Angourie • Statistics for February

February: Peak Summer Energy and Warm Water

February delivers a bit more size as the average swell height bumps to 5-6ft (1.7m) and the average period improves slightly to 8.8s. The directional spread is dominated by E and ESE swell, which together account for 50.5% of all wave energy; E alone is 29.1%. SE and SSE make up another 27.2%, so there is plenty of surf in the water. The challenge remains wind: ideal surf conditions occur only 22% of the time.

The wind pattern is classic Australian summer. SSE winds are the most frequent at 16.5%, followed by SE at 13.2% and S at 10.9%, while NNE-NE-ENE winds combine for around 20%. All of these are onshore or cross-onshore at Angourie and tend to put a bumpy cap on the swell. Water temperatures are at their peak around 25.1°C, with air temps averaging 24.3°C and precipitation at 5.85mm/day, so expect humid, sticky conditions between rain bands.

When a Coral Sea tropical cyclone drifts into the region, February can light up with fun E/NE groundswell, but those pulses rarely stay clean for long. The smart move is to track the early hours, wait for a W/SW change, and pounce before the seabreeze rebuilds.