Right Point • Statistics for December

December: Winter's Full Send

December brings the full force of winter to Right Point. Average swell is 5.6ft (1.7m) - tied for the biggest of the year - with an average period of 8.6s. The swell distribution is broad, with SSW (14.7%), SW (12.2%) and S (10.2%) leading, but the E/ESE/SE window is less dominant than in early spring (16.1% including ENE). That means Right Point relies on quality over quantity in terms of direction: when the fetch is right, the point turns on; when it's not, you're staring at south-swell cross-up lines. Still, the raw power of the winter North Atlantic is undeniable, and the average height remains in the heavy range.

Wind is the big story: the W/WNW/NW/WSW offshore quadrant totals a massive 46%, with WNW (14.8%) and NW (14.1%) delivering clean offshore texture more consistently than any other month. Air temperature averages 1.9°C, water temperature is 5.7°C and dropping fast, and precipitation is the highest of the year at 4.10mm/day. The NAO is especially important now - when it goes negative, the Atlantic storm track shifts south and fires repeated E/SE fetches into Canada. For hardcore surfers, December is as good as it gets.