Fitzroy Beach • Surf Spot Statistics

Fitzroy Beach, with its northwest exposure, lives and dies by the battle between Southern Ocean groundswell and the wind machine. On paper, the beach sees year-round swell, but the real quality is determined by how often the wind settles into the offshore E/ESE/SE/SSE quadrant instead of the onshore W/NW regime. Through the year, a familiar rhythm emerges: clean and warm in the late summer and autumn, big and raw in the winter, and frustratingly wind-affected in the spring.

Best Surf Season (February - April)

This is the money window for Fitzroy. Average swells hold at 1.5-1.8m (5-6ft) with long-period energy in the 11.8-12.3s range, while offshore E/SE winds blow 25 percent of the time - the best consistency of the year. Water temperatures are still pleasant at 18-20°C (64-68°F), and the westerly swell direction is perfectly lined up with the beach. February through April is the most user-friendly combination of size, power, and clean surface you will find.

Fair Surf Season (January and May - August)

January is the warm wildcard: smaller and more summer-like, with lower offshore wind odds, but still capable of fun 3-5ft (1-1.5m) waves on a good dawn patrol. From May to August, the winter swell machine kicks into overdrive, with average heights climbing to 2.1m (7ft) and periods around 12s. The tradeoff comes in the wind column - ideal offshore flow drops into the 20-25 percent range and strong onshore W/NW winds become more frequent. Size is easy to find in that window; truly clean conditions are the prize for forecast-watchers.

Low Surf Season (September - December)

The spring transition is the hardest part of the year at Fitzroy. September and October still produce plenty of 2.1m (7ft) groundswell, but the offshore flow plummets to just 15-16 percent, leaving otherwise great waves at the mercy of persistent W/NW onshore winds. November and December see the swell dial back to 1.6-1.8m (5-6ft) as the summer sea-breeze pattern sets in. There are still magical windows during early mornings and post-frontal SE flows, but consistency, not size, is the issue.