Santa Rosa • Surf Spot Statistics

Best Surf Season (January - March)

January through March is the pick of the year at Santa Rosa. During the austral summer, the South Pacific subtropical high settles farther south and loses some of its grip on the coast, allowing the persistent S/SSW wind machine to relax for a few precious hours at a time. Offshore flow from the NE, ENE, E and ESE occurs more often than at any other point on the calendar, and the long-period SSW/SW groundswell should be running in the 4-6ft (1.2-1.8m) range with 13-second intervals. Sea surface temperatures peak near 19-20C, so the water is comfortable and the waves are still full of power. It is never glassy all day, but these months offer the best ratio of clean surface to swell energy all year.

Fair Surf Season (April - May, October - December)

The shoulder seasons at Santa Rosa are a trade-off. In April and May, the swell builds toward its winter peak - average heights climb from 1.7m (5.6ft) to 1.8m (5.9ft) - but the wind statistics turn worse, with ideal offshore flow nearly vanishing. October through December is the mirror image: the ocean slowly releases its winter energy while water temperatures begin to recover from the cold upwelling minimum. S/SSW winds still dominate, and clean days are rare, but the occasional dawn session with lighter breeze can redeem the entire month.

Low Surf Season (June - September)

Do not let the word 'low' confuse you: June through September is actually the peak of the swell calendar at Santa Rosa, with average heights hitting 1.9m (6.2ft) and a serious chunk of waves reaching the 2-2.5m (6.5-8ft) class. The 'low' refers to quality. A strong, cold S/SSW coastal jet locks in for weeks at a time, the offshore wind percentage drops to zero, and upwelling drags sea surface temperatures down to around 15-16C. The result is powerful, stormy, heavily textured surf - a season for chargers, not for casual point-and-shoot sessions.