Mabuntok • Statistics for April

April: Wind Winds Down, So Does the Size

April is a true transition month in the Philippines. The NE monsoon has loosened its grip and the trades are becoming more easterly. The average swell height fades to 3ft (0.9m) and the period settles at 9.1s. ENE still dominates with 77.7 percent of the swell, but NE drops to 13.1 percent and pure E becomes more present at 7.5 percent. Because Mabuntok faces NNE, the ENE and NE swells still wrap in, but the E component is increasingly shadowed and less efficient. The wind field is also shifting: E is the most frequent wind at 25.3 percent, with ENE at 21.7, ESE at 17.0 and NE at 11.2. Ideal offshore wind time climbs to 15 percent, giving noticeably cleaner surfaces than in the winter months. Rain decreases to 6.2 mm/day and air warms to 27.4°C with water at 28.5°C. Surfers will find small but rippable 2-3ft (0.6-0.9m) waves, best in the early morning before seabreezes add chop.