Fat Lips guide to surfing by season in Siargao

Siargao has become a world-famous surfing destination for a reason. At all times of year you can find somewhere on the island to surf. However, depending on the season, we’ll be surfing at different spots because of the way the swell and maybe more importantly, the winds, affect the surf. So in this guide we’ll go in-depth on where to surf in Siargao depending on the time of year you’re coming. After that, I’ll help you consider all the factors to consider in choosing the right time to visit Siargao. Read on!

Peak Season

When: late September to end of November

At this time of year the winds are usually light or offshore and we receive good ground swell resulting from storms or typhoons off the coast of Siargao. This is the time of year when you see those pictures of perfect, barreling cloud 9. The average surf is about shoulder to head high and every couple weeks when a storm develops it can get up to double overhead or more. Surf spots working really well this at this time include Cemetery, Cloud 9, Quiksilver, Tuason, Rock Island, Stimpy’s, and in the North of the island are the areas of Pacifico & Burgos. This is the time of year Cloud 9 will have those perfect, mechanical barrels day in and day out.

NOTE: Happening usually in the last week of October is the famous Siargao International Surfing Cup. This is a WSL Qualifying Series event. There’s a great vibe to the town during this time and you’ll get to watch pro surfers battling it out in Cloud 9. It’s fantastic! However, this does mean the island, and the surf spots, get crowded at this time with a lot of pros in the water. For this reason, sometimes I used to avoid coming during this week.

In general, the peak season is also the busiest season in Siargao as this is when seasoned surfers know is the best time to come. For that reason it can get pretty crowded at this time of year. So if you really don’t like surfing in crowds then maybe other times of year might be better for you. Read on to find out more.

NOTE: Peak season doesn’t start until the end of September or even the beginning of October. So don’t believe those who say September is peak season lol, you’ve been warned! All September we get guys coming in disappointed cause they came to surf awesome waves only to find it very small.

Beginner spots: jacking horse, giwan, ocean 9

Intermediate spots: daku, cemetery, salvacion

Expert spots: cloud 9, stimpy’s, rock island, tuason

Winter

When: December to March

Rainy season

Starting in the beginning of December the winds pick up and turn onshore. In Siargao this is called the Amihan season. This means a lot of the usual spots like cloud 9 or cemetery won’t be working. Luckily, we have quite a few protected spots in Siargao so we can always find somewhere to surf. Actually, winter is my favorite time to surf because there’s always swell. Yes, 3 or 4 months of non-stop waves, even if it is a little messy. In fact, I don’t even check the forecast at this time of year, I just know it’ll be between head high to double overhead at Stimpy’s or Rock Island everyday. For sure it’s not gonna be glassy or perfect, but it’ll be surfable. Of course there are occasional days when the winds drop and we can surf any of the spots, but in general it’ll be pretty windy but you can still find good rides. If you think Stimpy’s might be a bit big for you then Salvacion is another good choice. Usually a fot or two smaller and a really nice right. Salvacion is a favorite spot all winter long because it’s stays relatively clean even with strong winds. For beginners, this is Giwan time of year! Waist to shoulder high and off-shore all winter long as it faces the South.

I should also mention that this is a great time to go to a place called Tangbo all the way at the top of the island. It is just over an hour’s ride North from General Luna but as Tango just just around the top of the island on the West side it’s offshore when everything else is onshore. The waves do lose some of their energy making it to Tangbo so usually it will be pretty small, like waist to shoulder high but on a big swell you can find Tangbo firing at overhead to double overhead. For these reasons, a lot of people like to surf Tangbo in the winter but because it’s far from General Luna it’s generally not very crowded.

beginner - Giwan, Secret Spot, Union, Pilar

intermediate - Salvacion, Tangbo

advanced - Stimpy’s or Rock Island

Special note: Surfing is all about attitude. how much you enjoy is up to you!. So during the winter, expect it to be messy and hard to surf. Embrace it! You learn so much more during these difficult surfs and when you do get to surf clean waves again you’ll be amazed at how easy it seems! And you know what? When you go into a surf with low expectations you’ll often come out surprised at how good it was!

Spring

When: April to end of May:

2nd (smaller) peak season.

By March the winter is ending and the winds are starting to die down. This ushers in our 2nd peak surf season. As the winds drop we still have some good swell and the waves won’t be gone until June starts, so during the spring you can expect to find nice, clean, waist to head high waves for a couple months.

In general it’s great for the intermediate surfer or someone who doesn’t need huge waves to have fun. that being said, one of my biggest days at Salvacion was easily double overhead and that happened during April!

Spring is kinda the hardest time to predict though. It can change from year to year. Sometimes it’ll get pretty flat and not have much swell but some years it just stays big and cranks right up until June.

Beginner - Jacking Horse, Cemetery, Daku

intermediate - Salvacion, Quiksilver, Tuason

advanced - Cloud 9, Stimpy’s, Rock Island, Pacifico Big Wish

Summer

When: June to end of September

Low season, quite small everywhere

If you’re an advanced surfer looking for good waves then summer isn’t the time for you. but if you’re a beginner or wanting to learn how to surf then summer is a great time to come. It’s a great time for long boarders of all levels! The waves are generally around waist high, sometimes a bit smaller, sometimes a big bigger. The summer months in Siargao are hot & sunny and you’ll find long boarders of all levels out enjoying the surf.

Note: This summer low season doesn’t finish until the END of September or even into October. So DO NOT believe those people who say September is peak season.. trust me, it’s not.

Beginner - anywhere that’s working: Cloud 9, Quiksilver, Tuason, Cemetary

Intermediate - same as above

Advanced: sorry, not much for you

Choosing the right time to come

There are a lot of factors to consider when choosing the right time to come to Siargao. For most people, when you come will depend on your availability.. when you’re able to get away from work or responsibilities. If you’re reading this guide then probably the surf conditions will also be at the top of your list to consider. After that, consider your surfing level. If you’re more beginner then Spring or Summer can be the best time to come. For more intermediate to advanced surfers then Fall and Winer can be the best time. However, at all times of years beginners can find somewhere to surf. For more advanced surfers you can have fun at most times in the Fall, Winter, or Spring, I just wouldn’t recommend the summer. Remember though, the Fall is the busiest time so you might wanna choose the winter to get less crowded line-ups. If your goal is simply just to get barreled at Cloud 9 then you gotta come during that October - November peak time.

After that you may want to consider the weather. Summer is hot & dry with big blue skies. It’s a great time to see Siargao as that picture-perfect tropical island. For non-surfers, I often tell them that Summer is the best time to come. Winter is rainy season yes. So expect quite a bit of rain but it’s not so bad as you might think. Generally it rains throughout the night from about 11pm to dawn. During the day it rains off and on. It might start pouring for half hour to an hour or so and then suddenly it can clear up and we get a great sunny surf. It doesn’t usually rain all day every day unless there’s a ‘low pressure’ coming through or a tropical storm. So generally I think the winter is fine, the rain isn’t so bad, but you may get unlucky and be here for a particularly rainy couple weeks and I’m sorry if that happens! Again though, we do have big swell everyday during these winter months so you’re pretty much guaranteed to be able to surf everyday during this time and that’s a rare thing in surfing.

Lastly, whenever you decide to come, please book your rooms well in advance. Hotels & resorts in Siargao book up very early, especially the better ones. Plane tickets can also get very expensive. So if you’ve decided to come to Siargao and know when you want to come then go ahead and make all your bookings early to save yourself hassle later.

And here i gotta give myself a plug haha.. If you’re looking for a good room in a surf-focused resort then check out Fat Lips Surf Lodge here on our website.

Thanks!

Tim