Data
When each spot is actually good, from the hindcast
Guidebooks give a surf spot a season. We scored 97 of them month by month against years of wave hindcast, and most seasons are shorter than the book says.
How this is measured
For every break we take years of wave hindcast, score each day at that spot the way the app scores it, and take the median for each calendar month. That gives twelve numbers per spot: how good a typical day in March is, how big the face usually is, how many days of the month are worth paddling out.
Every score is relative to the spot's own best month, never to another spot. A fickle beach break is measured against itself, not against Pipeline, so "good" means good for there. That is the only way a single number can be fair to both.
These are medians from years of hindcast, not a forecast. A median tells you when to plan a trip. It does not promise waves on a given day, and it never will.
The season is narrower than you think
The number that surprised us most is how short a real season is. We define the best stretch as the longest unbroken run of months within five percent of the spot's own strongest month. Most breaks do not get four.
Length of the best unbroken stretch, in months, across the 84 breaks that have a season. 68 of them peak for three months or less; 31 peak in a single month.
That is the gap between a guidebook and a calendar. A book can say a spot works from March to November and be broadly right, because it usually is surfable across that whole range. But if you have one week of leave and a flight to buy, the range is not the answer. The peak is.
There is no global surf season
Ask a surfer when surf season is and you will get an answer shaped by wherever they live. The hindcast has no opinion. Across the breaks that have a season at all, the strongest month lands on every month of the year, and the calendar splits almost exactly in half.
Strongest month, counted across the 84 breaks with a season. 42 peak between November and March, 42 between April and October. Every month of the year is somebody's best.
Which is worth saying plainly: for any month you can take off work, somewhere in this set is at its best. The planning question is not when to go. It is where to go for the week you already have.
Four shapes a year comes in
Once you plot twelve months for a hundred spots, the same handful of shapes keep coming back. Knowing which one you are looking at changes how you book.
Teal bars are the best stretch. 33 narrow, 18 long, 13 flat, 33 scattered, out of 97 breaks.
The narrow peak
One or two months carry the year. Everything else is a compromise. These are the spots worth building a trip around rather than fitting into one, and the spots where going a month early is a genuinely different holiday.
The long season
A broad, unbroken run of good months with a clear off period on the other side of the year. This is the easiest shape to plan: pick any month inside the run and you are fine, so let the airfare decide which one.
The flat year
Some spots have no season at all. Every month lands within fifteen percent of the best one and none of them drops off. There is nothing to miss and nothing to chase, which makes the whole question the price of the flight.
The scattered band
The awkward one. The strong months do not sit next to each other, usually because two different swell sources take turns. A single date range genuinely cannot describe these, and any guide that gives them one is rounding.
Water decides as much as swell
A season table tells you when the waves are good. It does not tell you what you are wearing while you surf them, and on a lot of these coasts that is the bigger constraint. We backfilled monthly sea temperature for every spot for the same reason.
| Break | Where | Water | Swing | Coldest month to warmest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Street Jetty, Virginia Beach | Virginia, USA | 7–27 C | 19 C | hooded 5/4 + gloves → boardshorts |
| Rockaway Beach | New York, USA | 5–24 C | 19 C | hooded 5/4 + gloves → boardshorts |
| The Washout, Folly Beach | South Carolina, USA | 12–30 C | 18 C | 4/3 + boots → boardshorts |
| Ditch Plains, Montauk | New York, USA | 5–22 C | 17 C | hooded 5/4 + gloves → spring suit |
| Wrightsville Beach | North Carolina, USA | 12–29 C | 17 C | hooded 5/4 → boardshorts |
| Point Judith (Lighthouse) | Rhode Island, USA | 5–21 C | 17 C | hooded 5/4 + gloves → spring suit |
| Cape Hatteras | North Carolina, USA | 12–27 C | 16 C | hooded 5/4 → boardshorts |
| New Smyrna Beach (Ponce Inlet) | Florida, USA | 17–29 C | 13 C | 4/3 → boardshorts |
| Scorpion Bay (San Juanico) | Baja California Sur, Mexico | 15–27 C | 12 C | 4/3 → boardshorts |
| Côte des Basques | Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France | 13–24 C | 11 C | 4/3 + boots → boardshorts |
The ten biggest annual swings, of 97 breaks with sea temperature on file. 59 of them need more than one wetsuit across the year; 38 wear the same thing in every month.
