Cap Gris-Nez

Best Surf Season (October - March)

The North Atlantic storm track starts to load the calendar again in October, and by midwinter the average swell height around Cap Gris-Nez reaches its 3ft (1.0m) ceiling. That isn't massive anywhere, but for this north-facing stretch of the Dover Strait it is the sweet spot. The data show the offshore wind share from S/SSW/SW running at its annual peak through October to December, climbing back in January, with the occasional N/NE/NNW windswell riding down from the North Sea. Average periods of 5.1-5.3s keep things short and punchy, so these are not long-period Atlantic groundswells; they are wind-driven, localized peaks that need exactly the right wind direction to line up. Still, when a cold front sweeps across the Channel and the wind veers into the southwest, Cap Gris-Nez can produce a surprisingly rippable, hollow little wave.