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.

January at Sumner Avenue offers generally small to moderate surf with an average swell height of 0.8m and a decent period of 7.5s, suggesting rideable but not particularly powerful waves. The most consistent swell direction is from the SE-SSE sector, which aligns best with the spot’s orientation, delivering the highest frequency of waves in the 0.5-1.5m range. Larger waves (1.5-2.5m) are less frequent but possible, primarily from similar southerly directions. Wind conditions are less favorable, with only 17% of the time offering ideal offshore or light cross-shore winds (typically from the W-WNW). However, stronger onshore winds (often from the E-SE or S-SSW) are common, creating choppy or less clean conditions. Surfers should target days with SE-SSE swells and lighter W-NW winds for the best sessions, though larger swells are rare. Overall, January provides occasional good sessions but requires patience due to inconsistent wind quality.