Capbreton • Statistics for April

April: Shoulder Season Gold Between the Lulls

April is a transition month, and the wave energy begins to back off. Average swell height falls to 4ft (1.2m) and the average period drops to 11.0s, so the surf is still powerful enough to be fun but lacks the heavy, grinding size of winter. Directionally, the ocean remains remarkably consistent: WNW and NW together represent about 82% of all swell, meaning the sandbars still see plenty of organized groundswell rather than junky sea state. The wave-height distribution tells the story-most of that energy falls into the 0.5-1.5m range, with smaller percentages in the 1.5-2.5m range. This is peak groveling-to-good surf territory: 3-5ft (0.9-1.5m) on a long-period groundswell. The weak point is the wind. Ideal offshore conditions only occur 25% of the time as the seasonal wind regime shifts; the onshore/cross-shore sector from W, WNW, NW and NNW adds up to more than 40% of all surface wind, with moderate NW/NNW breezes frequent in the afternoon. Water temperature climbs to 13.9°C and air temperatures average 11.9°C, so the air is warming faster than the sea-still a hood-and-gloves spring suit season. Look for dawn patrol and easterly mornings for the best chance of clean, user-friendly sandbar waves.