A surfer carving across a clean blue wave, with dark red rocks in the foreground

Surf season · Varkala, Kerala

The best time to surf in Varkala, month by month.

Kerala Tourism puts the Varkala surf season at October to April. Surf-Forecast's long-term record narrows it down: November to February have the most clean days, and January comes out best. June to September is the monsoon, and the numbers for those months are not kind. Here is every month, with the figures and where they come from.

Month by month Camp dates

Before the table

What the numbers mean.

Most of the figures on this page come from Surf-Forecast, which keeps long-term statistics for Varkala. For each month it splits the time three ways. Clean is a rideable swell with light or offshore wind. Blown out is swell with the wrong wind on it. Too small is under half a metre, about 1.5 feet.

Too small is not the same as useless. Surf-Forecast notes that days most surfers would skip may still be OK for beginners at times.

These are model statistics, not observations. Surf-Forecast builds them from wave-model predictions taken every three hours, using a grid point 34 km away, and says there are too few recording stations worldwide to use real wind data. Read them as odds for a month, not a promise for a morning.

Water temperatures are ten-year monthly averages from seatemperature.info. Surf-Forecast adds that the water close to shore can differ by several degrees, especially after heavy rain or near river mouths.

A learner standing up on a board in the whitewater while a small child sits in the foam at the water's edge

Month by month

Varkala's surf, January to December.

Varkala month by month. Clean, blown out and too small are Surf-Forecast's long-term shares of each month. Wind is how often it blows offshore or onshore, also from Surf-Forecast. Water is the ten-year average from seatemperature.info. At Kuma lists the camps running that month.
Month	What the data says	At Kuma
January	Clean 45%, blown out 21%, too small 34%. Offshore 48%, onshore 21%. Water 28.4°C. Surf-Forecast's best month.	Republic Day Camp, 23-27 Jan 2027
February	Clean 36%, blown out 28%, too small 36%. Offshore 41%, onshore 29%. Water 28.7°C.	February Surf Camp, 19-23 Feb 2027
March	Clean 32%, blown out 37%, too small 31%. Onshore 36%, offshore 33%. Water 29.5°C.	Holi Surf Camp, 19-23 Mar 2027
April	Clean 23%, blown out 55%, too small 22%. Onshore 54%, offshore 23%. Water 30°C, the warmest monthly average. Kerala Tourism's season closes.
May	Clean 6%, blown out 82%, too small 12%. Onshore 81%, offshore 7%. Waves of 1.3 to 2m 37% of the time. Water 29.4°C.
June	Clean 2%, blown out 97%. Onshore 97%. Waves of 2 to 3m 56% of the time. Water 27.7°C. Monsoon; IMD's normal onset for Kerala is 1 June.
July	Clean 1.5%, blown out 98%. Onshore 98%. Waves of 2 to 3m 59% of the time. Water 26.4°C. Monsoon.
August	Clean 4%, blown out 94%. Onshore 94%. Waves of 1.3 to 2m 60% of the time. Water 26.2°C, the coolest monthly average. Monsoon.
September	Clean 7%, blown out 82%, too small 11%. Onshore 81%, offshore 8%. Waves of 1.3 to 2m 58% of the time. Water 27°C. Monsoon.
October	Clean 23%, blown out 54%, too small 23%. Onshore 54%, offshore 23%. Water 28.1°C. Kerala Tourism's season opens.	Opening Swell, 16-20 Oct 2026
November	Clean 37%, blown out 31%, too small 32%. Offshore 38%, onshore 31%. Water 28.8°C.	Diwali Surf Camp, 6-10 Nov 2026
December	Clean 38%, blown out 18%, too small 44%. Offshore 41%, onshore 18%. Water 28.7°C. Fewest blown-out days, most small ones.	Christmas Surf Camp, 23-27 Dec 2026

The season

October to May: the season.

Kerala Tourism gives the surf season as October to April, after the southwest monsoon. It describes the waves along Varkala as generally gentle to moderate, suitable for beginners and for more experienced surfers, with a sandy seabed in many parts that makes for softer breaks.

October

October opens it. IMD notes that after mid-October the southwest monsoon retreats and the northeast monsoon sets in over the south of the peninsula. Surf-Forecast's record still has October blown out 54% of the time, with onshore wind more common than offshore, so it is a month of mixed odds.

November to February

November to February is where the clean days collect. Clean surf runs between 36% and 45% of the time, offshore wind beats onshore in all four months, and the water averages 28.4 to 28.8°C. January is the high point, with clean surf 45% of the time and offshore wind 48%. Surf-Forecast's own spot guide names it the best month for Varkala.

December is the flattest of the four. It has the fewest blown-out days of the year, 18%, and the most that are too small, 44%. Small days may still suit beginners, but January has more swell to work with: swell 66% of the time, against December's 56%. The Surf Atlas, an independent guide, also sends beginners to Kerala between November and February.

December to February are the peak tourist months too, and Kerala Tourism suggests booking ahead, especially for weekends and holidays.

March and April

March and April stay warm and the swell holds, but the wind turns. In March onshore wind (36%) edges past offshore (33%) for the first time since October. By April the surf is blown out 55% of the time. The water is at its warmest then, averaging 30°C.

