Daytona Beach • Statistics for July

July: Summer Micro-Surf

July is the absolute low point of the calendar for Daytona surf. The average swell height falls to just 1.3ft (0.4m), and the wave direction table is almost alarmingly one-sided: 56.5% of all wave energy comes from the ESE, and 45.2% of the total monthly observations are under 1.6ft (0.5m). East swell adds another 17.2%, but nearly all of it is too small to break with any meaningful power. The average period of 8.1s is a small consolation - when the wind is light, the small lines can still hold up as fun, mellow waves for a longboard, but conditions are a long way from firing.

July's winds are predominantly from the southerly quadrant - SSW and SW both top 12% - which are technically offshore-to-sideshore and can clean the surface if a swell appears. In practice, however, the Bermuda High parks far to the east and sends consistent E/SE trade flow, and the afternoon seabreeze usually adds onshore chop. With water temperatures at a balmy 27.7°C and frequent afternoon thunderstorms (5.49mm/day), July is best described as pool-cue flat.