Picnic Tables • Statistics for February

February: Steady Late-Winter Pulse

February mirrors January with another month of consistent, fun-sized surf. The average swell height remains around 2.5ft (0.8m), the period ticks up slightly to 8.4s, and the wind is favorable 15 percent of the time. E swell dominates at 24 percent, with ENE at 18 percent, NE at 14 percent and ESE at 12 percent; combined, those ideal swell directions make up 68 percent of the wave energy. Swell heights in the 1.5-3ft (0.5-1m) class are the most frequent, but there is also a meaningful pocket of 3-5ft (1-1.5m) ENE/NE energy that keeps the spot from getting monotonous.

Onshore winds remain an issue. ENE/E/ESE/SE winds combine for nearly 30 percent of the observations, while NNW and NW winds add another 16 percent at moderate-to-strong speeds. But when the next cold front pushes through and the wind flips to WSW/W/WNW, February can deliver some of the cleanest mid-sized surf of the year. Water temperature eases to 20.8°C, air temps average 18.8°C, and the 2.23 mm/day rain total is one of the drier months on the calendar.