Bantham • Statistics for December

December: The Winter Machine

December rounds out the year with the biggest average swell of all: 7-8ft (2.2m) and a period of 9.2s. The wave direction is dominated by WSW (20.3%), W (10.7%) and SW (9.5%), with a clear increase in eastern quadrant swells (ENE 3.6%, E 4.5%) compared to the pure winter months - likely reflecting the passage of deep lows across the southern UK. Ideal wind chances sink to 11%, the lowest of the year, because the Atlantic low pressure conveyor belt is in top gear. Southwesterly storms bring gale-force winds and heavy rain (4.11mm/day). When the wind does pop offshore from the NE-E, the result can be spectacular: steep, grinding 6-8ft (1.8-2.4m) walls on the sandbanks. The water temperature is 11.3°C, air is 7.2°C, and the days are short - you'll need plenty of warm layers, but there's no better way to end the year than a winter bomb set at Bantham.