Ormond Beach • Statistics for April

April: East Winds Take Over

April is where the winter quality begins to fade. The average swell height eases to around 2ft (0.6m) and the average period settles at 8.0s, so the waves are still rideable but less substantial. E swell dominates at 26.1 percent, with ESE at 20.4 and ENE at 16.4 - plenty of swell direction hitting the beach, but the wind is the problem. Onshore E winds blow 8.8 percent of the time, ESE 10.0, SE 10.2, and SSE 8.6, pushing the bad-wind total well above the ideal. Ideal wind days drop to 17 percent, and most of those offshore windows come with W and WSW flow at 6.6 and 6.7 percent respectively. Water temperature jumps to 23.0°C while air averages 21.3°C, making spring a comfortable time to be in the water. Just don't expect the same level of consistency as deep winter. The sandbars still work, but you'll need to pick your windows and be ready to wait out the afternoon sea breeze.