Cave Rock • Statistics for February

February: More of the Same - Slightly Longer Lulls

February brings little relief from the summer pattern. The average swell height remains 1.6m (5.2ft) and the period ticks up slightly to 9.4s, but the ideal wind stays at a poor 20%. NE winds again take the top spot at 24.4%, with SSW close behind at 16%. The swell direction shifts a bit more to the east: E at 23.7%, ESE at 24.2%, and SE at 19.3%, meaning the wave rose is packed with short-period, high-frequency junk. The most common wave heights remain the 1-1.5m and 1.5-2m categories, but S swell only accounts for 7.1% and SSW a negligible 0.2%. Water temperature climbs to 25.7°C, air to 25.1°C, and rainfall stays high at 3.3mm/day. When a rare frontal system pushes mixed S/SSW groundswell against the NE trades, Cave Rock can still throw out a few contest-worthy walls - but those days are few and far between. Most of the month is a lesson in reading a messy sea surface.