Conditions at Arica in December
December: Back to the Summer Baseline
December completes the cycle back to Arica's smallest, most wind-affected window. Average height drops to around 5ft (1.5m) and period hits 12.6s, the same low base as January. Fully 57.2% of waves fall in the 3-5ft (1-1.5m) chest-to-head-high range, with just 4.1% exceeding 6.5ft (2m), so board selection shrinks. The swell direction is still firmly SW (62.3%) and SSW (37.2%), with virtually no pure W/WNW energy. The wind regime is typical summer desert: WSW (46.9%) and W (46.8%) combine for 93.7% of observations, all light-to-moderate but onshore/cross-onshore for this WNW-facing beach. Ideal offshore winds: 0%. With air temps at 21.1°C and water at 19.2°C, conditions are warm and inviting, but the ocean surface often carries that afternoon bump. It's a fun-sized, hunt-for-the-cleaner-window month-save your energy for the southern winter swells.
Average Spot conditions at Arica in December
Swell history for December
Wind history for December
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Arica during December. Based on historical data, there is a % probability of groundswell occurring this month. The chart below provides a detailed breakdown of the average wave height distribution, offering deep insights into the swell quality and surf potential you can expect at Arica for your next trip in December.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Arica for December. Our analysis shows that favorable offshore or side-shore winds coincide with surfable swell approximately % of the time. The accompanying graph illustrates the average size distribution of waves during these optimal wind windows at Arica.