The Cribbar • Statistics for November

November: Storm-Track Prime Time

November is where the Cribbar's reputation is built. Average swell height jumps to 1.8m (around 6ft), the average period reaches 11.0s, and the low-pressure conveyor belt in the North Atlantic is running at full speed. W swell is still the leading direction at 31.4%, but note how WSW and WNW are both extremely active - 13.3% and 14.0% respectively - indicating a broad, stormy west/northwest swell window that wraps perfectly into the reef. Substantial 1.5-2.5m (5-8ft) energy is abundant, and the over-2.5m (8ft+) class appears more regularly as winter lows intensify. Wind remains the ultimate gatekeeper: ideal offshore winds blow only 22% of the time, and many large swells arrive accompanied by onshore W/WNW gales. Air temperatures cool to 10.6°C, precipitation is wettest of the year at 4.26 mm/day, and water temperature is 13.0°C. Pick a quality window behind the cold front - bright, offshore, and pumping - and November can produce some of the heaviest, most memorable waves of the year.