North Narrabeen • Statistics for January

January: Summer Sea Breeze Struggle

Summer is in full swing and North Narrabeen is all about the morning hunt. The average swell height sits at 5ft (1.6m) with a short, average period of 8.4s, meaning much of the energy is wind-driven and mid-period rather than long groundswell. E, ESE, SE and SSE directions combine for over 60% of the swell spectrum, with ENE adding another 18%, so waves are rarely absent. The problem is the wind: NE at 15.9%, NNE at 11.3%, ENE at 11.9%, SSE at 12.0% and S at 11.1% create widespread onshore and cross-shore conditions. Ideal offshore W/WNW/NW/NNW wind only blows 17% of the time, so the cleanest sessions occur at dawn before the sea breeze kicks in. Water temperature is a warm 22.8°C and average air temperature is 23.2°C, with 3.01 mm/day of rain. Expect punchy, rippable surf in the 4-6ft (1.2-1.8m) range, occasionally pushing 6ft (1.8m) when a decent SE swell fills in.