Newport Beach • Surf Spot Statistics

Best Surf Season (November - February)

The cool season is the real sweet spot at Newport Beach. North Pacific storms light up the W and WSW swell window while offshore N to ENE winds blow 35-43% of the time, especially in December and January. Average wave periods sit in the powerful 12-13s range, and although average heights hover around 2-3ft (0.6-0.9m), the better winter windows produce clean, fun-sized 3-5ft (0.9-1.5m) surf along the southwest-facing sandbars. When a cold front clears the coast, the post-frontal offshore flow and fresh W/WSW groundswell can make Newport properly good.

Fair Surf Season (March, April and October)

These transition months are a trade-off. March and April still pull in plenty of west and southwest groundswell, and April's average period stretches to 13.4s as southern-hemisphere energy begins to arrive. The problem is wind: ideal offshore flow drops to 13-21%, while W and WSW sea breezes become more frequent. October is the reverse, with the first autumn cold fronts and a jump back to 20% offshore wind, but the summer south-swell pattern is still fading. Surfers who pick the clean early-morning windows can score, but consistency takes a hit.

Low Surf Season (May - September)

Summer is the slow season at Newport Beach. The wave direction is excellent on paper, with SSW, SW and WSW swells dominating, but average sizes drop to 0.8-1.0m (2-3ft) and the region's thermal low drives persistent onshore W and WSW winds. Ideal offshore wind plummets to just 2-7%, so most afternoons are chopped up and weak. Long-period southern-hemisphere and hurricane swells can still send the occasional fun 3-5ft (0.9-1.5m) set, especially in September, but you have to be out at dawn before the sea breeze ruins the surface. Water temps are at their warmest, 17.8-18.3C, so it is not a complete loss, just a groveling season.