Pulau Manukan
Surf spot · Malaysia
Is it worth the trip?
16Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: 2 ft swell at 5 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft6 s
- Energy
- 10kJ
- Wind
- SSE 2 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tue 3 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft6 s
- Energy
- 7kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Wed 4 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft4 s
- Energy
- 3kJ
- Wind
- SE 3 kn
- Temp
- 31°C
Thu 5 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft4 s
- Energy
- 5kJ
- Wind
- E 1 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Fri 6 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 s
- Energy
- 7kJ
- Wind
- SSE 2 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sat 7 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 s
- Energy
- 6kJ
- Wind
- ENE 3 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sun 8 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 s
- Energy
- 11kJ
- Wind
- WSW 0 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 125, too small
- Mon 217, too small
- Tue 315, too small
- Wed 411, too small
- Thu 511, too small
- Fri 615, too small
- Sat 715, too small
- Sun 820, too small
- Mon 924, too small
- Tue 1053, fair
The spot in six facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 1–5 ftof swell
- Water 30 °Cno wetsuit
- Best Sep–Nov3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 25, too small | 2 ft6 s2 ft at break (est.) | 25kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 3 knots | 30°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 17, too small | 1 ft6 s1 ft at break (est.) | 10kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 2 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 15, too small | 1 ft6 s1 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | offshorewind from the east, 5 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 11, too small | 1 ft4 s1 ft at break (est.) | 3kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 3 knots, offshore | 31°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 11, too small | 1 ft4 s1 ft at break (est.) | 5kJ | offshorewind from the east, 1 knot, offshore | 29°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 15, too small | 1 ft5 s1 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 2 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 15, too small | 1 ft5 s1 ft at break (est.) | 6kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 3 knots | 29°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 20, too small | 2 ft5 s1 ft at break (est.) | 11kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 0 knots | 30°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 24, too small | 3 ft7 s2 ft at break (est.) | 50kJ | wind from the south-west, 2 knots | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 53, fair | 3 ft7 s2 ft at break (est.) | 77kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 2 knots, offshore | 28°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovHigh 01:18 +0.9 mLow 10:43 −0.9 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 02:14 +0.8 mLow 11:51 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 03:28 +0.6 mLow 12:54 −0.7 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best Sep–Nov
Good days in a typical week, each month, for beginners, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep3of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov3of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot and its town
Pulau Manukan on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Pulau Manukan
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (295°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (115°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 1–5 ft of swell. The sea is about 28°C in February, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in May, its warmest (no wetsuit). For beginners the best months are usually September, October and November, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Kota Kinabalu, 8 km away (about 15 min by car).
Water about 30°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,210–US$2,380 each
about US$1,210–US$2,380 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to BKI, estimated from distance and season, changing at HKG, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$884–US$1,830 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$33 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$100–US$167 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$114–US$208 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$1,210–US$2,380 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Kota Kinabalu
14 min by car · 348 places to stay
about US$40/nightcountry average
About Kota Kinabalu its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$40 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 26h 35m
About 26h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → BKI, changing at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), then 25 min by road
Flights ORD → BKI on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.