The spots with the biggest swing are the ones where the good waves and the warm water do not arrive together. A mid-Atlantic beach break is at its best in the months you need a hood, and at its warmest when it is flat. That is a real trade, and it belongs in the decision before you book, not after.
Sea temperature here comes from an offshore model grid. It reads a degree or two warm on an upwelling coast, so every wetsuit call on this site errs toward more rubber.
What we do with it
Every spot page on this site is built from these twelve numbers: the season bands, the typical face, the surfable days, the water and what to wear. The app uses the same figures to decide whether a cheap flight is landing on a good month or a quiet one, which is the only thing that makes a fare alert worth opening.
All 97 breaks
Face height and surfable days are the median across the best stretch. Every row links to that break's own month-by-month page.
| Break | Where | Best | Typical face | Surfable days | Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Street Jetty, Virginia Beach | Virginia, USA | Dec | 2 ft | 69% | 7–27 C |
| Anchor Point, Taghazout | Souss-Massa, Morocco | Nov–Feb | 5 ft | 98% | 17–22 C |
| Arugam Bay (Main Point) | Eastern Province, Sri Lanka | Mar–Apr | 3 ft | 97% | 28–31 C |
| Banzai Pipeline | Oahu, USA | Jan | 9 ft | 90% | 24–27 C |
| Barra de la Cruz | Oaxaca, Mexico | no season | 3–5 ft | 99% | 28–31 C |
| Batu Bolong, Canggu | Bali, Indonesia | Feb–May | 4–5 ft | 97% | 28–30 C |
| Bells Beach | Victoria, Australia | Apr–May | 5 ft | 84% | 13–19 C |
| Blacks Beach | Southern California, USA | Jan | 4 ft | 94% | 15–22 C |
| Bundoran (The Peak) | Donegal, Ireland | Mar | 5 ft | 94% | 8–17 C |
| C Street | Southern California, USA | Nov–Feb | 3–4 ft | 97% | 14–22 C |
| Cacimba do Padre | Pernambuco, Brazil | Mar | 5 ft | 81% | 27–29 C |
| Cape Hatteras | North Carolina, USA | no season | 2–3 ft | 38% | 12–27 C |
| Chicama | La Libertad, Peru | Feb–Mar | 4–5 ft | 100% | 16–23 C |
| Cloud 9 | Surigao del Norte, Philippines | Jun–Aug | 2–3 ft | 90% | 28–30 C |
| Cloudbreak | Nadroga-Navosa, Fiji | Mar–Apr | 6 ft | 96% | 26–30 C |
| Cokes, Thulusdhoo | North Malé Atoll, Maldives | Apr | 3 ft | 94% | 28–31 C |
| Côte des Basques | Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France | Oct | 3 ft | 86% | 13–24 C |
| Desert Point (Bangko-Bangko) | Lombok, Indonesia | Mar | 6 ft | 90% | 28–30 C |
| Ditch Plains, Montauk | New York, USA | Jul | 2 ft | 69% | 5–22 C |
| Dominical | Puntarenas, Costa Rica | no season | 3–5 ft | 100% | 28–31 C |
| Donghe | Taitung, Taiwan | Feb–Apr | 3–4 ft | 97% | 25–30 C |
| El Cotillo (Piedra Playa) | Canary Islands, Spain | Oct–Nov | 4–5 ft | 65% | 19–23 C |
| El Sunzal | La Libertad, El Salvador | no season | 3–4 ft | 97% | 29–31 C |
| Famara | Canary Islands, Spain | Nov–Jan | 6 ft | 65% | 19–22 C |
| First Point, Noosa Heads | Queensland, Australia | Feb | 4 ft | 88% | 21–27 C |
| Fistral Beach | Cornwall, United Kingdom | Mar–Apr | 4–5 ft | 73% | 10–17 C |
