Angourie - surf spot statistics

Best Surf Season (May - August)

Angourie fires best during the cooler months of the Southern Hemisphere autumn and winter. As the Pacific storm track shifts northward, a steady stream of E to SSE groundswells marches into the NSW coast, with average wave heights hovering around a solid 1.6m and periods averaging 9.3-9.4 seconds, often stretching into the 10-14s range. More importantly, the frequency of offshore winds from the SW to WNW quadrant peaks dramatically — reaching 58-65% ideal conditions. This combo delivers clean, lined-up surf at the Point and Main Beach, with punchy peaks that wrap beautifully around the headland. If there’s a window of consistency, this is it.

Fair Surf Season (April, September, October)

The shoulder months offer a mix of quality and quantity. April still sees lingering summer swell with periods averaging 9.1s, but the wind patterns transition: ideal offshore percentages climb to 47% in April before dropping in September and October (43% and 31% respectively). During this transition, you can score fun-sized waves with occasional long-period pulses, though the trade-off is variable wind regimes. September sees a return of NE/ENE swell, but the wind clock also includes more N to NE onshore flow, requiring careful session timing.

Low Surf Season (November - March)

The summer months bring the weakest surf consistency at Angourie. From November through February, average swell heights drop to 1.4-1.5m, periods shorten to 8.0-8.8s, and most critically, the dominant wind pattern shifts to NE to SE onshore flow that ruins wave quality. Ideal offshore wind percentages bottom out at 20-25% in December, January, and February. While there are still occasional E to ENE swells that can produce rideable waves — especially early mornings before the sea breeze kicks in — the overall picture is dominated by choppy, messy conditions. March is a transition month, with improving winds (31% ideal) but still mostly short-period swell.

January: Peak Summer Slop

January is the heart of the Australian summer, and Angourie feels the heat — both in the water and in the wind. The average swell height sits at 1.5m with a period of 8.4s, which is punchy but often short-period chop. The swell direction is overwhelmingly from the E (25.4%) and ESE (20.4%), with a significant chunk from ENE (15%) — all of which are favourable directions for this east-facing beach. The problem? Onshore winds dominate. The ideal offshore wind from SW-WNW only occurs 20% of the time. Instead, prevailing winds blow from SSE (14.4%), SE (11.2%), and N (9.2%), creating bumpy conditions that turn even the best swell into a crumbly mess. The wave period is in the punchy, rideable 6-9s range, meaning waves have some push but lack the power of longer-period groundswells. Surfing is possible, but only early in the day before the sea breeze kicks in, or during infrequent SW wind events that glass off the lineup.