Alibaba • Statistics for February

February: More of the Same, but Wilder

February keeps the winter momentum going with an average swell of 7.5ft (2.3m) at 11.4s. The dominant swell directions are again NNE (27.8%), NNW (20.5%) and N (17.3%), with only a tiny taste of NW (1.3%) and no meaningful SSW/SW/W swell. The northern hemisphere storm track is still active, and the long periods mean the waves arrive with serious energy. At Alibaba, the SW-facing beaches are still at the mercy of refraction; when the north swell wraps in, it can produce grinding bowls and wedge-shaped peaks, but it is rarely the full, open ocean southwest swell the spot really wants.

The trade winds are even more aggressive than in January. NE winds blow 56.1% of the time and NNE winds another 30.1%, with a large chunk of that in the 20-40kph range. The offshore component is there, but only 8% of the time does the wind align cleanly enough for ideal conditions, making February the windiest, most demanding month for surfers. Look for windows when the trade wind eases at sunrise or during the passage of a weak frontal trough. Water temp drops slightly to 22.3°C, air temp averages 21.3°C and rainfall is minimal at 0.66mm/day.