Picnic Tables • Statistics for April

April: More East Swell, Less Clean Wind

April is the first true transition month. The average swell height is still 2.5ft (0.8m), but the period drops a bit to 8.1s and favorable wind drops to 12 percent. The swell rose is dominated by E at 28 percent, ENE at 21 percent, ESE at 14 percent and NE at 13 percent. So there is no shortage of directionally correct swell; the problem is that it is increasingly short-period and increasingly messed up by onshore winds.

Winds from ESE, E, SE and ENE combine for nearly 44 percent of the month, with the majority in the 10-30kph range. That means April usually looks smaller and bumpier than the raw 2-3ft numbers suggest. Still, when a high-pressure system slides overhead and a light WSW breeze lays the surface flat, the E/ENE swell can be surprisingly rippable. Air temp averages 22.8°C, water warms to 23.9°C, and rain is relatively low at 2.20 mm/day.