Ral Island • Statistics for October

October: First Swells of the New Season

October is a transition month that sees the first real enhancement in swell quality. Average height is still moderate at 3ft (0.9m), but the average period jumps back above the 10-second mark to 10.1 seconds, moving into the powerful, long-period category. NE and NNE dominate at 35.0 percent and 29.9 percent respectively, while N and NNW contribute 8.8 percent and 7.3 percent. The favorable N-family window rebounds to 46.6 percent. The main energy is split between 2 to 3ft (0.5 to 1m) and 3 to 5ft (1 to 1.5m), with enough longer-period pulses to make the reefs feel more alive.

Wind conditions are favorable more often, with ideal surfing at 59 percent. E and ESE flow remains dominant, but the wind rose is more evenly distributed, giving more windows of light south and southwest flow. Air temps sit at 28.3°C, water temperature is 29.7°C and precipitation falls to the lowest of the year at 4.97mm per day. October is where you can start getting excited: the size is not pumping yet, but the quality and consistency are clearly on the upswing.