Sumner Avenue - surf spot statistics

Sumner Avenue offers surfable conditions year-round, but the best months for consistent, quality waves are September through November. During September, ground swell presence increases significantly to 24%, the highest of the year, while wind swell remains dominant at 65%. Swell size averages a decent 0.9m, and wind conditions improve slightly with 26% good wind days—still somewhat marginal but better than most other months. October follows with a solid mix of ground (15%) and wind swells (66%), maintaining a 0.9m average swell size. While wind conditions degrade slightly (21% good winds), the swell consistency remains favorable. November sees a drop in ground swell (11%) but maintains similar conditions to October. Late summer and early fall (August-September) also show promise with August having a noticeable ground swell increase (12%) and September peaking in ground swell contribution. Winter months (December-February) bring more wind swell dominance (62–66%) and poor wind conditions (81–83% bad winds), though swell size stays around 0.8m. Spring and early summer (April-July) suffer from higher wind swell influence (77–84%) and generally unfavorable winds (76–80% bad). While smaller swells (0.7–0.9m) persist, the wind quality makes these months less ideal. Overall, September stands out as the best month for surf with the highest ground swell contribution and marginally better winds, followed by October and November for more balanced conditions.

In April, Sumner Avenue offers relatively small but surfable conditions with an average swell height of 0.9m and a decent period of 7.5s, providing rideable waves, though mostly on the softer side. The best swells come from the SE to SSE directions, where waves in the 0.5-1.5m range are most frequent, occasionally reaching up to 2m. Larger swells (over 2m) are rare but do occur, mainly from the SSE and ESE. Wind conditions are often a limiting factor, with only 20% of the time being ideal for surfing—typically when winds are light (under 20kph) and from a favorable direction. Stronger winds, particularly from the SW to NW, can create chop or onshore mess, reducing surf quality. Overall, April is inconsistent but can deliver clean, waist-to-chest-high sessions when swell and wind align, making it best suited for patient surfers or those fine-tuning skills in smaller waves.