Surf spot

Pulau Manukan

Forecast conditions and map view for Pulau Manukan in Malaysia. Open the interactive surf map to inspect wind, waves, and nearby spots.

Country: Malaysia
Coordinates: 5.9768, 116.0061

Metric
Metric	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00
Wave height (m)	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.4	0.4	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.4	0.3	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.4	0.5	0.4
Wave direction	WNW	WNW	WNW	WNW	WNW	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	NNW	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	WNW	NW	NW	NW	NW	NW	NW	WNW	WNW	WNW	WNW
Wave period (s)	5	5	4.9	4.8	4.7	6.8	7	7	7	7	6.9	6.8	6.7	6.5	6.3	6.3	5.9	5.9	6	6	5.9	5.8	5.8	5.5	5.5	5.3	4.9	4.5	4.3	4.3	4.2	4.3	4.3	4.3	4.3	4.5	4.2	4.5	5.3	4.8	5	5	5.5	5.2	5.2	3.5	3.8	4	4.1	4.2	4.2	4.2	4.2	3.9	3.9	4
Wave energy (kJ)	7	6	6	5	4	8	11	13	14	14	14	13	13	12	12	10	9	9	8	7	7	6	5	5	4	4	4	4	4	5	6	8	9	9	10	10	7	7	7	7	8	8	5	4	4	4	5	6	6	7	7	8	7	5	6	6
Wind speed (km/h)	4.7	4.9	3.6	7.9	8.1	7.8	6.1	6.1	5.5	5.2	2.6	8	9	4.9	3.4	5.4	5.4	4.7	1.8	7.6	11.1	11.2	6.7	5.4	4.8	4.5	2.5	5.9	8.7	5.1	2.2	4.9	5	4.5	4.4	11.4	14.8	10	5.6	7.1	6.6	8.3	7	13.5	14.1	6.5	1.5	1.9	6.9	4.7	2.3	10.9	13.4	8.3	2.2	6
Wind direction	ESEGlassy	SEGlassy	SEGlassy	WNWCross-off	NWCross	NNWCross-on	NEOnshore	SECross	SSECross	ESECross-on	NEGlassy	WNWCross-off	WNWCross-off	NWGlassy	ENEGlassy	ECross-on	ESECross-on	EGlassy	EGlassy	NWCross	NNWCross	NCross-on	NEOnshore	ECross-on	ENEGlassy	ESEGlassy	EGlassy	NWCross-off	WNWCross-off	NWCross	EGlassy	SEGlassy	SSECross	SSEGlassy	SGlassy	WOffshore	WCross-off	WSWOffshore	SSWOffshore	SSECross-off	SSWCross-off	SSECross-off	SSWCross-off	WSWOffshore	WOffshore	WCross-off	SSEGlassy	ESEGlassy	SECross	ESEGlassy	SEGlassy	WCross-off	WNWCross-off	WCross-off	SGlassy	SSECross

Pulau Manukan, Malaysia is a small island in the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park just off Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. It’s better known for clear tropical water, sandy beaches, snorkeling, and diving than for heavy surf.

Surf overview

Wave quality: Usually small and inconsistent
Best for: Beginner to intermediate surfers when conditions line up
Break type: Typically reef/shore-adjacent tropical swell exposure, but surfable waves are not guaranteed
Consistency: Low — surf is highly dependent on seasonal swell and wind
Crowds: Often light, though the island can be busy with day-trippers

Conditions

Water: Warm year-round, so no wetsuit needed
Wind/swell: Best chances are when there’s a favorable monsoon swell and light winds
Hazards: Shallow reef, coral, and rocks can make it more suited to experienced water users if waves are breaking over reef

Best time

Generally, the northeast monsoon period can offer the most swell potential, but the island is not a reliable surf destination compared with better-known Malaysian surf regions.

Overall

Pulau Manukan is more of a tropical island escape with occasional surf potential than a dedicated surf spot. If you’re traveling there mainly to surf, it’s worth treating it as a bonus location rather than a primary surf destination.