Pools - surf spot statistics

The best months for surfing at Pools, United States, are typically from October through April, when swell activity is more consistent and wave quality is higher. During this period, ground swells make up a significant portion of the swell mix—particularly from November to February, where ground swell percentages reach up to 31%, combined with wind swells around 55-58%. Mean swell sizes hover around 0.9m, providing decent surfable waves, though conditions can be smaller in April (0.7m). Wind conditions are less favorable overall, with good winds only occurring about 30-36% of the time, but October stands out as the best wind month (36% good winds). The worst time to surf is from May to September, especially June through August, when no-swell conditions dominate (71-74%), swell size drops to 0.4-0.5m, and bad wind conditions peak at 86-93%. September marks a slight improvement with increasing ground swells (18%) and better wind odds (26% good winds), but consistency truly picks back up in October. If you're targeting the most reliable waves, focus on late fall through early spring, with October offering the rare combination of decent swell and the least hostile winds.

December at Pools offers surfable conditions with an average swell height of 0.9m and a decent period of 9.9s, suggesting moderately clean and organized waves. The swell direction is predominantly from the N-NNE-NNW quadrant, with the majority of waves falling in the 0.5-1.5m range, peaking in the 0.5-1m bracket (24.76% NNE, 18.89% NNW). Larger waves (1.5m+) are less frequent but present, providing occasional punchy sections. Wind conditions are hit-or-miss: ENE-E winds dominate at 10-30kph (30-40% combined), often creating choppy or cross-shore conditions, but 30% of the time winds are favorable—typically lighter NNE-NW breezes. Expect ridable waves on most days, but prime sessions will depend on wind alignment, with the best opportunities occurring when offshores or light variable winds coincide with the 1-1.5m+ NNE/NNW swells. It’s not a big-wave month, but solid for performance surfing when conditions align.