Crash Boat • Statistics for August

August: Late-Summer Calm (And Hurricane Season)

August remains in the low-surf regime for Crash Boat. The average height is 1.0m (3ft) and the period a weak 7.1s. The swell direction is still locked in from the ENE (61.7%) and E (19.6%), with the vast majority of waves arriving in the 0.5-1m range. With such short periods and marginal size, surf quality is low. However, August marks the beginning of the tropical calendar, and it's not entirely unusual for a passing hurricane or tropical wave to deliver a burst of longer-period energy - usually from the southeast or south, which can be more favourable if it swings into the SSW-SW window.

Winds remain predominantly offshore - ENE comprises 41.1% and E 30.3% - keeping the beach surface relatively clean. The ideal-wind rating is 59%, indicating frequent lighter wind days. Water temperature tops out for the year at 29.0°C and air temps sit near 27.9°C. While the average surfer will struggle to find a good wave, the possibility of a tropical storm moving through the central Atlantic adds a glimmer of hope to this otherwise slow month.