Alibaba • Surf Spot Statistics

Best Surf Season (October - March)

The North Atlantic storm track swings into full gear between October and March, and Alibaba's wave climate responds with the biggest, longest-period swell of the year. Average wave heights climb to 6-7.5ft (1.8-2.3m) with periods of 10.6-11.7s, meaning the outer reefs and points receive powerful groundswell. The catch is that the dominant swell direction in the data is N to NNE, not the ideal SSW-SW/W window for a southwest-facing beach. The northeast trade winds also blow hard for much of this period, and ideal offshore wind conditions occur only 8-26% of the time. Even so, when the trades ease and the long-period north swell wraps around the island, Alibaba can produce hollow, punchy waves that are well overhead.

Fair Surf Season (April & September)

These transitional months offer a mixed bag. April sees the last strong pulses of winter groundswell - around 6.5ft (2.0m) at 10.3s - before the summer lull, while September feels the first signs of autumn as the average period recovers to 9.2s and wave heights push back up to 5ft (1.6m). Winds are not as clean as summer and not as consistent as winter, with ideal wind percentages around 8-38%; the magic usually comes in the form of late-season groundswell on a light-wind day.

Low Surf Season (May - August)

The summer months bring the weakest and shortest-period swell of the year at Alibaba. The average wave height drops to 4.5-6ft (1.4-1.8m) and the period sits in the 7.9-8.7s range, producing waves that are more dependent on local wind swell than true groundswell. However, this is not necessarily flat: the trade-wind swell is almost constant, and July and August actually see the highest percentage of ideal offshore wind conditions (48-51%). The result is a fun, rippable summer wave - albeit from a generally poor N/NNE direction and with less power than the winter months.