Island guide · seasons
The best time to visit Siargao, honestly.
The best time to visit Siargao is September to November for surf, and April to September for the driest, calmest weather; but the honest headline is that Siargao has no dry season at all. The island sits in PAGASA climate Type II, meaning it rains year-round, wettest from December to February, and every month here is a trade between waves, sunshine, crowds and price.
What is the weather really like in Siargao?
Siargao's weather is warm, humid and wet in every month: daytime highs hold at 29 to 31°C year-round, nights at 25 to 27°C, and the sea stays between 27 and 30°C. Rainfall is the variable that actually shapes a trip. December to February are the wettest months and June to September the driest, with roughly three to six times more rain in the peak wet months than in the driest ones (weather models disagree on exact millimetres, so we publish the ratio, not a fake-precise number). Even the driest months typically see rain on 12 to 15 days, usually short, hard bursts rather than all-day grey. There is no weather station on the island itself, which is why every precise-looking Siargao rainfall chart you find online disagrees with the next one.
When is surf season in Siargao?
Siargao's main surf season runs roughly late August to November: northeast and east swells arrive while winds stay light or offshore, September is typically the most consistent month for clean waves, and November brings the biggest days. March to May is the small season, friendliest to beginners and frustrating for chargers; December to February has plenty of swell but messier wind. The full picture, spot by spot, lives in our Siargao surf guide and the spots-by-skill-level breakdown.
What are amihan and habagat, and why do surfers care?
Amihan and habagat are the Philippines' two monsoon winds, and they decide what the waves look like. Habagat, the southwest monsoon, blows roughly June to September; since Cloud 9 and the General Luna reefs face east, habagat blows offshore and grooms the surf clean. Amihan, the northeast monsoon, blows roughly October to February or March, pushing bigger swell at the island but roughing it up onshore by afternoon, which is why the amihan months are a dawn-patrol and sheltered-reef season. The exact changeovers shift every year; PAGASA declares each onset, so treat all monsoon dates as approximate.
When is Siargao crowded and expensive?
Siargao's crowd peaks are Christmas and New Year, Holy Week (the biggest domestic surge), the July-to-August foreign summer, and the late-September-to-November surf window. Prices follow: travellers consistently report accommodation premiums of 50 to 100 percent over Christmas and New Year, and low-season discounts of roughly 30 to 50 percent, typical patterns rather than guarantees. The island is genuinely busy again: arrivals hit 529,822 in 2023, past pre-pandemic levels, and kept growing into 2025. The quietest, cheapest windows are the wet-season weeks of late November to February outside the holidays, and the early-June shoulder.
Is Siargao safe from typhoons?
Siargao sits at about 9.8 degrees north, south of the main Philippine typhoon belt, so it sees fewer storms than most of the country; but lower risk is not zero risk, and this island knows it better than anywhere. Super Typhoon Rai, locally named Odette, made its first landfall on Siargao on 16 December 2021 with PAGASA-measured sustained winds of 195 km/h (Category 5 equivalent on the US scale), destroying the airport terminal and causing damage estimated in the billions of pesos. The recovery is the other half of that story: the international surf cup was back by October 2022, arrivals passed pre-pandemic levels in 2023, and in 2026 the island hosts a WSL Championship Tour event. Since Odette there has been no direct hit through mid-2026; the closest call was Typhoon Kalmaegi in early November 2025, which put Siargao under Signal No. 2 with power interruptions while its catastrophe landed on Cebu. The honest planning note: October to December carries a small but real disruption risk, so build a flexible day or two into late-season trips and take ferry-cancellation warnings seriously.
