Santa Maria

Best Surf Season (October - March)

The surf year at Santa Maria is a study in contradictions. The island sits far enough south to escape the worst of the mid-latitude gales, yet close enough to the North Atlantic storm track to feel the pulse of long-period winter groundswell. From October through March, average swell heights run 1.5-2.0m (5-7ft) and average periods push 10-11s, making for powerful, punchy waves. The catch is that the swell arrives almost exclusively from the NNE/NE quadrant - a poor angle for this SE-facing beach - while the ideal S/SW/SSW groundswell window is almost absent year-round. To make matters worse, the northeast trade winds blow hard and often, keeping the percentage of ideal offshore NW/NNW wind at just 7-19% during these months. Still, when a strong negative NAO pattern allows the jet to buckle south, low-pressure systems can fire northern-hemisphere swell toward Cape Verde with more NW component; if the wind then backs into the NNW/NW, Santa Maria can light up with heavy, long-period surf well overhead. That combination is the winter golden ticket.