South Point • Statistics for July

July: Midwinter Peak - Heavy Groundswells and Stormy Interludes

July is usually the most powerful month of the year at South Point. The average swell height peaks at 2.8m (9.2ft), the period sits at 13.1s, and the swell spectrum is loaded with SW 18.8%, WSW 15.7%, W 4.3%, WNW 1.9% and NW 0.9%. That adds up to a substantial 22.8% of swell from the ideal westerly half of the compass, and the over-2.5m class is well represented in the SW and WSW bins. This is real midwinter groundswell, capable of lighting up the WNW-facing break with long, heavy lines that will have experienced surfers paddling straight for the outside peak.

The catch, as always in July, is the wind. Bad onshore westerly-to-northwesterly directions account for 36.5% of the wind distribution, with WSW at 10.1%, W at 9.7% and WNW at 9.0%. The offshore ENE-E-ESE-SE quadrant manages only 15.9%, and ideal surfing conditions linger at 17%. In other words, there is no shortage of wave energy, but plenty of stormy, blown-out days. The cleanest conditions often come after a cold front passes, when the wind swings around to the SE under building high pressure. Air temperatures are at their coldest (14.6°C), water drops to 17.7°C, and rainfall is high at 3.92 mm/day. For surfers who live for heavy, powerful winter surf, July is the main event - if you can pick the lulls between the storms.