Makaha • Surf Spot Statistics

Best Surf Season (April - September)

Makaha is a southwest-facing Peruvian beach that lives and dies by the South Pacific storm track. During the austral autumn and winter, low-pressure systems spinning through the Roaring Forties send a steady conveyor belt of long-period SSW and SW groundswell up the coast. The average wave height holds at a solid 5ft (1.5m) for most of this window, with periods frequently in the 13-14s range, and the percentage of 5-8ft (1.5-2.5m) surf reaches its annual peak. The catch is that the same southwesterly quadrant that produces the swell also drives a persistent southerly onshore wind. As the South Pacific High strengthens, it funnels airflow from the S and SSW straight into Makaha, so the waves are almost always powerful but bumpy. Still, for raw size and consistency, late autumn and winter are clearly the best months.

Fair Surf Season (March & October - November)

The shoulder months are the bridge between the winter swell machine and the summer lull. In March, October and November, Makaha still sees a high percentage of SSW swell and consistently long periods, but the average wave height drops to 4-5ft (1.3-1.4m) and the biggest 6-8ft (2-2.5m) pulses become less frequent. The wind regime remains locked in the onshore southern quadrant, with ideal offshore wind chances at zero percent, so these months offer solid but less inspiring conditions. October can still fire like a winter month, while November and March are more transitional.

Low Surf Season (December - February)

The austral summer brings the smallest swells of the year, with average heights hovering at 4ft (1.2m). Periods remain long enough to keep the waves rideable, but the percentage of 5ft+ (1.5m+) surf drops off noticeably. There is never a true flat season at Makaha - the combined SSW and SW direction still feeds more than 95 percent of the energy - but this is the time of year when you have to work for the good ones. Interestingly, January and February are the only months with even a 1 percent chance of offshore winds, so the low season can occasionally serve up the cleanest waves of the year when the right weather pattern lines up.