Westport Breakwater • Statistics for November

November: Inconsistent but Punchy

November brings a slight easing in wave size-average swell height slips to 2.2m (7.2ft), and period drops to 11.6s-but the energy remains far from flat. WSW is again the dominant swell direction at 43.2 percent, followed by W at 11.2 percent and WNW at 5.3 percent. The N/NNW/NW window sits around 6.5 percent, so direct north swell is still rare. However, this is a transition month: the Southern Ocean is still producing regular groundswell, and the autumnal trade-off between size and quality is beginning to shift toward lighter winds in the south.

Ideal wind percentages only reach 38 percent, and N/NNE/NNW/NW onshore winds account for just under 22 percent of the time. SW winds are frequent at 21.6 percent, with WSW at 15.4, meaning there are occasional long offshore windows, but they are often interrupted by warm northerly outbreaks. Water temp has climbed to 14.4°C, air temp to 12.3°C, and precipitation drops slightly to 4.41 mm/day. November is the definition of scorable-if the stars align, you can get punchy 7ft waves with offshore SW winds; if not, the breakwater is a textureless mess.