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Minutes seasonal overview
Best Surf Season (October - March)
The heart of the surf year at Minutes runs from October through March. As the North Atlantic cranks up its production line of extratropical cyclones, average surf heights climb to 1.4-1.7m (4.5-5.5ft) and average periods sit in the punchy 8-9s range of rideable, workable surf. The dominant open-ocean swell direction tilts increasingly into the S/SW, but the east-facing orientation still collects a healthy share of ENE/E/ESE/SE swell from storms that stall or deepen offshore. A negative phase of the NAO can be your best friend here, shunting the mean storm track toward the Maritimes and feeding the break with longer-period energy. Offshore winds from WSW/W/WNW/NW blow clean and groom the surface, especially when high pressure builds over Quebec and New England. Frigid water and air temps are the price to pay, but the trade-off is the most consistent and powerful surf of the year.
Fair Surf Season (April - May and September)
April, May and September make up the fair middle ground at Minutes. During these months the swell direction actually becomes more favorable to the east-facing exposure, with the preferred ENE/E/ESE/SE window at times reaching 27-30% of the total distribution. The problem is size and period: average wave heights drop to 1.2-1.4m (3.9-4.6ft) and the average period shortens to 7.7-8.5s, so there are plenty of clean but small days. In September, autumn low pressure begins to push both numbers back up, marking the transition toward the best season.
Low Surf Season (June - August)
June, July and August are the low surf season at Minutes. Average heights bottom out at 1.0-1.1m (3.3-3.6ft) and periods drop to 7.2-7.7s, while the dominant S/SSW swell directions work against the east-facing break. The single saving grace is summer wind: ideal offshore flow scores 57-68%, making the surface often glassy. But it remains a frustrating grovel season, with occasional tropical pulses providing the only real surf until the Atlantic wakes up again in September.