Kohala Lighthouse • Statistics for January

January: The Heart of North Pacific Swell Season

January is the benchmark month at Kohala Lighthouse. The average swell runs a solid 1.8m (6ft), but the real story is the period: 12.5 seconds puts every pulse squarely in the powerful, long-period category. The wave rose shows a healthy mix of N, NNE, NE, NW and NNW groundswell totaling roughly 46% of all swell energy, with the biggest chunk arriving from the NE (17.8%) and NNE (11.4%). Many of those waves sit in the 1.5-2m (5-6.5ft) range, and a meaningful slice pushes into 2-2.5m (6.5-8ft). This is exactly the sort of organized northwest-to-northeast groundswell that a north-facing reef feeds on. The catch is the wind. ENE and E trades still control 62% of the month, but the 19% ideal-wind figure is the highest of the year - when a front passes and the flow bends around to S/SW, the lineup goes glassy and the reef turns into a proper slab. With water temp at 24.5°C and air temps around 19.5°C, you can surf dawn patrol in boardshorts and a light hood. January is the closest the spot gets to a guaranteed month of quality North Pacific groundswell.