When to Visit Puerto Galera

Puerto Galera is a year-round destination — the water is warm and the days are tropical no matter when you come. But the two monsoon seasons shape what your trip feels like, from glassy calm seas to lush green hills and afternoon rain. Here is how to time it.

The two seasons

• Amihan — the dry season (roughly October to May). The northeast monsoon brings cooler, drier air, calmer seas and the clearest water. This is peak season and the classic time to visit.
• Habagat — the wet season (roughly June to October). The southwest monsoon is warmer and wetter, with afternoon showers and the occasional windy or bigger-swell day. The upside: green hills, fewer crowds and better value.

Temperature & water

It stays warm all year, averaging around 28–31°C. May is the warmest month (~31°C) and December–February the coolest and most comfortable (~28°C). The sea is bath-warm at 26–29°C — a light rash guard or 3mm wetsuit is all you need for the water.

Best time to visit

For the classic mix of sunshine, calm seas and clear water, aim for November to May. February to April is the sweet spot — dry, bright and lively. Just note that Holy Week (March/April) and long weekends are the busiest of the year, so book early and expect fuller beaches.

Best time to dive

Divers get the best underwater visibility from roughly March to June. Thanks to Puerto Galera's sheltered bays, diving carries on most of the year even through the wet season — see the dive sites guide for the top spots.

Month by month, at a glance

• Dec – Feb: the coolest months, with rainfall easing off through January and February — calm seas, good visibility.
• Mar – May: hot, bright and the driest stretch of the year; best underwater visibility; busiest around Holy Week.
• Jun – Aug: warm with regular afternoon showers; green and quieter; good value.
• Sep – Nov: the wettest run of the year, easing into the dry season by late November; fewest crowds, lowest prices.

Month by month, in more detail

Puerto Galera has no weather station of its own, so month-by-month figures come from the nearest official records — PAGASA's climatological normals for Calapan, the provincial capital, about 40km away — alongside long-run averages published for Puerto Galera itself. The two don't agree to the millimetre, which is normal for a mountainous island with real local variation, but they agree on the shape of the year.

December to February is the coolest stretch, with daytime highs around 27°C. Rainfall drops through the period, and by the official Calapan normals, February is the single driest month of the year.

March to May stays dry and gets hot: March and April have the fewest rainy days of any months, and this is when the water is clearest for diving. Temperatures climb through the period to a May peak around 31°C, the warmest month. Holy Week — March or April, depending on the year — is the single busiest week on the calendar.

June to August is when the Habagat monsoon sets in: rainy days roughly double or triple compared with March, mostly as afternoon downpours rather than washed-out days. Puerto Galera's sheltered bays mean diving and boat trips continue through this stretch — just with more cloud and greener hills than the dry-season postcard shots.

September to November is the wettest run of the year by the official normals, October especially, before the rain eases and the Amihan dry season reasserts itself toward late November. This is also when crowds and prices are at their lowest.

What to pack

• Reef-safe sunscreen, a hat and a light rash guard — the tropical sun is strong year-round.
• A light rain jacket or umbrella if you are visiting in the Habagat months.
• Water shoes for rocky coves, and cash in small bills for tuk-tuks and boats.

Found your dates? Browse hotels & resorts and check live availability, or read how to get to Puerto Galera.

Read more

• Holy Week in Puerto Galera — why this one week outbooks the entire rest of the dry season, and what to do about it either way.
• Puerto Galera in the Rainy Season — what the Habagat months are actually like on the ground, and the honest safety notes to go with them.

References & sources

• PAGASA (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration) — Climatological normals, Calapan station (official monthly rainfall averages; Calapan is the nearest PAGASA station, roughly 40km from Puerto Galera).
• World Weather Online — Puerto Galera climate averages (town-labelled monthly highs, lows and rainy-day counts).

A note on precision: Puerto Galera has no weather station of its own. The figures above blend an official government station 40km away with modelled averages published for the town itself, and the two sources measure slightly different things — rainfall totals versus rainy-day counts. Both are reported rather than blended into one falsely precise number. Treat every figure here as the shape of a season, not a forecast for your specific week.