Rhossili Bay • Surf Spot Statistics

Best Surf Season (October - March)

The North Atlantic begins to stretch its legs through October, and by December Rhossili Bay is standing tall under the first serious low-pressure systems of the winter. As strong extratropical cyclones track east across the Atlantic, long-period W/SW groundswell lines up with the bay's SSW-facing orientation, producing the most consistent and powerful surf of the year. Average swell heights climb from around 4ft (1.2m) in October to a peak of 5ft (1.6m) in January, with average periods in the 10-10.7s range from December through February. The negative phase of the NAO often parks a blocking high over Scandinavia, driving cold offshore N/NE winds into the bay and turning heavy Atlantic groundswell into clean, hollow sandbar peaks. The catch is the wind: the same systems that generate the swell often drag onshore S/SSW/SW/WSW winds across the bay. Still, when the high-pressure ridge pushes in from the north, those are the magic winter days at Rhossili.

Fair Surf Season (April - May and September)

As the ocean transitions between winter's fury and summer's lull, Rhossili still offers rideable waves, though with less power and size. April sees a bump in offshore wind potential with 11% ideal conditions and average periods around 9.0s, enough for clean, rippable surf in the 3-4ft (0.9-1.2m) range. May's average wave height drops to around 2-3ft (0.8m), but late-season long-period leftovers can still sneak in between runs of small, high-pressure surf. September marks the first rumblings of autumn, with average periods rising from 7.4s in August to 8.1s and a subtle increase in size to around 3ft (0.9m). These shoulder months are less consistent, but when an early-autumn low or ex-hurricane tracks up the Atlantic, Rhossili can light up.

Low Surf Season (June - August)

Summer is the quietest chapter of Rhossili's surf calendar. Average swell heights bottom out at 2-2.5ft (0.7-0.8m) and average periods slump to 7.4s, meaning short-period windswell rather than open-ocean groundswell. The North Atlantic storm track shifts north and weakens, leaving the bay at the mercy of sea breezes. To make matters worse, onshore S/SSW/SW/WSW winds account for more than 36% of the summer wind distribution, so the surf that does show up is often bumpy and wind-affected. The few clean, fun-sized waves come during brief windows of NE-E offshore flow, often early in the morning before sea breezes kick in or when a slow-moving high-pressure ridge settles overhead.