SOME QUICK QUESTIONS
I’M A BEGINNER SURFER, WHEN IS BEST FOR ME TO COME?
If you are a complete beginner surfer, you have the best choice; here in the Dominican Republic, where we teach our surf lessons, there are very few days of the year where you wouldn’t be able to surf as a beginner. This means that the whole year is open for you to take lessons as our surfing lessons are undertaken on the ‘inside’ of the reef (so you are protected from larger waves whenever there is a swell running).
I’M AN INTERMEDIATE SURFER, WHEN SHOULD I COME TO SWELL?
As an intermediate surfer (Able to catch green waves, turn, trip and carving turns) you are generally looking for waist, shoulder to head-high waves. These types of waves are most common in the Dominican Republic from May to November.
I’M AN EXPERT SURFER; WHEN SHOULD I COME?
The best waves for you arrive regularly between December and April where we will often have waves of 2 meters +
WHEN IS RAINY SEASON IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC?
Well, in short, unlike Costa Rica where it can rain solidly for 3 months, we don’t have a rainy season: It can rain at any stage (often during the night) and is normally a sharp downpour before the sun comes out again, strongly. Rain is less likely between June and August than at any other time of the year. The Dominican Republic is a stunning, mountainous island and undoubtedly, it is always raining somewhere in the hills, so if you see rain on the forecast, don’t panic!
WHEN IS HURRICANE SEASON?
Because of our mountain ranges, especially Pico Duarte (the highest peak in the Caribbean at just over 3000m) hurricanes are ‘bounced’ away from our shores. Remember that hurricanes hate any interference to their circulation and that’s why they avoid large, high land masses. Also bear in mind that we are a huge island (it will take you 7 hours to drive east to west). We’ve not had a direct hit from a hurricane since 2004 (and then it was just a tropical storm). Hurricanes tend to pass our shores from early September to early October.
WHERE CAN I FIND MORE INFO ON THE SURF?
We have written a large surf & Travel guide for Surfing Dominican Republic, which has a lot more information. (opens in a new window).
The guide has info on:
- When is the best time to come to the Dominican Republic?
- What airports to fly into into the Dominican Republic?
- Top things to do in the Dominican Republic
- Best places to eat in Cabarete
For Surfing Cabarete and Playa Encuentro surf spot information, have a look at the “surf spot” page which will give you more details on the surf sport at Playa Encuentro, Cabarete.