Fishermans Point - surf spot statistics

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

The rhythm at Fishermans Point is heavily dictated by the seasonal shift of the African monsoon and the positioning of the St. Helena High. When the trades relax and the pressure gradient eases, we see windows of clean, workable surf. Late spring (May-June) and early fall (October-November) deliver the highest percentage of clear offshore flow from the west quadrant, as defined for this spot. During these months, the prevailing S-SSW swell trains, though not ideal for the WNW-facing beach, are wrapped with enough period (10-12s) to produce fun-sized, rippable lines, especially when combined with glassy mornings. The wind blows offshore (WNW-W-WSW-SW) a significant portion of the time, making those months the most consistent for quality sessions.

Fair Surf Season (March - April & July - September & December)

These months represent a mixed bag. March and April see a building swell from the Southern Ocean, but the onshore flow (SW-WSW) picks up, limiting ideal conditions to only 7-14% of the time. July through September offer the largest average swell heights (1.3-1.5m) from the S-SSW, but the trade winds strengthen, creating bumpy, wind-affected conditions more often than not. December still carries some of the fall’s promise, but swell heights drop and the ideal wind window narrows to 31% – making it a gamble, though occasional long-period groundswell can still slide in.

Low Surf Season (January - February)

Mid-winter is the quietest period. The Southern Ocean swell machine is still running, but the dominant S and SSW swell rarely aligns with the WNW exposure, and when it does, the fetch is often minimal. On top of that, the persistent SW-WSW winds, which are onshore for this beach, blow over 40% of the time, turning even the small 0.5-1m waves into choppy, messy conditions. Ideal wind drops to just 7-14% in these months, making it a time best suited for long walks on the sand or waiting for the rare, clean window.

September: Swell Holds, Wind Improves Slightly

September sees a welcome decrease in average swell height to 1.3m, with period steady at 11.5s. The swell direction is split almost evenly between S (49.6%) and SSW (49.2%), indicating a more westerly component in the southwest swells – good news for the WNW exposure. Ideal wind ticks up to 21% – not great, but better than July’s 25%? Actually it's a bit lower than July's 25% but still an improvement from August's 14%. The wind pattern shows a decrease in the strongest SW-WSW winds and an increase in lighter winds from the east quadrant (ENE-SE). This means more morning sessions with light offshore or cross-shore breezes. Wave size is still solid: 1-1.5m (73.4% of total) and 1.5-2m (16.9%), with occasional 2-2.5m (0.6%). The period remains long enough for those south-southwest swells to wrap in with authority. September is a shoulder month where the surf is still pumping, and the wind starts to trend in a more favorable direction – look for windows of high pressure that bring clean, offshore conditions from the east (ENE-ESE).