Nahoon Reef • Statistics for October

October: Eastern Energy Returns, But Summer Winds Bite

October is a month of competing signals at Nahoon Reef. The average swell height remains a respectable 2.1m, but the period backs off to 10.3s and the favourable wind plummets to 18 per cent - a reminder that the summer wind pattern is closing in. Directionally, the reef sees a welcome return of eastern energy: E at 11.8 per cent, ESE at 9.0 per cent, SE at 9.0 per cent and SSE at 11.6 per cent combine for 41.4 per cent, giving Nahoon more head-on, shape-friendly swell than the previous four or five months. SSW at 20.4 per cent and S at 16.2 per cent still contribute solid groundswell, so there is plenty of size. The problem is wind. ENE at 16.5 per cent and NE at 18.4 per cent eat into many days, while SW at 13.4 per cent and WSW at 13.7 per cent offer mixed cross-shore conditions. The W/NW offshore block is rare at roughly 7 per cent, making October very much a search-for-the-window month.

Air temperature averages 19.3°C, water temperature is 19.1°C, and rain returns to 3.11mm/day as the atmosphere becomes more unstable. Early mornings, before the sea-breeze kicks in, are often the only time Nahoon's autumn-quality walls appear.