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Conditions at Mancora in January
January: The Warm-Season Lull
January is summer in northern Peru, and the wave machine takes a breather. Average swell height comes in around 5ft (1.5m) with a 14-second period, but the dominant energy is split between SW (48%), WSW (23%) and SSW (21%). The biggest chunk of waves sits in the 3-5ft (1-1.5m) range, with a secondary band at 5-6.5ft (1.5-2m). This is not the heavy, maxed-out stuff of winter; instead it is long-period, manageable groundswell wrapping into the NNW-facing beach. There is zero N/NW swell in the statistics, so forget the textbook exposure and focus on the SSW/SW window.
Winds are reasonably clean. SSW and SW winds blow 47% of the time, and the ideal offshore wind window is present 63% of the time, which means plenty of glassy mornings and afternoons. Speeds are mostly light to moderate under 20kph, so there is not much local windswell. With air temperatures around 24°C and water at 23.1°C, it feels tropical, and the 1.05 mm/day of rain is part of the wet season. January offers a slower, more user-friendly version of Mancora.
Average Spot conditions at Mancora in January
Swell history for January
Wind history for January
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Mancora during January. Based on historical data, there is a % probability of groundswell occurring this month. The chart below provides a detailed breakdown of the average wave height distribution, offering deep insights into the swell quality and surf potential you can expect at Mancora for your next trip in January.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Mancora for January. Our analysis shows that favorable offshore or side-shore winds coincide with surfable swell approximately % of the time. The accompanying graph illustrates the average size distribution of waves during these optimal wind windows at Mancora.