Cotton Trees - surf spot statistics

Best Surf Season (October - November & May - June)

At Cotton Trees, the surf is a game of patience, heavily dictated by the wind. The spot faces west, but the dominant swell train throughout the year rolls in from the S and SSW. This is a direct result of persistent extratropical storms in the South Atlantic generating long-period groundswells. However, the key to quality lies in the wind. The best surf season splits into two windows: October-November and May-June, when the percentage of offshore winds (from NW, WNW, W, WSW) peaks. During these months, you can score clean, lined-up waves, often in the fun, rippable 1-1.5m range with periods averaging 11-12 seconds. It's not a world-class setup, but when the trade winds ease and the high pressure sets up correctly, Cotton Trees offers surprisingly good, uncrowded waves.

Fair Surf Season (December - April)

The fair season spans the northern hemisphere winter and early spring. Swell heights are smaller, averaging 0.9-1.1m, and periods are still decent (10.7-11.8s), but the wind is less reliable. Offshore wind percentages drop to between 7% and 16%, meaning you'll have to pick your windows carefully. The swell direction remains stubbornly from the S and SSW, wrapping into the beach but often accompanied by onshore breezes from the SW-W quadrant. The good news is that the long periods (10-11s) can still produce punchy, rideable waves, especially early in the morning when local thermal effects can temporarily clean things up.

Low Surf Season (July - September)

The low surf season is dominated by the West African monsoon and a strong, persistent onshore flow. This period sees the largest average swell heights of the year, peaking at 1.5m in August, but the wind is almost always blowing from the SW to WNW – directly onshore at Cotton Trees. The ideal wind percentage plummets to 4-13%, ruining wave quality. Expect choppy, messy conditions with short-period swell mixing in. While the South Atlantic still pumps energy into the coast, the constant wind creates a bumpy, blown-out surface. This is the time to either travel, take a break, or be content with windbattered, short rides when the stars align for a rare lull.

September: Transition Back to Cleaner Air

September sees the monsoon begin to weaken, offering a glimmer of hope. Swell height drops back to 1.3m with a period of 11.5s. The swell direction is nearly split between S (49.6%) and SSW (49.2%), with a small SW fraction (1.0%). The wind improves: offshore conditions return 13% of the time, a tripling from August. The wind distribution shows more variation, with a notable increase in SE (1.8%) and SSE (4.3%) winds – both favorable. The onshore SW-WSW component is still strong (40.1% combined), but the wind speeds are lower overall. September is a month of contrasts; you can still have messy days, but the frequency of clean, rideable windows increases as the month progresses. Look for early morning or late evening sessions.