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Conditions at Playa Ostional in January
January: The Trade-Wind Plateau
January is all about the northeast trade wind machine. NE winds blow 53.8% of the time, with a solid core in the 20-30kph range, making this one of the most consistently offshore months on the calendar. The swell is a mixed bag though: only about 48% of total energy arrives from the optimal SSW-W window, while a meaningful amount of N/NE windswell and NW groundswell sneaks in. Average wave heights sit at 4ft (1.3m) with a period of 11.5s, still firmly in the long-period range. What this means at Playa Ostional is clean, groomed lines but with a less defined, more peaky direction than the southern-hemi months. Water temp is 28.0°C, air averages 27.8°C, and rainfall is negligible at 0.23mm/day, so you can count on sunny, glassy mornings.
Average Spot conditions at Playa Ostional in January
Swell history for January
Wind history for January
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Playa Ostional during January. Based on historical data, there is a % probability of groundswell occurring this month. The chart below provides a detailed breakdown of the average wave height distribution, offering deep insights into the swell quality and surf potential you can expect at Playa Ostional for your next trip in January.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Playa Ostional for January. Our analysis shows that favorable offshore or side-shore winds coincide with surfable swell approximately % of the time. The accompanying graph illustrates the average size distribution of waves during these optimal wind windows at Playa Ostional.