Shipwreck Beach • Surf Spot Statistics

Best Surf Season (December - February)

As the Aleutian Low deepens and the North Pacific storm track fires on all cylinders, Shipwreck Beach gets its most reliable winter groundswell. Average heights push to 7-8ft (2.3-2.4m) with periods around 12s, and the dominant NNW/NW swell directions produce the wrapping lines this south-facing beach needs. Offshore winds from the north quadrant show up 22-26 percent of the time, most often in the early morning, giving the winter months a clear edge in both size and shape.

Fair Surf Season (October - November, March - April)

October and November are transitional months where the North Pacific begins to reawaken; average periods climb from 10.8 to 11.1s and wave heights jump from 6.5 to 7.5ft. March and April are the mirror image, as the same storm track weakens and the dominant ENE trade wind regime reasserts itself. Good waves are possible, but they come in shorter windows and with more surface chop.

Low Surf Season (May - September)

The summer months are the slow season. Average heights drop to 5.5-6ft (1.7-1.8m), periods sink to 9.2-10.2s, and the swell direction becomes almost entirely E/ENE trade wind energy. Since the ideal offshore wind percentage falls to 11-23 percent, and direct S/SW groundswell is largely absent from the climatology, the beach mostly offers small, punchy, wind-affected surf. Only a passing hurricane or Kona low to the south can break the pattern with a burst of SSE/S swell.