Mabuntok • Statistics for October

October: The Sweet Spot

October is arguably the best month of the year at Mabuntok. The monsoon transition gives the coast a taste of both worlds: the average period jumps to its annual high of 10.2s, the average swell height remains workable at about 2ft (0.7m), and the swell direction shifts hard into the NNE/NE/ENE quadrant. NE supplies 43.6 percent, ENE 28.8 percent and NNE 13.9 percent, with only about 3.1 percent from pure E; that is a highly favorable directional mix for an NNE-facing beach. Better yet, the Amihan's full wind grip has not yet arrived. Ideal offshore S/SW/WSW wind occurs 33 percent of the time, while N/NNE/NE/ENE onshore winds are limited to about one-fifth of the observations. The combination of 10s period and clean surface produces some surprisingly crisp 2-3ft (0.6-0.9m) walls, with the odd chest-high set stacking up on the better sandbars. Air temperature is 27.7°C, water temperature 29.2°C, and rain starts to creep up to 7.9 mm/day. This is the window to plan a trip.