Conditions at Palplanche in March
March: The Ramp Begins
March is where the season begins to shift. The average swell height is still a modest 1.5ft (0.4m), but the period lengthens to 12.3s and the ideal wind window doubles to 12%. Swell distribution is still dominated by SW at 72.6%, with 15.7% of the total now in the 1.5-3ft (0.5-1m) small-to-fun category. SSW swell builds to 20.0%, which helps add more south in the water and improves the refraction around Palplanche's NW-facing beach. The WSW sector contributes a secondary 6.6%. True W-NW swell remains absent. Favorable winds from the SSW/SW sector are common, but onshore flow from the W/NW quadrant still occupies just over 12%, and 20-30kph winds become more frequent. With air temperatures near 27.7°C, water at 29.2°C and the wettest rainy-season period at 8.27mm/day, March is still more about waiting for the first proper pulses than about scoring.
Average Spot conditions at Palplanche in March
Swell history for March
Wind history for March
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Palplanche during March. 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 Palplanche for your next trip in March.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Palplanche for March. 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 Palplanche.