The Climate is dry for most part of the year. The rainy season from December to March brings irregular, but heavy rain and its share of floods near the coasts. Due to the scarcity of water the island produces few agricultural goods. It does allow one harvest of corn, mung beans, sorghum, tubers (cassava, taro), and cucurbitaceae (gourds, pumpkin, cucumber). Wet rice is restricted to the fewareas of the island which can be irrigated.

During the six to nine months of the dry season all river beds are dry and water supply is a main concern in the archipelago. The dry season is known here asawe menganga (musim lapar, B.I.), the hungry season. The sap the lontar palm tree provides an essential source of nutrition

Savu has numerous white sandy beaches, protected by reefs. Some beaches played a role in history like the beach between the harbour of Seba and the walled village of Bodo; it served as a landing place for Captain James Cook and his crew in 1770.

The beach of Uba Ae in Mesara hosts the most important ceremony of the year, kowa hole, where a ceremonial boat is launched out to sea.

Uba Ae in Mesara, as well as beaches of Raijua, is visited by surfers.

Gathering of sea food on reefs, small scale fishing activities, gathering of sea salt, sea weeds farming. Sea salt gathering using large shells or lontar containers has been a traditional activity on Savu and Raijua. In the last fifteen years seaweed farming has developed along the west and southeast coasts, bringing a new source of revenue to those living near the beaches.