Conditions at Salinas in March
March: Winter Power with a Spring Twist
March begins to shift gears. Average swell drops slightly to 5ft (1.5m) but the period stays solid at 11.9s, so there is still plenty of push. The direction window remains heavily favorable: NW 43%, NNW 21.5% and WNW 14% combine for the overwhelming majority of open-ocean swell. Height-wise, the 3-5ft (1-1.5m) range is the most common, but there is still a good share of 5-8ft (1.5-2.5m) NW groundswell, especially early in the month. Ideal wind drops to 51% as the Azores High starts to flex and the prevailing flow tilts more toward ENE. Water is a cool 12.9°C and air temps have crept up to 10.2°C. The basic message: still plenty of classic Salinas days, just slightly less consistent than January and February.
Average Spot conditions at Salinas in March
Swell history for March
Wind history for March
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Salinas during March. Based on historical data, there is a % probability of groundswell occurring this month. The chart below provides a detailed breakdown of the average wave height distribution, offering deep insights into the swell quality and surf potential you can expect at Salinas for your next trip in March.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Salinas for March. Our analysis shows that favorable offshore or side-shore winds coincide with surfable swell approximately % of the time. The accompanying graph illustrates the average size distribution of waves during these optimal wind windows at Salinas.