Sunrise • Surf Spot Statistics

Best Surf Season (May - August)

Sunrise's best surf windows are locked into the Southern Hemisphere winter, and May through August is when everything lines up. The east-southeast-facing beach responds best to ENE, E, ESE and SE swell, and although winter's strongest pulses often roll in from the S/SSE, the long-period nature of those waves helps them wrap into the corner and light up the bank. More importantly, this is also the season when the South Atlantic High presses ridging over the region and cold fronts sweep north-eastward, flicking the wind into the offshore WSW/W/NW quadrant. The 'ideal wind' frequency jumps from 33% in April to 47% in May and peaks at 54% in June. With average swell heights hovering around 1.8m (5.9ft), periods climbing past 10s, and water still a manageable 21-23°C, the reward is consistent, clean and powerful surf.

Fair Surf Season (March - April and September - October)

Spring and autumn mark the transition seasons. March through April still holds solid ENE-SSE swell and the period lengthens from 9.6s to 9.9s, but the NE trades are only beginning to weaken; ideal wind jumps from 23% in March to 33% in April, offering many clean sessions. September and October are the mirror image: average swell size actually peaks at 2.0m (6.5ft) in September, but the wind reliability drops sharply as the NE trade wind regime rebuilds. Ideal wind falls from 39% in August to 26% in September and just 18% in October, so you trade size for quality.

Low Surf Season (November - February)

High summer is the toughest stretch at Sunrise. The beach still receives near-continuous swell from the E/SE, but the average wave period slumps to 8.5-9.3s, and the NE/ENE trade winds blow a good portion of the time. Ideal wind frequencies sit at a depressed 15-17%, which means onshore wind, bumpy surfaces and short-period, often messy waves. These months are not without waves-there is almost always something rideable in the 1.5-2m range-but consistently clean and firing conditions are rare. Locals make the most of early mornings, when the sea breeze has not yet kicked in, or when a passing coastal low backs the wind into an offshore direction.