Mabuntok • Statistics for December

December: Peak Season Power, Peak Season Chop

December is when the Amihan is fully re-established and the swell statistics read like a winter checklist for Mabuntok. Average swell height comes up to 4ft (1.2m), period is 9.9s, and the direction is almost exclusively NE/ENE: ENE 52.4 percent, NE 39.5 percent, NNE 5.8 percent. This is exactly what the beach needs for shape and power, and the bigger days can easily reach 4-5ft (1.2-1.5m) on the outer sands. The problem is wind quality. ENE (24.9 percent) and NE (18.5 percent) dominate, with N/NNE adding another 12.0 percent, leaving only 9 percent ideal offshore flow. Most of December's surf is therefore onshore or cross-onshore, with bumpy, sectioning waves that surfers will need to pick apart. Rain is high at 14.3 mm/day, air temperatures are 27.2°C, and water remains warm at 28.3°C. Look for early mornings and any atypical southerly breezes; those are the windows where Mabuntok truly shines.