Cloud 9, Siargao: no beginner lessons

No. Since July 2025, beginner surf lessons are not allowed at Cloud 9.

The rule was posted in mid-July 2025 on behalf of the local surfers, and SURFER, Wavelength and Stab all reported it within a day. It’s two lines long:

Beginner surf lessons are NOT ALLOWED at Cloud 9 surf spot.

Surf shops are NOT ALLOWED to rent out surfboards to beginner surfers without instructor.

Who it covers

Beginner lessons, and beginners renting a board on their own. The announcement says it plainly: if you know surf etiquette, can catch waves on your own and won’t put other surfers in danger, you’re welcome at Cloud 9.

It covers Cloud 9 and nothing else. None of the reports extend it to Jacking Horse or Quiksilver. Quiksilver is a fast, technical reef wave anyway, so it’s no place for a first lesson either.

Who made the rule

This part is murkier than it should be. SURFER credits a local surf photographer posting for the local surfers. Other outlets credit the Siargao Island Surfers Association, or the General Luna local government working with the association. We couldn’t find a numbered ordinance or an official notice, and no source mentions a fine.

We follow it. Cloud 9 breaks over shallow reef, and a first lesson there was a bad idea long before anyone wrote it down.

Where beginners learn instead

The full list is on the surf spots page. The ones we use most with beginners:

• Jacking Horse, right next to Cloud 9. A right over reef that’s soft enough to feel like a beach break. There’s a sideways current at high tide, which is one more reason to have a coach next to you.
• Daku, the island off General Luna, about 15 minutes by boat. A slow right with a soft take-off. Complete beginners only with a coach.
• Ocean 9, from October to March. Small waves, ₱100 entry through a resort.
• Guiwan, mainly in winter. It works when the northeast wind blows, but the rocks make it better for a second or third session than a first.

Old guides still say otherwise

Pages written before July 2025 still call Cloud 9 the place to learn in summer, and some booking sites still sell “Cloud 9 surf lessons”. If you see one, ask where the lesson actually happens. A good answer names a beginner spot.

Our beginner lessons happen on soft spots like these, picked that morning by the tide and wind.