Isla Grande • Statistics for January

January: Deep Winter Pulse, Onshore Grip

The North Atlantic high pressure system pumps with winter strength, driving a relentless NE trade wind diagonally across the Caribbean. The average swell height for Isla Grande reaches 1.8m (6ft) with a punchy 8.2s period - the largest of the year. A massive 79.5% of all wave energy arrives from the NE, with another 7.5% from the NNE, meaning the directional alignment for this east-northeast-facing beach is nearly perfect. But here's the catch: 50.3% of winds blow from the NE and 34.8% from the NNE at 20-40kph, which is howling onshore. Ideal offshore winds from the SSW to W quadrant make up only around 1% of the time. The result is a dramatic, stormy-looking ocean with heaving, lumpy lines that are often blown out. Water temperature is a warm 27.7°C and the dry season keeps precipitation low at 0.9 mm/day, so when the wind does flip - often on the backside of a passing cold front - you can find a few magic hours of clean 6ft (1.8m) surf. But as a whole, January is a month for the bold or the patient.