The monsoon season lasts from May to September in India. I spent the last week of July and three weeks in August exploring the beaches of Goa. As the last stretch of Monsoon season, I was lucky to have at least four sunny days a week with intermittent five minute rain showers. Enjoying myself on the beach was possible as long as I brought a poncho to wrap my valuables in when the rain began.
Even though the beaches are still enjoyable, very few people go to Goa during the monsoon season. The people that do go are visitors from other parts of India. That means you get the beaches nearly to yourself. However, the Indians that are there will surely bug you for a selfie. Goa during the monsoon season would be ideal if you have a travel companion because then you could bring a speaker and drinks on the beach and make your own party. However, as a solo traveler you will want to bring some books because there will be very few like-minded travelers to mingle with. The iconic psychedelic party scene of Goa is basically nonexistent during the monsoon season. The bars and clubs have plastic tarps and palm tree leafs wrapped around them, completely closed down.
The upside was that I paid for a room in a dorm and almost every time I was the only guest, getting the room to myself. If you want to go to Goa to meet hippies and party then the monsoon season is the wrong time to be there. However, if you want nearly empty beaches to relax on with a buddy, it could be perfect.
Keep in mind that the waves are so rough during the monsoon that the lifeguards always blew their whistle if I tried to swim. If I explain to the lifeguard that I did not plan to go very deep they would usually allow me to sit down in the sand as the waves broke and a few inches of water rushed towards me. I used to be a lifeguard and I honestly wouldn’t swim in these waves, they are vicious.
The last and my biggest reason to recommend avoiding Goa during the monsoon season is the mold that grows on everything. The air is so damp that a wet towel drying on a hook literally will never dry. My bag was stored under my bed and mold started to grow on it. Nothing is safe, everything smells and there is no way to dry your things. Plastic rain boots or flip flops are the only footwear you should use. If your cloth shoes get wet they will become moldy.
Keep all of this in mind if you decide you want to visit Goa during the monsoon. If you do want to, then check out my complete Goa Beach guide in the link below. Any observations I make about the social atmosphere is only relevant if you go during the monsoon.
Chronicles of a Wandering Soul 