Things to Do in Nauru in May

Get in the water before 9 am when the bay is a mirror and the reef shelf 40 m (130 ft) out is empty of day-trippers. You'll drift over lettuce coral with neon damsels and the occasional hawksbill turtle. The water's warm enough that a rash guard is plenty. By 11 am the easterly trade wind chops the surface and viz drops to 8 m (26 ft) - May timing means you beat both wind and crowds.

The lunar pinnacles of scarred coral rock are best tackled at sunrise - 6:15 am start means you finish the 4 km (2.5 mi) loop before the 30°C (86°F) sun gets nasty. You'll pass rusted locomotives swallowed by scrub and bright-green rock phosphate that still smells faintly of diesel from the '80s mining days. Guided walks explain how Nauru once supplied 80 % of Pacific phosphate; May's dry mornings keep the dust down so you can breathe while you listen.

The only freshwater lens on a coral atoll is ringed by taro patches and mango trees heavy with fruit in May. A short paddle (sit-on-top kayaks you borrow from the community council) gets you to the lily-dotted corners where Pacific reef herons nest. Back on shore, families sell ika mata - raw tuna cured in lime and coconut milk, served under breadfruit leaves - for lunch. The lagoon water is 29°C (84°F) but shaded. Go mid-morning before clouds build.

The 19 km (12 mi) coastal loop passes rusted Japanese pillboxes, a downed Zero fighter wing half-buried in sand, and the tide-exposed remains of phosphate loading jetties. May's steady 24 km/h (15 mph) trades cool you as you putt past. Stop at Command Ridge for 360° views where the island narrows to 150 m (490 ft). Clouds usually stack on the horizon after 2 pm, so start by 10 am and carry 1 L (34 oz) of water - there's nothing between Anetan and Aiwo.