Amado • Statistics for April

April: Fading Power and the Rise of the Northerly

April marks a clear shift toward the fair season. The average swell height drops to 1.9m (6ft), and the period shortens to 11.1s, indicating fewer long-period swells and a greater influence of more local windswell. The northwest direction still dominates at 34.1 percent, but the wave heights concentrate in the 1-2m (3-6ft) range, with a notable reduction in the biggest, most powerful swell classes. The west-northwest direction also remains important at 21.5 percent.

The main challenge in April is the wind. The ideal offshore wind percentage falls to just 14 percent, the lowest since the start of the year. The wind rose shows a massive spike in north-northwest winds at 31.5 percent, with a strong presence of 20-40kph speeds. These are predominantly onshore winds for Amado, creating chopped-up, bumpy conditions that wreak havoc on the wave quality. Fresh northwest groundswell often arrives accompanied by these strong northerly breezes, making for a survival session rather than a clean one. Water temperature is still cool at 16.2°C, air temps average 15.8°C, and precipitation remains at 2.03 mm/day. For the surfer, the play is to search for the rare day when the wind swings to the east-northeast and the winter leftovers still have some punch.