| G-Land (Grajagan) | East Java, Indonesia | Mar–Apr | 7 ft | 94% | 23–30 C |
| Honolua Bay | Maui, USA | Dec | 5 ft | 79% | 24–27 C |
| Hossegor (La Graviere) | Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France | Dec–Mar | 7–8 ft | 88% | 13–23 C |
| Huntington Beach Pier | Southern California, USA | no season | 3–4 ft | 99% | 14–22 C |
| Imsouane (The Bay) | Souss-Massa, Morocco | Oct–Feb | 5–6 ft | 94% | 17–21 C |
| Itaúna, Saquarema | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Feb–Apr | 4–5 ft | 94% | 22–25 C |
| Jeffreys Bay (Supertubes) | Eastern Cape, South Africa | Jul–Aug | 6 ft | 91% | 16–22 C |
| La Saladita | Guerrero, Mexico | no season | 3–4 ft | 96% | 27–31 C |
| Lagundri Bay, Nias | North Sumatra, Indonesia | Apr–Sep | 6–8 ft | 98% | 30–30 C |
| Lahinch | County Clare, Ireland | May | 3 ft | 76% | 8–17 C |
| Lakey Peak | West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia | Feb–Apr | 5 ft | 99% | 26–30 C |
| Lances Right (HTs) | Mentawai, Indonesia | Jun–Jul | 9 ft | 90% | 29–30 C |
| Lobitos | Piura, Peru | Feb–Mar | 4 ft | 98% | 19–26 C |
| Lower Trestles | Southern California, USA | May–Jun | 4 ft | 95% | 14–22 C |
| Malibu First Point | Southern California, USA | Oct | 3 ft | 100% | 14–22 C |
| Máncora | Piura, Peru | no season | 3–5 ft | 100% | 21–27 C |
| Margaret River (Main Break) | Western Australia, Australia | Mar–Apr | 8–9 ft | 93% | 18–22 C |
| Mavericks | Northern California, USA | Nov–Jan | 9–11 ft | 80% | 12–16 C |
| Montañita | Santa Elena, Ecuador | Feb–Apr | 3 ft | 98% | 24–28 C |
| Muizenberg | Western Cape, South Africa | May–Aug | 5–6 ft | 80% | 14–18 C |
| Mundaka | Basque Country, Spain | Feb | 8 ft | 95% | 13–23 C |
| Nazare (Praia do Norte) | Leiria, Portugal | Feb | 14 ft | 81% | 15–18 C |
| New Pier, Durban | KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa | Jun | 5 ft | 94% | 21–26 C |
| New Smyrna Beach (Ponce Inlet) | Florida, USA | Jul | 2 ft | 100% | 17–29 C |
| Ngor Right | Dakar, Senegal | Sep–Dec | 4–5 ft | 94% | 19–30 C |
| One Eye, Tamarin | Black River, Mauritius | Dec | 6 ft | 82% | 24–28 C |
| Pacific City (Cape Kiwanda) | Oregon, USA | Sep–Oct | 4–5 ft | 87% | 10–13 C |
| Padang Padang | Bali, Indonesia | Aug–Nov | 7–9 ft | 98% | 28–30 C |
| Pavones | Puntarenas, Costa Rica | Apr–May | 5–6 ft | 99% | 28–30 C |
| Piha | Auckland, New Zealand | Feb | 6 ft | 78% | 14–21 C |
| Playa Cerritos | Baja California Sur, Mexico | Oct–Nov | 4 ft | 98% | 20–30 C |
| Playa Encuentro, Cabarete | Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic | Oct | 4 ft | 99% | 26–30 C |
| Playa Guiones | Guanacaste, Costa Rica | no season | 3–5 ft | 97% | 28–31 C |
| Playa Venao | Los Santos, Panama | Apr–Nov | 3–4 ft | 99% | 27–29 C |
| Point Judith (Lighthouse) | Rhode Island, USA | no season | 2–3 ft | 88% | 5–21 C |
| Popoyo | Rivas, Nicaragua | Aug–Oct | 5 ft | 94% | 26–30 C |
| Praia de Santa Bárbara | Azores, Portugal | Nov | 4 ft | 62% | 16–24 C |
| Praia Mole, Florianopolis | Santa Catarina, Brazil | May–Jun | 2 ft | 53% | 17–28 C |
