Pulau Manukan 37.6
#5014 of 5753 surf spots in the world · 🇲🇾 Malaysia · Sabah · near Kota Kinabalu
Wind is the enemy here, peaks in November, boardshorts water.
Warm waterBeginner
Surf score37.6 /100
Surfable days45% of the year
Clean days2% groundswell + friendly wind
Groundswell2% period 11 s+
Typical size0.6 m 1.8 ft median
Water30°C boardshorts
Best time to surf Pulau Manukan
The best time to surf Pulau Manukan is October, November, December. It rarely works. In November the water sits around 30°C, so pack boardshorts, and the typical wave is 0.7 m. The nearest airport is BKI (8 km) and the nearest town is Kota Kinabalu (12 km).
| Month | Surfable | Clean | Size | Water | Suit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 79% | 2% | 0.8 m | 29°C | boardies |
| Feb | 70% | 1% | 0.8 m | 28°C | boardies |
| Mar | 26% | 0% | 0.5 m | 28°C | boardies |
| Apr | 23% | 1% | 0.5 m | 29°C | boardies |
| May | 8% | 0% | 0.3 m | 31°C | boardies |
| Jun | 18% | 0% | 0.3 m | 31°C | boardies |
| Jul | 41% | 0% | 0.5 m | 31°C | boardies |
| Aug | 32% | 0% | 0.4 m | 31°C | boardies |
| Sep | 39% | 0% | 0.6 m | 30°C | boardies |
| Oct | 56% | 3% | 0.6 m | 30°C | boardies |
| Nov | 60% | 6% | 0.7 m | 30°C | boardies |
| Dec | 87% | 6% | 0.9 m | 30°C | boardies |
Why 37.6
Seven parts, each normalised 0 to 1 and weighted; the sum is scaled so the best spot in the world is 100.
Consistency 26%
12.5
Clean days 24%
0.3
Groundswell 12%
0.0
Season spread 10%
3.6
Wave size 8%
0.3
Water comfort 10%
10.0
Access 10%
9.9
The detail
Faces 120° with 53% open water around it. Friendly morning wind 86% of days. Mean peak period 7.0 s. Days over 3 m: 0%. Mellow days (0.4 to 1.2 m): 66%. Months that work: 5 of 12. Coordinates 5.977, 116.006 (OpenStreetMap).
Spots nearby
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