Angourie • Surf Spot Statistics

Best Surf Season (April - August)

As the Australian autumn takes hold, the Tasman Sea begins to fire with a lot more consistency. The subtropical ridge drifts north, cold fronts sweep out of the Southern Ocean, and the average wave period climbs from 8.8s in February to 9.4s by June and July. That translates into punchy, well-organised waves. At the same time, the wind profile at Angourie becomes much friendlier: ideal offshore wind windows jump from 21% in January to 47-65% from April through August. Swell height holds steady in the 1.4-1.7m range, which on an ENE-facing beach means plenty of 4-6ft (1.2-1.8m) lines whenever an E/ESE component is in the water. Water temperatures cool from 24.3°C to 19.9°C, so a 4/3 steamer is a fair price for the cleanest and most reliable surf of the year.

Fair Surf Season (March, September - October)

March is the last true month of summer energy before the winter machine switches on, and it retains some of the best E/ESE swell of the year. September and October are the spring transition months: the Southern Ocean is still active, but tropical moisture and NE sea-breezes are increasingly muddying the daily surf. Ideal wind percentages fall to 43% in September and 31% in October, while average wave periods flatten to 8.3-8.7s. These months deliver workable waves but demand sharp timing. The dawn patrol with light W/NW wind is the move; by midday the onshore NE-E breeze often takes over.

Low Surf Season (November - February)

Summer is the leanest period for Angourie. The subtropical ridge settles south, the sea-breeze cycle dominates, and the prevailing NE-ENE-E winds blow straight onshore for long stretches. Ideal surf wind drops to just 21-25% from November through February. Swell height is not terrible, averaging 1.4-1.7m, but the average period drops to 8.0-8.8s and much of the energy is short-period windswell. The exception is when tropical cyclones develop in the Coral Sea and send E/NE groundswell towards the coast. Those events can produce fun, hollow waves, but they often come with storm winds and humid, rainy conditions. For the rest of the time, summer surfers must pick off the early mornings and hope for a late-afternoon sea-breeze change to glass things off.