Senoritas • Statistics for November

November: Swell Drops, Wind Holds

November is a transition month in the true sense: the winter swell machine is winding down, but the wind pattern has not yet unlocked. Average wave height drops to 1.6m (5ft), though the period remains a solid 13.0 seconds. Swell direction is still almost pure SSW at 91 percent, meaning the southern fetch is still aimed directly at Senoritas. The height distribution is actually encouraging - 45 percent of waves in the 1.5-2m (5-7ft) range and 12 percent in the 2-2.5m (7-8ft) class - so there will be waves. The issue is quality. The ideal offshore wind window disappears to 1 percent, and the wind rose is dominated by S/SSW/SW at a combined 93 percent. SSW and SW alone, both directly onshore for this WSW-facing beach, account for 60 percent of the observations. Add in rising air temperatures and the sea-breeze cycle strengthens, making early morning windows even more important. November is a decent backup month, but it asks a lot of the surfer in search of clean faces.