Tallows • Statistics for January

January: Trade Swells, Onshores and Tropical Haze

The new year starts inside the South Pacific trade-wind belt. E swell is the primary source (26.1%), followed by ESE (21.9%), SE (16.7%) and SSE (8.7%), so the east-southeast exposure of Tallows is almost always receiving energy. Average wave heights sit around 5ft (1.5m) and the average 8.6s period places it in the average, punchy, rideable category - a classic trade-wind swell. The catch is wind. SSE, SE, ESE and E winds make up close to 40% of January's wind rose and blow directly onshore, while the W/WNW/NW/NNW offshore directions only appear about 11% of the time. That means choppy, bumpy surf for much of the month, with the most fun windows coming during early mornings before the seabreeze builds or when a NNW change slips through.

Air temperatures are warm (24.7°C average), water temperature is a balmy 24.5°C, and tropical showers contribute roughly 4.85mm/day of rain. When a tropical low forms off the Queensland coast, E/ENE swell can push into the 6-8ft (2-2.5m) range, but those windows are fleeting and often accompanied by wind. Patience is the key in January.