Chesterman Beach • Surf Spot Statistics

Best Surf Season (October - March)

Chesterman Beach is a classic winter wave pool. As the Aleutian Low strengthens in October, the North Pacific storm track aims right at Vancouver Island, sending a near-constant supply of W and WSW groundswell into the beach's west-southwest facing sandbars. Average swell heights climb from 6-8ft (1.8-2.5m) to 8ft+ (2.4m+) between December and January, with periods routinely in the powerful 12-12.5s range. Offshore E and ESE flow becomes more frequent during these months, especially in December and January, which is the real key to Chesterman: an east outflow that grooms the long-period swell into clean, rippable walls. This is prime time.

Fair Surf Season (April - May & September)

The shoulder seasons offer a mixed bag. April still sees solid 6ft (1.8m) average swell, but the wind is increasingly dominated by onshore WNW and NW flow, so the percentage of ideal conditions drops quickly. May is smaller and windier, while September is the bright spot: summer doldrums break as average swell rebounds to 5ft (1.5m) and offshore wind chances tick back up to 20%. Not as reliable as winter, but there are excellent waves if you pick the windows.

Low Surf Season (June - August)

Summer is Chesterman's quietest stretch. Average swell heights fall to 4ft (1.2m) and the northwest Pacific high positions itself offshore, driving persistent WNW and NW onshore flow that chops up what little energy arrives. Ideal surfing winds are only 9-13% of the time. The background swell is still long-period, so on a morning with light east breeze there can be clean, chest-high runners, but consistency and quality are at their annual low.