Maldives with her 1200 islands lies in the Indian Ocean surrounded by 99% water. Hence, weather plays a significant role in a Maldivians day to day life. Maldivian ancestors created and organized their lives around a calendar of nakaiy (period), comprising of a series of 14 day intervals, predicting weather patterns of every interval in the calendar.

Iruvai & Hulhangu

The weather in the Maldives consist of two monsoons throughout the year, Iruvai Monsoon starting from the late December through March, consisting of 9 nakaiy. Hulhangu Monsoon starts from April through early December, consisting of 18 nakaiy.

Iruvai is mostly known to be the hot and dry season and Hulhangu, the wet season. However, the calendar distinguishes these monsoons not by rain, but by the direction of wind. Iruvai brings in North-East wind while Hulhangu brings in South-West wind. In Dhivehi Iruvai is derived from East “irumathi” while Hulhuangu is West when translated to Dhivehi.

The nakaiy calendar is used by the Maldivians to this day to determine the best time to fish, travel or cultivate crops. Due the pattern of Maldivian weather, the traditional method of weather forecast has not been able to give way to the modern method in the local fisherman’s heart.

Below infographics shows all the nakaiy in both Iruvai and Hulhangu monsoon. Also the fishing score shows the likelihood of fishing in different nakaiy. Use this fishing calendar as a guide and not as a rule as much of the weather forecast like elsewhere is unpredictable and inconsistent, but it could be handy when planning your next fishing trip in the Maldives.