Santa Marinella

Best Surf Season (November - March)

The statistical heart of the surf year at Santa Marinella runs through the late autumn and winter months. Average surf heights peak at around 3ft (0.9m) to 3.3ft (1.0m) between November and January, while average wave periods sit in the 5.0-5.2s range - short-period, locally generated Mediterranean windswell rather than Atlantic groundswell. The beach faces SSE, so the most productive swells for the sandbars are those generated from the SE, SSE, S and SSW quadrants. However, those same directions are also onshore when the wind is strong, which is why truly clean conditions require a northerly offshore flow from N, NNE, NW or NNW to smooth the sea surface. The data show that ideal wind/swell alignment only happens about 10-12% of the time during winter, but when it comes together, Santa Marinella can offer genuinely fun, punchy waves on a cold, moody Tyrrhenian day.