Hobe Sound Public Beach • Statistics for October

October: North Atlantic Re-Engages And Quality Swell Returns

The North Atlantic roars back to life in October, and Hobe Sound starts to fire more frequently. Average swell height rises to 4ft (1.2m) with an 8.2s period, and the swell rose becomes dominated by NE (34.4 percent) and ENE (33.6 percent) - nearly 70 percent of all waves coming from the two most favorable directions. There is a strong 3-6.5ft (0.9-2m) component in the mix, so the beach often sees consistent chest- to head-high plus surf. However, the wind regime has not fully transitioned to winter: ENE winds blow 19.7 percent of the time, NE 13.5 percent, and ideal offshore flow is only 15 percent. This makes October a month of stark contrasts - incredible NE groundswell from extratropical storms mixing with persistent onshore winds that can destroy the wave quality. When a strong cold front pushes through and the wind goes southwest to west, the resulting combination of long-period east swell and offshore wind produces some of the best sessions of the season. Water temps are 27.8°C and climate is drier relative to summer at 4.19 mm/day.