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Crystal Beach Break 36.7

#4983 of 5756 surf spots in the world · 🇵🇭 Philippines · Zambales · near Olongapo

Wind is the enemy here, peaks in December, gentle enough to learn.

Beginner
Crystal Beach Break, Philippines
Photo: kitthefirst33 · CC BY 3.0 · source
Surf score36.7 /100
Surfable days42% of the year
Clean days1% groundswell + friendly wind
Groundswell1% period 11 s+
Typical size0.5 m 1.7 ft median
Water-

Best time to surf Crystal Beach Break

The best time to surf Crystal Beach Break is January, November, December. It rarely works. The nearest airport is CRK (56 km) and the nearest town is Olongapo (31 km).

MonthSurfableCleanSizeWaterSuit
Jan44%3%0.6 m--
Feb30%1%0.4 m--
Mar11%0%0.3 m--
Apr11%1%0.3 m--
May12%0%0.3 m--
Jun45%0%0.5 m--
Jul63%0%0.8 m--
Aug75%0%0.9 m--
Sep52%0%0.6 m--
Oct45%0%0.6 m--
Nov44%2%0.5 m--
Dec65%7%0.7 m--

What is under Crystal Beach Break

Eight kilometres out along its swell window the sea floor is still shallow, 14 m.

Depth 8 km out14 m
Depth 4 km out11 m

Measured, not estimated: NOAA ETOPO 2022 global relief at 15 arc-seconds, about 460 m per cell, sampled along this spot’s own swell window. At that scale the survey sees passes and channels; it cannot see a reef ledge, so nothing here is said about how the wave breaks.

Why 36.7

Seven parts, each normalised 0 to 1 and multiplied by its weight; the sum is scaled so the best spot in the world scores 100. Wave quality and what the spot does on its best days carry more than half of it, which is what separates this from a ranking of where the water is warm.

Wave quality 34.7%
15.7
Best days 22.4%
5.6
Clean days 18.4%
0.0
Consistency 10.2%
4.4
Season spread 4.1%
1.1
Water comfort 6.1%
1.3
Access 4.1%
3.6

The detail

Faces 270° with 44% open water around it. Friendly morning wind 88% of days. Mean peak period 7.0 s. Days over 3 m: 0%. On its best tenth of days it reaches 1.3 m, with a peak period of 9 s. Mellow days (0.4 to 1.2 m): 48%. Months that work: 4 of 12. Coordinates 15.015, 120.064 (OpenStreetMap).

What it costs to be here

Living here
€850/ month
typically €748 – €952
Rent, one bedroom€445
Groceries€180
Eating out€100
Getting around€60
Phone + internet€65
Renting by the month, cooking most days, local transport.
One month here
€1,650/ month
typically €1,450 – €1,850
Somewhere to stay€970
Eating out€345
Car, transfers, fuel€225
Data + extras€105
Short stays, eating out, a car or transfers.
48% cheaper if you live here instead of visiting

Estimate: World Bank PPP price level for Philippines (2025, United States = 1.00) applied to a fixed surfer basket, then adjusted for how remote the spot is. Your own number moves with the season and how you live.

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Spots nearby

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