Punta Arena • Statistics for January

January: A Winter Mix of NNW Swell and Clean Offshore Windows

The North Pacific is active, and Punta Arena sees its most consistent winter blend. Average surf heights sit around 2-3ft (0.6-0.9m) with a period of 10.1s, enough for short-period punch but not the raw power of peak winter groundswell. The swell plot is dominated by NNW energy at 40.3%, with a secondary lobe from S and SSE totaling roughly 31% - a direction that is far from optimum for this east-northeast-facing beach. Only about 2% of the swell arrives from the preferred NE, ENE, E, and ESE directions, so surf quality relies heavily on wrap and local bathymetry.

The modeled ideal-wind window sits at 45%, with W and WNW breezes most common and light NW to NNW flow filling out the rest. This keeps the surface relatively clean and makes the most of whatever swell arrives. Dry weather, an air temperature of 20.4°C, and a water temperature of 21.9°C mean winter sessions are pleasant rather than harsh. Expect waist-high, semi-glassy runners, with occasional chest-high sets when a NNW pulse lines up with a light offshore wind.