Sandy Beach - surf spot statistics

Best Surf Season (November - March)

Winter truly delivers at Sandy Beach. As the North Pacific jet stream amplifies, a relentless conveyor belt of extratropical cyclones spins up deep low-pressure systems across the Gulf of Alaska. These systems generate powerful, long-period SSW to WSW swell trains that march straight into the west-southwest facing shore. Average wave heights hover between 2.4m and 3.0m, with periods frequently exceeding 11 seconds, offering plenty of pumping and firing conditions. The kicker? A strong thermal high-pressure builds over the interior, sending consistent ENE to NNE offshore flow across the lineup more than half the time. This interplay between solid groundswell and clean, groomed surf makes for some of the most consistent and high-quality surf of the year.

Fair Surf Season (April, May, October)

Transition months bring a mixed bag. Spring (April and May) sees the North Pacific storm track start to weaken; swell heights drop to the 1.7-2.2m range and periods shorten to around 10 seconds. However, the offshore wind window remains decent, particularly in April with 50% clean conditions, allowing for plenty of fun-sized and rippable waves. May is more marginal as the trade winds become dominant and onshore flow increases. October marks the beginning of the overall return — average swell height jumps back to 2.5m as early fall storms develop, but the wind is still fickle with only 39% ideal. When a cold front passes and the wind clock around to the north, October can produce epic sessions with very powerful long-period surf under sunny skies.

Low Surf Season (June - September)

Summer is the quietest stretch for Sandy Beach. The North Pacific storm machine shuts down, leaving behind a diet of weak, short-period swell from distant tropical systems or local windswell. Average heights sit at a meager 1.3-1.4m, with periods around 10 seconds. Worse, the predominant wind flow becomes onshore SSW-WSW as the Pacific High shifts north and thermal gradients weaken. Ideal offshore conditions occur only 25-34% of the time, meaning most days you’ll face bumpy, choppy surfaces. However, the occasional passing tropical wave or rare long-period south groundswell can salvage a session, offering brief windows of small, fun-sized surf. Overall, it’s a great time for beginner lessons and longboard cruising, but serious wave hunters will look elsewhere.

May: Downswing in Size, Upswing in Local Wind

May sees a significant drop in surf energy. Average height falls to 1.7m, period 10.2s. The swell direction is heavily skewed to SW (27.0%), WSW (23.6%), and SSW (16.7%), but most waves now measure 0.5-1.5m — small, fun-sized and grovel-worthy. Ideal wind conditions slip to 39%, as the trade wind flow from E and ENE weakens and is replaced by more onshore SSW afternoon drifts. The westerly quadrant also sees a rise in WNW (11.1%) and NW (10.0%) winds, which are cross-offshore but less consistent. Surfable sessions are still possible on dawn patrol with clean, small waves, but the quality drops off quickly once the sun hits.