Punta Panico • Statistics for April

April: The Cleanest Window of the Year

April is the statistical sweet spot for wave quality at Punta Panico. The 'ideal wind' score reaches its yearly high of 62%, driven by lighter offshore S (33%), SSW (26%), SW (17%) and WSW (10%) flow, mostly in the 10-20kph range. The swell direction, however, is almost purely south: SSW accounts for a massive 68% and SW another 30%, with virtually no N/NW energy. Average height is 1.7m (5-6ft) at 14.1 seconds, and the height distribution is beautifully concentrated - 59% in the 1.5-2m range and 11% in the 2-2.5m range. This creates powerful, well-ordered groundswell in the open ocean, but Punta Panico's northwest exposure means those SSW swells have to wrap a long way around the headlands. Expect clean, lined-up but heavily filtered waves, often a foot or two smaller than the buoy, with the occasional bigger set when the SW/W component aligns better. Water temp cools slightly to 22.4°C, air averages 24.8°C, and rain drops to 0.48mm/day.