Punta Burica • Surf Spot Statistics

Best Surf Season (January - April)

The surf year at Punta Burica is defined by the seasonal tug-of-war between Southern-Hemisphere groundswell and the tropical wind machine. The best window is January through April, when the ITCZ sits to the south, the dry season rules, and the pressure gradient across the tropical eastern Pacific sends strong offshore NE trades across the SW-facing point. Swell is not at its absolute largest, but it arrives on a steady diet of 13-14s SSW and SW groundswell in the 3-5ft (1-1.5m) range, with clean, peaky conditions and the highest ideal-wind percentages of the year. February and March are the standout months; April trades a little wind consistency for extra size and a 14.1s period.

Fair Surf Season (May - June and December)

May and June are transitional months where the Southern-Hemisphere swell machine turns on - average heights climb to 4.5-5ft (1.4-1.5m) with 14s periods - but the ITCZ starts to drift north, rainfall jumps, and ideal surfing wind falls to 7-10%. Onshore WSW/W flow becomes more frequent, so clean conditions are mostly found in early-morning windows. December is the reverse: swell eases to 3.5ft (1.1m), but rain drops, the trade winds begin to build again, and the first consistent offshore pulses return. These months are not hopeless, but you have to work for your waves.

Low Surf Season (July - November)

From July through November, the surf is not absent - in fact, average heights remain around 4.5-5ft (1.4-1.5m) with long periods all summer - but the quality is hammered by the monsoon trough and Eastern Pacific hurricane season. W and WSW onshore winds dominate the wind rose, ideal wind sits at only 3-8%, and daily rainfall reaches 10-11mm/day. Tropical cyclones and easterly waves add energy but also generate messy, cross-onshore seas. When a strong Southern-Hemisphere low lines up with a brief offshore flow, the spot can still produce powerful, grinding waves, but those moments are rare and precious.