Things to Do in Marshall Islands in December
December weather, activities, events & insider tips
December Weather in Marshall Islands
Temperature, rainfall and humidity at a glance
Is December Right for You?
Weigh the advantages and considerations before booking
- + Trade-wind season means lagoon water is mirror-calm most mornings - good for kayaking from Laura to the rusted Japanese tank wreck without fighting chop.
- + Mornings at 79°F (26°C) feel almost cool after the steam-bath of September. Walk Bikini Atoll memorial park before 9 AM without sweating through your shirt.
- + December is when breadfruit ripens - roadside stalls on Majuro's north shore sell softball-sized fruit roasted over coconut husk fires, a taste you won't find May-October.
- + Visitor numbers drop to their annual low. You can book a seat on the 19-seat Air Marshall Islands flight to Jaluit the same week without getting bumped.
- − Afternoon squalls roll in fast - black clouds build over Delap by 2 PM and dump an inch of warm rain in 20 minutes, enough to cancel small-boat dives for the day.
- − UV index 8 feels like a sunlamp. Unprotected skin burns in under 15 minutes, on the white-coral runway strip at Eneko Island where there's zero shade.
- − Christmas week flights from Honolulu fill up with returning Marshallese families. If you're not booked by September you'll likely overnight in HNL both directions.
Best Activities in December
Top things to do during your visit
December's light winds keep the lagoon surface glassy so coral gardens 3 m (10 ft) down look closer than they are. You drift over WWII plane parts without increase pushing you into fire-coral. Turtles feed mid-morning when tide slackens - best window 8-11 AM before clouds build.
The single paved road is dead-flat and morning temps of 79°F (26°C) let you knock out the 19 km (12 mi) loop before the sea breeze turns into a headwind. You'll pass graves of 1915 typhoon victims shaded by ironwood trees and smell smoked tuna drifting from backyard cookhouses.
Low December tides expose the coral "bridge" that Japanese seaplanes used in 1943, so you can paddle right over submerged Zero fighters without scuba gear. Outer reef surf stays small - kayak channel crossings are manageable even for first-timers.
Trade winds blow offshore, flattening the water so giant trevally patrol the pylons in plain sight. December's 6 PM sunset lines up with falling tide - predators push bait against the pier legs and topwater strikes draw explosive hits.
Outer-island women weave coconut-frond purses for the January craft fair, so December classes are small and instructors have time to fix your clumsy over-under mistakes. You leave with a palm-leaf basket that holds coconuts, not just Instagram likes.
December Events & Festivals
What's happening during your visit
December 12 marks self-government. Outrigger canoes from Arno and Mili race a 3 km (1.9 mi) loop inside the lagoon while crowds line the seawall beating empty Calypso cans for percussion. The President's speech starts at 9 AM sharp - arrive by 8 to grab shade under the tamanu trees.
Hundreds of islanders carry kerosene-soaked coconut fronds, lighting the reef flat for hand-net fishing at low tide. The smell of burning copra mixes with salt spray. Kids sell fresh reef-fish poke bowls for pocket change. Starts at 7 PM when tide bottoms out.
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