Palplanche seasonal overview
Best Surf Season (June - September)
While the North Atlantic pattern grabs most of the headlines for Europe, the real engine for Palplanche is the South Atlantic winter. From June through September, the storm tracks below 40°S roar to life and send persistent long-period SW groundswell into the Gulf of Guinea. Average wave heights rise to a consistent 2ft (0.6m), and the swell distribution becomes dramatically healthier: 70-80% of all waves sit in the 1.5-3ft (0.5-1m) rideable range. At the same time, S-SSW winds blow steadily from the favourable WSW-SSW offshore quadrant, keeping the NW-facing beach clean 20-26% of the time. Water temps cool to a refreshing 25-26°C and rainfall nearly disappears. It may not be huge, but it is the most dependable and genuinely surfable stretch of the year.
Fair Surf Season (April - May, October - November)
The shoulder months are a mixed bag. April and May are the rising tide of the surf year: period climbs to 12.7-12.8s, the 1.5-3ft (0.5-1m) swell class expands, and May's ideal wind window peaks at 31%, offering some of the cleanest groomed conditions of the first half. October and November hold onto the winter's SW swell legacy, but the height profile begins to flatten, rainfall picks up strongly and ideal wind drops from 24% to 17%. You can still score, but you have to pick your windows more carefully.
Low Surf Season (December - March)
From December through March, the South Atlantic storm track retreats and Palplanche sinks into its micro-swell slumber. Average heights sag to around 1.5ft (0.4m), with 65-75% of the swell arriving below 2ft (0.5m), and the ideal wind window falls to just 6-12%. Warmer water in the 28-29°C range, heavier rain and a higher share of onshore W/NW wind further reduce quality. The saving grace is the long 11.7-12.3s period, which keeps even the smaller pulses lined up, so when a late WSW or SW groundswell sneaks in, the beach can still turn on.