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Conditions at Cardiff Reef in December
December: Peak Season Arrives at Cardiff Reef
December is statistically one of the best surf months of the year at Cardiff Reef. The average swell height is around 3ft (1m) and the average period is 12.6s, but the distribution is what matters: W (54.6%) and WSW (28.9%) dominate, with SW (10.6%) and WNW (2.7%) adding variety. A solid portion of the W/WSW swell reaches 3-5ft (1-1.5m) and 5-7ft (1.5-2m), making for fun-to-firing waves at the west-southwest-facing beach.
Wind conditions are equally good. Ideal offshore winds from NE/ENE/E/ESE return in force, and the reported ideal wind time is 50 percent - tied for the best of the year. With winter storms moving across the North Pacific and high pressure occasionally building over the Great Basin, Cardiff gets frequent windows of clean, lined-up, long-period surf. The tradeoff is weather: air temperatures average 14.8°C, water drops to 15.4°C, and rain is common at 1.71 mm/day. If you time the storms right, December delivers some of the most consistent, powerful surf of the year.
Average Spot conditions at Cardiff Reef in December
Swell history for December
Wind history for December
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Cardiff Reef during December. 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 Cardiff Reef for your next trip in December.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Cardiff Reef for December. 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 Cardiff Reef.