La Puntilla • Statistics for January

January: Midwinter Groundswell at Full Roar

January is peak season for La Puntilla. The average swell height holds at around 5ft (1.6m) and the average period is 9.4s, meaning most waves are solidly rideable and many are flirting with the powerful 10-14s band. The swell direction table is a showcase of the NE groundswell machine: ENE accounts for 39% of all wave energy, NE another 24%, while NNE and E each contribute around 13%. Height distributions show a healthy mix of 3-5ft (1-1.5m) and 5-6.5ft (1.5-2m) surf, with 6.5-8ft (2-2.5m) waves appearing on the better NNE/NE/ENE pulses. The catch is wind. E and ESE winds combine for over 60% of the time, creating cross/onshore conditions that chop up the face. The wind is ideal for surfing only 9% of the time, so you have to pick your windows carefully, usually around dawn or when a cold front slips through. Air temperatures average a pleasant 24.7°C, water temps sit at 26.5°C, and precipitation is modest at 1.61 mm/day, reinforcing January as a solid, dry-season surf month.