May

May is the changeover. Clean surf drops to 6%, the wind is onshore 81% of the time, and the swell gets bigger: waves of 1.3 to 2m turn up 37% of the time, against 5% in April. IMD's normal date for the monsoon reaching Kerala is 1 June, with a standard deviation of about seven days. From 2020 to 2025 it arrived anywhere between 24 May and 8 June, and in 2026 it arrived on 4 June.

The monsoon

June to September: the monsoon.

Kerala Tourism does not hedge on this. It says the weather and rough seas make June to September a “high risk period” for surfing, and that monsoon months are not good for surf lessons because of rough seas, strong currents and unstable weather.

Surf-Forecast's numbers say the same thing. From June to August the surf is blown out 94% to 98% of the time, and the wind is onshore just as often. The swell is big: in June and July, waves of 2 to 3m show up more than half the time. September eases a little, with clean surf 7% of the time and blown out 82%.

The water cools, though only by surf standards. August averages 26.2°C, the lowest of the year, and Surf-Forecast still reckons a rash vest and board shorts will do in any month.

The monsoon is slow to leave the south. IMD treats it as withdrawn from the southern peninsula only after 1 October, and over many parts of the south it lasts more than four months.

This page is mostly about the sea. For Varkala weather beyond the surf, the rain and the heat, and for when the crowds arrive, our guide to the best time to visit Varkala goes through the year month by month.

If you're in Varkala in August or September and want a lesson, message the house before you book. Kerala Tourism puts the general rule plainly: surfing takes place only when the instructors judge the sea safe, and the hours can move with the tide and wind. At Kuma that call belongs to the instructor on the morning, and a session they call off is refunded or moved in full.

Tomorrow, not the month

Reading a forecast.

The monthly odds help you pick a week. A forecast tells you about tomorrow. Surf-Forecast, the source of the statistics above, is a sensible place to start, because the forecast and the numbers on this page use the same terms.

Start with how it describes the spot: an exposed beach break that does not work very often, with waves as likely to come from local windswell as from distant groundswell. That is why a good month can still have flat or messy days.

Then check three things. Swell size: most of Varkala's clean days fall in the 0.5 to 1.3m band. Swell direction: Surf-Forecast gives the best swell as southwest. Wind: offshore here blows from the east-northeast, off the land, and it is the wind you want.

Then look at the clock. Kerala Tourism says early mornings are usually the best time to surf at Varkala, when the wind is lighter and the sea more settled. Kuma's lessons run in the morning, with the start set by the tide: slots fall between 06:30 and 09:30, and yours is confirmed for the date you book.

Check warnings as well as waves. In April 2024 a swell surge, known in Kerala as kallakkadal, stopped beach tourism in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha and Thrissur districts, and the advice was to keep off the beaches while the warnings were on. The India Meteorological Department and the Kerala State Disaster Management website both carry warnings. Surf-Forecast also lists rips and undertow among the hazards at Varkala.

Kuma camps

Where the camps fall.

All six Kuma camps sit inside the season: Opening Swell 16-20 Oct 2026, Diwali Surf Camp 6-10 Nov 2026, Christmas Surf Camp 23-27 Dec 2026, Republic Day Camp 23-27 Jan 2027, February Surf Camp 19-23 Feb 2027 and Holi Surf Camp 19-23 Mar 2027. None run between April and September.

Each runs 5 days / 4 nights: arrival on the first day, then a morning surf session on each of the next four, for up to 14 people, and it needs 5 to run. The dates and the price of each room are on the camp page.

A man in a rash vest lifting one knee in a warm-up on the sand, the sea grey behind him

Where the figures come from

Surf season in Varkala

When to come, in short.

What is the best time to surf in Varkala?

November to February, going by Surf-Forecast's long-term record, with January the single best month: clean surf 45% of the time and offshore wind 48%. Kerala Tourism gives the wider season as October to April.

Can you go surfing in Varkala in August or September?

It is the monsoon, and the odds are poor. Surf-Forecast has August blown out 94% of the time and September 82%, and Kerala Tourism calls June to September a high risk period for surfing. If you're here then, message Kuma before booking a lesson. Surfing goes ahead only when the instructor judges the sea safe.

When is the surfing season in Kerala?

Kerala Tourism gives the main surfing season in Kerala as October to April, after the southwest monsoon. Its pages for individual Varkala beaches narrow it further, some to October to March and some to November to February.

How warm is the sea in Varkala?

Warm all year. The ten-year averages on seatemperature.info run from 26.2°C in August to 30°C in April. Surf-Forecast says a rash vest and board shorts are fine in any month, and Kuma's lessons include a rashguard.

Is Varkala a good place to learn to surf?

Kerala Tourism describes the waves along Varkala as generally gentle to moderate and suitable for beginners, helped by a sandy seabed in many parts. The Surf Atlas, an independent guide, calls Edava beginner to low-intermediate surf. At Kuma, lessons run in water no deeper than chest height, over sand.

What happens if the sea is too rough on the day?

The instructor decides on the morning. If they call the session off, it is refunded or moved in full. In the monsoon months, check with the house before you book.

Anything not covered here, message us on WhatsApp at +91 99953 38248.

Planning around the season

Not sure which fits?

Send your dates, headcount and surf level. We'll point you toward the right room, session or week.

Ask Kuma on WhatsApp

+91 99953 38248

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