Gold Beach • Statistics for December

December: The Winter Peak Arrives

December is the statistical peak of the surf year at Gold Beach. Average swell heights hit 9ft (2.7m) and the average period stretches to 12.9s - the same heavy combination as January, but with December's ideal wind percentage at 30 percent. The swell direction is primarily west-northwest to west, with WNW at 17.3 percent, W at 14.2 percent, NW at 8.2 percent and WSW at 5.7 percent. More importantly, the WSW and W swells that hit this beach best are a consistent presence, and the long 12-13s periods turn the exposed banks into powerful, grinding surf. Storms and strong fronts dominate the weather: average air temp drops to 7.5°C, precipitation is the wettest of the year at 9.83mm/day, and water temp settles at 10.5°C. South and SSE winds are common during the storms, but the same post-frontal pressure gradients also set up strong NE/E offshore winds, and those are the windows that turn the winter chaos into world-class Gold Beach waves. December is big, cold and wet - but for many surfers it is also the most exciting month of the year.