Lafitenia • Statistics for January

January: Peak Winter Power

January is the North Atlantic at full throttle. The average swell size holds at a solid 1.8m (6ft) with a long-period 13.0s pulse, and the direction breakdown is nearly perfect for this coast: WNW leads the way at 42.7%, NW adds another 29.3%, and NNW contributes 4.8%. Over a third of the waves in January fall in the powerful 1.5-2.5m (5-8ft) category, with over 2.5m (8ft+) sets appearing from both WNW and NW. These are deep-water groundswells that retain serious energy as they hit the sandbars, producing hollow, fast-breaking waves that will have your heart rate up in the lineup.

The wind story is equally good. Ideal offshore flow occurs 37% of the time, as low pressure tracking through the Bay of Biscay sends periods of S, SSW, SW, WSW and W wind across the coast. The remaining time is split between lighter variable breezes and fresh W/NW onshores, so choosing the right day is key. Air temperatures average a chilly 9.1°C and the water sits at 12.5°C, so suit up with a proper winter hooded wetsuit. With 3.52mm/day of rain, weather windows are often between fronts - but when the sky clears and the wind goes south, January at Lafitenia is as good as it gets.