visibility at dive sites marginally below August peak: the very best conditions are in July–August; September is excellent but slightly behind the peak
Scores compare months within Fiji. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →