Mabuntok • Surf Spot Statistics

Best Surf Season (September - November)

Mabuntok sits on an NNE-facing slice of the Philippine coast, which means it is caught between two monsoons. The Northeast Monsoon (Amihan) throws consistent NE/ENE swell at the beach but also pins it under onshore NE/ENE winds. The Southwest Monsoon (Habagat) opens up offshore S/SW/WSW windows but starves the coast of significant groundswell. The sweet spot is the September - November transition. As the Pacific storm track wakes up, average periods climb to 10s and the swell direction swings back toward the NNE/NE/ENE quadrant. Offshore wind days remain reasonably high - especially October at 33 percent - producing clean, workable 2-3ft (0.6-1.0m) surf with the occasional chest-high set. November sees size build toward 3ft (1.0m), but the wind window begins to close.

Fair Surf Season (December - May)

From December through May, the coast is either too windy or too small. December to March has the most reliable size - average swells of 3-4ft (1.0-1.3m) and periods of 9-9.5s with swell directions dominated by NE/ENE - but the same Amihan winds blow onshore most of the time, with only 5-9 percent of days genuinely offshore. April and May ease the wind, with offshore windows climbing to 15 and 38 percent respectively, but the swell loses height and flattens into the 2-3ft (0.7-0.9m) range. It is rideable and occasionally clean, but rarely firing.

Low Surf Season (June - August)

Deep summer is the doldrums at Mabuntok. The Habagat keeps S/SW/WSW winds blowing 29-34 percent of the time, which is great for surface texture, but the average swell height collapses to around 1.5-2ft (0.5-0.6m) and periods drop to 8.6-9.6s. Nearly all of the energy is short-period E/ENE windswell, much of it too small to break with any power. Expect groveling conditions unless a typhoon or tropical disturbance drifts close enough to send a bigger, disorganized pulse. June through August are best reserved for the foam-top quiver and water time.