Conditions at El Confital in December
December: Winter's Full Spectrum
December closes the year with winter firmly in place: average height 4ft (1.2m) and average period 12.0s. The swell direction is still dominated by the northern quadrant, with NNW 25.1%, NNE 17.9%, NW 15.7% and N 8.8%, but there is also a notable westerly and south-westerly component, with WNW 9.2%, W 4.2% and WSW 2.6%. Those westerly vectors are the ones that tend to wrap and refract into a south-facing beach, so December often has more usable swell than the raw northern percentages suggest.
The limiting factor is wind. The ideal-wind window drops to 44%, the lowest of the year, because the Atlantic storm track sends more SW and WSW wind ahead of approaching fronts. NE winds still dominate at 31.3%, with ENE 19.5%, but the onshore SW and WSW gusts can easily mess up a day. Water temperature cools to 20.9°C, air averages 19.5°C (15.9-23.9°C), and precipitation is highest at 1.14 mm/day. December can deliver epic S/SW groundswell between the fronts; you just have to be picky with the wind.
Average Spot conditions at El Confital in December
Swell history for December
Wind history for December
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at El Confital during December. 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 El Confital for your next trip in December.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at El Confital for December. 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 El Confital.