Hobe Sound Public Beach • Statistics for April

April: Trading Size For Clean Trades

April is the bridge between winter power and summer windswell. Average wave height eases to 3ft (1.0m) and the period settles at 7.8s, still enough for punchy, fun waves in the 2-5ft (0.5-1.5m) range. The swell direction remains very favorable, with ENE (20.5 percent), NE (18.3), E (16.1) and NNE (10.3) combining for over 65 percent of all energy. The issue is the wind. Dawn hours are often the cleanest, with ideal offshore flow occurring about 20 percent of the time. But daytime heating brings a strong ESE/SE sea breeze, and the onshore easterly quadrant becomes more persistent. Water temperature climbs to 24.2°C and air temperatures feel much warmer at 23.7°C, making spring sessions pleasant. This is a transitional month: when a late-season nor'easter or cold front brushes the coast, the surf can still fire at 4-5ft (1.2-1.5m) with good shape, but as the month wears on, you'll be pulling out the groveler more often.