Virac Harbour • Surf Spot Statistics

Best Surf Season (October - March)

Virac Harbour is a true direction-dependent break, and the yearly progression at this southeast-facing spot is dictated by the battle between the northeast monsoon and the southwest monsoon. The most promising window runs from October through March, when the northeast monsoon supplies the largest average swells of the year--peaking at 1.1m (3.5ft) in January and December with periods near 8.3s. More importantly, this is the season when N/NW offshore wind windows appear most often, especially in October when ideal wind reaches 41%. The dominant ENE/NE swell direction is still not the S/SW/SSW/WSW that Virac needs, so patience is required, but when a cold frontal surge from the Asian continent pushes the trades into the NNW/NW quadrant, the harbour can actually string together clean, ridable waves.

Fair Surf Season (April and September)

April and September are transitional shoulder months. April still feels the tail of the northeast monsoon but suffers from increasingly E/ESE cross-onshore winds and a drop in size to 0.7m (2-3ft). September marks the first serious shift away from the southwest monsoon, ideal wind climbs back to 15%, and the peak of typhoon season creates occasional windows of S/SW groundswell. Neither month offers consistency, but both have enough upside for a patient surfer.

Low Surf Season (May - August)

The southwest monsoon, known locally as Habagat, takes over from May through August and shuts the break down. Southwesterly winds--the exact directions that are onshore at Virac--dominate the wind rose, ideal wind collapses to only 4-7%, and average swell height stagnates at 0.5-0.6m (1.5-2ft) with periods of 7.0-7.2s. The result is a small, blown-out, messy harbour that is better left to the typhoon-chasers and very quiet mornings.