Parada Santa • Surf Spot Statistics

Best Surf Season (October - February)

The Siberian High over mainland Asia hardens through the fall, and by October the northeast monsoon, or Amihan, starts pushing cool, dry air down through the Philippines. For Parada Santa, this is the critical shift: winds come out of the N, NNE, NE and ENE, blowing offshore across the SW-facing beach. Ideal wind frequency sits above 50% from October through February and peaks at 65% in December. At the same time, average swell heights climb to 3-4ft (1.0-1.2m) with periods of 7.7-8.0s, producing the most consistent surf of the year. The dominant swell directions in these months are N and NNE; they are not the theoretical S-SW 'best swell' directions, but they wrap and refract into the bay and, combined with the clean offshore flow, create fun, punchy waves on the sandbars.

Fair Surf Season (March, April and September)

The transitions between monsoons are changeable. March sees the Amihan fading, with ideal wind down to 36% and the average swell shrinking to 2-3ft (0.7m) at 6.6s. April bottoms out at 1-2ft (0.5m) with a messy 5.9s period as winds become variable and onshore. September is the mirror image: the Habagat is still active and S/SW/WSW swells are present, but ideal wind remains only 25% and onshore S/SSW winds still dominate. These months are for the patient surfer who can work around morning windows or wait for a passing storm to rearrange the wind field.

Low Surf Season (May - August)

From May through August, the southwest monsoon, or Habagat, dominates the Philippine seas. The swell window rotates toward the S, SSW, SW and WSW - the perfect swell directions for Parada Santa's exposure - and wave heights remain on the board, with August averaging 3-4ft (1.1m) at 7.2s. But this is the same monsoon that drives onshore winds directly into the beach. Ideal offshore wind collapses to just 11-15% between June and August, leaving the ocean lumpy, blown-out and difficult to surf. Heavy monsoon rains, 10-18 mm/day, and tropical cyclone activity add to the chaos. Unless a typhoon passes favorably and hooks the wind around to the north, this is a frustrating period for wave quality.