Abrolhos Islands

Best Surf Season (May - September)

The Abrolhos Islands may lie in the Indian Ocean off Western Australia, but their surf lifeblood is the Southern Ocean. From May through September the subtropical ridge shifts north, allowing a steady train of mid-latitude lows and frontal systems to push through the Great Australian Bight and into the southeastern Indian Ocean. The result is a clear peak in both size and period: average swell heights climb from 2.3m (7.5ft) in May to 2.7m (9ft) between June and September, while average periods hold at 13.4-13.8s. That is proper, long-period groundswell. Offshore wind windows also become more frequent, climbing to 10-12% of the time - still not high, but noticeably better than summer. Days with clean, lined-up reef surf are still rare, but this is undoubtedly the season to target.