Right Point • Statistics for January

January: Midwinter Muscle

The North Atlantic is in peak winter mode and Right Point sees the biggest swell of the year, with average heights around 5.6ft (1.7m) and periods of 8.7s. The period is not long-period groundswell by Hawaiian standards, but it is exactly the punchy, powerful mid-period energy that works a barreling point. The swell rose shows a heavy SSW/S/SW component - nearly 37% - yet most of that energy is aimed too far south for a direct hit on this ESE-facing beach. The key is the E/ESE/SE window, which carries close to 15% of the total swell and delivers the lines that actually wrap into the point.

Wind is on the surfer's side more often than not: the offshore WSW-W-WNW-NW quadrant accounts for 47% of all observations, with WNW (14.9%) and NW (13.7%) the standouts. Expect cold, wintry conditions - average air temperature of -1.7°C, water temperature of 2.7°C, and precipitation at 3.09mm/day. When a high-pressure ridge clears the sky after a front, the combination of drifting offshore wind and midwinter E/SE swell is as good as it gets, but you will need every millimeter of winter rubber to enjoy it.