The “Siargao Curse” and Why You’ll Never Really Leave (And That’s a Good Thing)
You hear it whispered often, sometimes with a smile:
“Careful… there’s a Siargao curse.”
At first, it sounds ominous, like a warning tucked into paradise. But stay a little longer, and you’ll understand. The curse isn’t a curse at all. It’s the deep, magnetic pull of a place that feels too good to leave.
It Starts With the Waves
Like many others, you may arrive in Siargao for the surf. Cloud 9, with its world-class breaks, has long been the draw for wave-chasers. But what you’ll quickly realize is that the island’s true rhythm has little to do with surfing, and everything to do with connection.
You come for the sea.
You stay because something in you softens.
It might be the conversations you have with strangers who become family. Or the way the sky looks so perfect for your ig stories as if it’s giving you more reasons to stay. Maybe it’s the quiet pace, the way time stretches here. Slow, unbothered, generous.
A Growing Community
Siargao is changing. But in a deeper, more meaningful way.
It’s becoming a melting pot of souls: Surfers, remote workers, creatives, healers, entrepreneurs, volunteers. People who were “just passing through” but now own dogs, rent houses, and know which sari-sari store sells the best halo-halo.
The island, despite being small, holds space for diversity. And more importantly, Filipinos welcome it.
The Filipino Welcome
In most places, when travelers begin to “stay too long,” they’re met with tension. In Siargao, that’s rarely the case. There’s a quiet acceptance, a warmth that runs through local culture like the midday sun.
This isn’t accidental.
Filipino culture is built on “pakikisama”, or the spirit of getting along, living together peacefully, and making space for others.
From the moment you land, someone calls you “ate” or “kuya”. You’re offered rice from a neighbor’s pot, invited to a fiesta by someone you just met, or gently reminded to say “po” when speaking to elders.
That kind of kindness changes you. And it’s hard to walk away from.
Home is Where You Feel Belonging
The Siargao Curse doesn’t mean you’ll literally stay forever (although some do). It means that no matter where you go, a piece of your heart will stay behind.
It means you’ll compare every new place to the morning of General Luna’s coast, to the laughter shared on motorbike rides through palm tree forests, to the potlucks, the beach cleanups, the slow Sundays.
You might leave for now, but you’ll check ticket prices often. You’ll follow your favorite carinderia on Instagram. You’ll tell new friends about “this island I lived on for a while” and catch yourself smiling every time.
Not a Curse, But a Gift
So yes, it’s real, the Siargao Curse.
But it’s not about being trapped. It’s about being touched by something real.
Finding a place that teaches you how to slow down, show up, and live simply but fully.
And once you’ve lived that way, you can’t help but want to come back.
So come, stay for a while.
And if you never really leave, in heart, in spirit, know that it’s okay.
That’s just the Siargao way.
