Enniscrone • Statistics for April

April: Spring Mix - Smaller Swells and More Windows

April marks a clear seasonal shift. Average swell heights drop to around 5-6ft (1.5-1.8m) and the period eases to 10.7s, right on the cusp of the powerful band. The directional trade-off is excellent, though: the northwest quadrant becomes extremely active, with west-northwest (21.9%), north-northwest (17.2%) and northwest (15.9%) dominating the wave rose. In fact, the combined west-to-north-northwest sector accounts for nearly 70% of all swell directions. This is a month where Enniscrone receives a lot of small-to-medium, long-period groundswell that arrives cleanly, especially when the wind cooperates.

And it does cooperate more often. The ideal wind percentage climbs to 26%, one of the best of the year. Winds from the south, south-southwest, south-west and west-southwest remain common, but crucially, the strongest wind bands (40-50km/h) fade away, while light and moderate offshore breezes dominate. That means more mornings with glassy, lined-up waves in the 3-5ft (0.9-1.5m) range. Air temperatures start to rise to an average of 8.1°C, but water temperatures lag at 9.7°C. Precipitation is lower at 2.78mm/day - spring is often the driest window - and although the big winter swells have gone, the combination of clean wind and manageable size makes April a great month for performance surfing at Enniscrone.