Whale Beach • Statistics for November

November: Short-Period Summer Swell Meets the Rising Trade Wind

November is the first full month of the summer pattern, and it shows in the data. Ideal wind drops to 24%, while NE and ENE winds combine for 22.8% of all observations; SSE and S cross-shore winds are also active, with SSE 10.0%, S 9.0% and SE 7.1%. Swell still comes in from the optimal ENE/E/ESE/SE window: ENE 18.1%, E 16.2%, ESE 15.3%, SE 16.8%, with SSE 20.2% mixing in from the south. However, the average period slides to 8.1s, so most of the surf is short-period windswell or regional sea rather than powerful groundswell. Waves average 1.3m (4.3ft), with the majority in the 0.5-1m and 1-1.5m bands. This makes for uneven, sectiony banks and a lot of closeouts unless the swell direction and tide align. Water temp is back up to 19.9°C, air temp averages 19.9°C and precipitation is 2.8mm/day. It is still worth paddling out on the right NW-flow morning, but the odds are dropping.