Cave Rock • Statistics for November

November: The Onshore Trade Wind Takes Over

November is a frustrating month for Cave Rock surfers. The average swell height remains 1.7m (5.6ft), but the period drops to 8.9s - a distinctly windswell-influenced number - and ideal wind is only 16%. The wind rose is a disaster for this SE-facing spot: NE is the dominant direction at 22.7%, followed by SSW at 19.7% and NNE at 11.3%. Western offshore flow is nearly absent (W 0.6%, WNW 0.5%, NW 0.6%, NNW 1.6%). The swell direction is still a decent mix of E (15.9%), ESE (13.1%), SE (15.3%), SSE (17.8%) and S (17.9%), but without the proper wind support, the waves arrive bumpy, closeout-prone and hard to surf. The 1-1.5m and 1.5-2m bands dominate, with occasional 2-2.5m sets from the S sector, but they're usually accompanied by heavy onshore swell. Water temp rises to 23.0°C, air to 22.0°C, and rainfall increases to 3.81mm/day. This is the time of year when the main swell of the Southern Ocean is still active, but it's fighting against a robust NE trade - the result is a lumpy, messy ocean that only a very local surfer could love.