Conditions at Pipe in August
August: Peak Size Meets Shifting Gears
August keeps the winter energy going. Average size remains at 2.4m (8ft), although the period eases fractionally to 12.2s, and ideal wind improves slightly to 23%. Water is at its coolest of the year at 17.4°C, air around 16.1°C (8.3-31.6°C), and precipitation is 1.34 mm/day. Swell direction is split almost evenly between SW (21.2%) and SSW (20.5%), with a healthy S (9.7%) contribution. The energy is slightly less focused on giant SSW swells than July, but over-2.5m percentages remain present in both SW (1.3%) and SSW (0.5%). On the wind side, WSW remains the workhorse offshore direction at 18.8%, including some strong 30-40kph events, and W adds another 13.5%. ENE/E winds total 14.6%, lower than summer but still enough to ruin an afternoon. Catch a 12s+ SW swell with morning WSW wind and August will still deliver those thick, grinding winter barrels.
Average Spot conditions at Pipe in August
Swell history for August
Wind history for August
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Pipe during August. Based on historical data, there is a % probability of groundswell occurring this month. The chart below provides a detailed breakdown of the average wave height distribution, offering deep insights into the swell quality and surf potential you can expect at Pipe for your next trip in August.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Pipe for August. Our analysis shows that favorable offshore or side-shore winds coincide with surfable swell approximately % of the time. The accompanying graph illustrates the average size distribution of waves during these optimal wind windows at Pipe.