Cave Rock • Statistics for January

January: Summer Doldrums and Onshore Trade Winds

January is the heart of the South African summer and it shows in the statistics. The average wave height holds at 1.6m (5.2ft), but the period is a mediocre 8.9s, and the wind is ideal for surfing only 16% of the time. The wind rose is dominated by NE (26%) and SSW (16.7%), both of which are onshore or cross-onshore for this SE-facing reef. To make things worse, the swell is almost entirely trapped in the E-ESE-SE quadrant, with E at 22.8% and ESE at 18.7%. These are classic trade windswell directions - short, choppy and full of energy but frustratingly sectiony. The 1-1.5m (3.3-4.9ft) and 1.5-2m (4.9-6.6ft) bands are equally represented, but the longer-period S and SSW pulses are rare (only 12% and 0.5% respectively). With water temps at a balmy 25.3°C and air temps averaging 24.5°C, it feels tropical - but the surf is more suited to groveling on a funboard than locking into a world-class barrel. Keep your expectations low and your wax warm.