Things to Do in Kiribati in May

Kiritimati's bonefishing lives up to its reputation. The atoll's lagoon system holds roughly 500 square kilometres (190 square miles) of wadeable flats. In May, clearing skies and establishing trade winds create sight-fishing conditions that fly anglers cross the planet to find. You wade knee-deep in water so clear you can count the ridges on a bonefish's tail at 15 metres (50 feet). Sand gleams white beneath your feet. Sun builds a burn on your neck in real time. Fish average 1.5 to 3.5 kg (3 to 8 lbs). Larger specimens test your tackle and your composure. Polarised glasses are essential. You need a hat that shades your ears. Plan to be in the water from dawn until mid-morning, then again from about three in the afternoon until light fails. Midday is for rest, shade, and coconut water.

Betio islet sits at the southwestern tip of Tarawa Atoll. Roughly 6,400 people died here in 76 hours during November 1943. The landscape remembers. Japanese pillboxes still line the seawall. Reinforced concrete stains rust-orange, half-swallowed by salt air and root systems. An eight-inch coastal defence gun points over the reef flat where US Marines waded ashore under fire. Sherman tanks rest where knocked out, sand drifted against their treads. In May, lower rainfall lets you walk the full fortification line along the south shore. Trade-wind breeze keeps the heat bearable for the two to three hours needed to cover main sites between the old pier and Red Beach. Copra drying on racks mixes with salt spray as you walk the shoreline where tide-dependent landings went wrong. Bring water. There is no shade.

The lagoon sides of Tarawa and Kiritimati atolls hold reef systems that most snorkellers never encounter. Most never make it to the central Pacific. In May, with the wet season's runoff fading and the winds smoothing the surface, visibility in the shallower lagoon channels improves. You can see the bottom in 10 to 12 metres (33 to 40 feet) of water. The clarity feels like swimming in air. Blacktip reef sharks cruise the edges of the coral heads. They show little interest in you. Parrotfish scrape at the coral with an audible crunch you hear through the water. The water temperature hovers near 29°C (84°F). Warm enough that a rash guard is for sun protection, not warmth. The reef flat on the ocean side is sharper and more exposed. Avoid it unless you are an experienced swimmer comfortable with current. Lagoon-side entry points near the causeways on South Tarawa offer the easiest access.

The te wa, Kiribati's traditional outrigger sailing canoe, is not a museum piece. I-Kiribati sailors still build and race them. The return of consistent trade winds in May marks the start of the best sailing season. These canoes are fast and responsive. They surprise anyone used to heavier-hulled boats. The hull is carved from a single breadfruit log. The outrigger is lashed with coconut-fibre cordage. The pandanus-mat sail catches the trade wind with a snap you feel in your chest. Being invited aboard by a local crew is the single most visceral way to understand Kiribati's seafaring heritage. You sit low to the water. Spray hits your face. The lagoon surface blurs past at speed. Community sailing events and informal races pick up frequency as the trades stabilise. Ask at the maneaba or through local contacts on South Tarawa about upcoming sailing days.

Kiritimati holds one of the largest concentrations of nesting seabirds in the Pacific. May puts you in the middle of peak breeding activity. The red-footed booby colonies in the scrubby Tournefortia trees near the old military roads are close enough to touch. Do not touch them. Male frigatebirds perch with their scarlet gular pouches inflated to the size of a football. An absurd, improbable display. It looks like a visual effect until you hear the rattling call that accompanies it. The sooty tern colonies on the open ground near the interior salt pans stretch to the horizon. A carpet of grey and white that lifts into a screaming cloud when a predator passes over. The smell is pungent. Guano and fish and warm feathers. The noise is relentless. Walk slowly. Stay on established paths to avoid crushing eggs laid directly on the ground. Bring binoculars for the shorebirds working the tidal flats where the lagoon meets the open ocean.