Recco seasonal overview
Best Surf Season (October - March)
Recco is a classic Ligurian 'winter windswell' set-up. The surf season peaks from October through March, when the North Atlantic storm track pushes low-pressure systems through the western Mediterranean and Genoa lows form near the coast. Average surf heights climb to 0.7-0.9m (2.5-3ft), with the lion's share of waves arriving from the SW and SSW quarters - exactly the directions that line up with Recco's south-southwest-facing beach. At the same time, N to NNE winds become more frequent, giving this short-period Mediterranean swell the offshore grooming it needs to break cleanly. You still have to pick your sessions - periods of 5.4-5.6s mean plenty of lumpy, crumbly waves - but with ideal wind frequencies of 19-22%, these are the months with the highest probability of a legitimately good surf session.
Fair Surf Season (April, May and September)
The shoulder months offer a mixed bag. April and May still receive a very high percentage of S/SW directional swell - in fact, the SW quadrant dominates the wave rose more than in winter - but the average wave height drops to 0.6-0.7m (2-2.5ft) and the average period falls to 4.9-5.3s as the basin-wide storm energy weakens. September is a tease: the water is still incredibly warm at 22.7C, and renewed N/NNE winds help, but the average surf is still small at 0.5m (1.5-2ft). These months can produce fun dawn sessions when a late-season or early-season low lines up, but consistency is nowhere near the winter months.
Low Surf Season (June - August)
Summer is flat and frustrating. The Mediterranean high-pressure system locks in, sea breezes build on a daily basis, and Recco sees its lowest wave heights of the year, bottoming out at 0.4m (1-1.5ft) in July and August. Average periods of 4.4-4.7s produce little more than micro-closeouts. Surprisingly, SW remains the dominant swell direction through the summer, but the data shows the overwhelming majority of that energy is under 0.5m. With ideal wind percentages collapsing to 8-10%, this is the time to save your energy for autumn or grab a groveler if you're desperate.