Tuason Point • Statistics for January

January: Big Northeast Monsoon Swell, Rare Windows

January is the zenith of the Northeast Monsoon in the Philippines. The wind rose shows a relentless ENE/NE flow, with 26.2% from NE and 28.9% from ENE, much of it blowing at 20-30kph. These winds are directly onshore at Tuason Point, which faces east-southeast, so conditions are mostly chopped and bumpy.

The swell, however, is solid. Average wave height hits 1.7m (5.6ft) with an average period of 9.5 seconds - average, punchy stuff. Nearly 58% of that swell arrives from the NE and another 30% from the ENE, both of which push long, angled lines toward the point but not in the ideal E/ESE/SE window. Offshore W-NW winds occur only 5% of the time, so catching a clean day requires a strong low pressure in the South China Sea to flip the flow. When it happens, expect firing 4-6ft (1.2-1.8m) peaks with water temperature around 27.7°C and air temps in the high 20s. Heavy monsoon rains at 16.3 mm/day further limit the number of huntable sessions.