Siargao month by month
Typical patterns, not promises; any single week can break the script.
| Month | Rain reality | Surf | Crowds & notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Wettest, windiest stretch | Big but messy (amihan onshore) | Quiet after New Year; cheap |
| February | Still wet, easing | Cleaner windows appear | Low crowds |
| March | Transition, drying | Small; beginner-friendly | Holy Week risk late March some years |
| April | Sunnier | Small, with flat spells | Holy Week crush + price spike |
| May | Driest stretch begins | Flattest of the year | Island-hopping weather |
| June | Dry side (habagat starts) | Small, clean, offshore: learner sweet spot | Pleasantly quiet |
| July | Dry side | Small and clean | Foreign summer crowds build |
| August | Statistically driest | First northeast swells, still offshore: season starts | Busy but not peak |
| September | Dry side, calmest wind | Prime: most consistent clean surf | The surfer default answer |
| October | Rain picking up | Peak swell reliability | 2026: WSL CT starts 31 Oct |
| November | Wet ramping up | Biggest waves begin; amihan onset | CT through 10 Nov; small late-storm risk |
| December | Very wet | Big, often messy | Quiet early, then Christmas/NY spike |
So when should you come?
For surf, September to November, booked early in 2026 because of the Championship Tour. For beginners learning to surf, June to September, when small clean waves meet the beginner reefs. For sun-first, surf-optional trips, April to June. For quiet and the lowest prices, late January to early March. And for a long stay, the real answer is that a month here absorbs the weather: rain bursts pass, flat days become island-hopping days, and the island is a different, equally good place in every season. That is the stay Tuloy's nine rooms in General Luna are built for, with surf, boats and slow days arrangeable as the weather allows, and monthly bookings that outlast any forecast.
Questions we get at the bar
What is the best month to visit Siargao?
September, if you want the classic answer: it is typically the most consistent month for clean surf, the calmest for wind, and still on the drier side of the year. For non-surfers, April to June brings the sunniest, flattest stretch. There is no bad month, only different islands.
Does it rain all year in Siargao?
Yes. Siargao falls under PAGASA climate Type II, which has no dry season. December to February are the wettest months, June to September the driest, with roughly three to six times more rain in the peak wet months than in the driest ones. Even dry-season months typically see rain on 12 to 15 days, usually in short bursts.
When is surf season in Siargao?
Roughly late August to November, when northeast and east swells meet light or offshore southwest winds. September is usually the cleanest and most consistent, November the biggest. Waves of some size arrive year-round.
What are amihan and habagat?
The two Philippine monsoon winds. Amihan is the northeast monsoon, blowing roughly October to February or March; habagat is the southwest monsoon, roughly June to September. Because Cloud 9 and the General Luna reefs face east, habagat blows offshore and grooms the waves, while amihan blows onshore and makes afternoons messy. Exact onset shifts every year; PAGASA declares each season.
When is Siargao most crowded and expensive?
Christmas and New Year, Holy Week, the July-to-August foreign summer, and the late-September-to-November surf window. Bloggers consistently report accommodation premiums of 50 to 100 percent over Christmas and New Year, and discounts of roughly 30 to 50 percent in low season. In 2026, expect the WSL Championship Tour event (31 October to 10 November) to make that stretch the busiest of the year.
Is Siargao in the typhoon belt?
Siargao sits at about 9.8 degrees north, south of the main typhoon belt, so it is hit less often than most of the Philippines, but it is not immune. Super Typhoon Rai (Odette) made its first landfall on Siargao on 16 December 2021. Late-season storms, October to December, occasionally track this far south.
What happened to Siargao in Typhoon Odette?
Super Typhoon Rai, locally Odette, made first landfall on Siargao on 16 December 2021 with PAGASA-measured sustained winds of 195 km/h, equivalent to a Category 5 on the US scale. It destroyed the airport terminal and caused island damage estimated in the billions of pesos. The island rebuilt fast: the international surf cup returned in October 2022, visitor arrivals passed pre-pandemic levels in 2023, and in 2026 Siargao hosts the first WSL Championship Tour event in the Philippines.
Is the wet season a bad time to visit Siargao?
Not necessarily. December to February is the quietest, cheapest stretch outside the holidays, the surf still pumps for experienced surfers who chase the sheltered reefs and morning windows, and the rain usually comes in bursts rather than all-day washouts. Bring a dry bag and flexible plans.
Stay long enough to stop checking the forecast.
Tuloy is nine private ensuite rooms with Starlink in General Luna, a base that works in surf season, flat season and everything between. Monthly stays from ₱35,000.