| Puerto Escondido (Zicatela) | Oaxaca, Mexico | Apr–Jun | 6–7 ft | 100% | 27–31 C |
| Punta de Lobos | O'Higgins, Chile | no season | 6–7 ft | 96% | 12–16 C |
| Punta Roca | La Libertad, El Salvador | May | 5 ft | 100% | 29–31 C |
| Raglan (Manu Bay) | Waikato, New Zealand | Feb–Mar | 6 ft | 83% | 14–21 C |
| Ribeira d'Ilhas | Lisbon, Portugal | Jan–Feb | 7–8 ft | 78% | 15–18 C |
| Rincon (Tres Palmas) | Puerto Rico, USA | Nov–Dec | 4 ft | 96% | 27–30 C |
| Rockaway Beach | New York, USA | Jul | 2 ft | 86% | 5–24 C |
| Santa Catalina | Veraguas, Panama | May | 5 ft | 100% | 28–30 C |
| Santa Teresa | Puntarenas, Costa Rica | no season | 4–5 ft | 100% | 28–31 C |
| Sayulita | Nayarit, Mexico | Dec–Mar | 3 ft | 100% | 24–31 C |
| Scorpion Bay (San Juanico) | Baja California Sur, Mexico | Jan | 3 ft | 89% | 15–27 C |
| Sebastian Inlet (First Peak) | Florida, USA | Sep | 3 ft | 83% | 21–30 C |
| Skeleton Bay | Erongo, Namibia | May–Sep | 5–6 ft | 100% | 14–17 C |
| Snapper Rocks (Superbank) | Queensland, Australia | Jun | 3 ft | 90% | 21–26 C |
| Somo (Santander) | Cantabria, Spain | no season | 3–4 ft | 94% | 14–22 C |
| Sopelana (Arrietara) | Basque Country, Spain | Aug–Oct | 3–4 ft | 93% | 13–22 C |
| Soup Bowl, Bathsheba | Saint Joseph, Barbados | Dec | 4 ft | 72% | 27–30 C |
| Steamer Lane | Northern California, USA | Dec–Feb | 7 ft | 98% | 12–17 C |
| Supertubos, Peniche | Leiria, Portugal | Jan–Feb | 7–8 ft | 75% | 15–18 C |
| Swami's | Southern California, USA | Oct–Feb | 3–4 ft | 98% | 15–22 C |
| T-Land (Nemberala) | East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia | Sep–Nov | 4–5 ft | 97% | 27–30 C |
| Tamarindo | Guanacaste, Costa Rica | Oct–Nov | 4 ft | 98% | 28–30 C |
| Teahupoo | Tahiti, French Polynesia | May | 9 ft | 88% | 27–29 C |
| The Pass, Byron Bay | New South Wales, Australia | Jan–Apr | 4 ft | 80% | 20–26 C |
| The Washout, Folly Beach | South Carolina, USA | Dec | 2 ft | 82% | 12–30 C |
| Thurso East | Scotland, UK | Nov–Dec | 6–8 ft | 74% | 8–14 C |
| Tonel, Sagres | Algarve, Portugal | Nov–Feb | 6 ft | 73% | 16–19 C |
| Tsurigasaki (Shidashita) | Chiba, Japan | Dec | 3 ft | 90% | 15–26 C |
| Uluwatu | Bali, Indonesia | Aug–Nov | 6–8 ft | 98% | 28–30 C |
| Weligama | Southern Province, Sri Lanka | Jan–Mar | 3 ft | 93% | 27–30 C |
| Westport (The Jetty) | Washington, USA | Oct–Nov | 5–6 ft | 71% | 9–15 C |
| Wrightsville Beach | North Carolina, USA | Sep–Oct | 2 ft | 86% | 12–29 C |
| Zarautz | Basque Country, Spain | no season | 2–3 ft | 97% | 13–23 C |
When is your spot good?
Every break here has its own page: twelve months, the water, and what to wear.
Wave figures are medians of a daily surf score computed from ERA5 and GFS-Wave hindcast at each break, over the seasons available since 2022. Sea temperature is the monthly median of daily sea-surface temperature from the Open-Meteo marine archive, 2023 to 2025. Nothing here is a forecast. All 97 spot pages · Bag sizes against airline limits · More articles