Gold Beach • Statistics for October

October: The North Pacific Wakes Up

October is where Gold Beach really starts to fire again. Average swell heights rise to 6.5ft (2.0m) and the average period extends to 11.8s, a solid step toward long-period winter groundswell. The first strong extratropical lows of the season push WNW and NW swells through the region at 32.0 percent and 20.2 percent respectively, while W swells check in at 17.1 percent. The WSW-facing beach will see the W and WSW components wrapping in nicely, while the pure WNW swells add size and power even if the angle isn't perfect. Wind is a big story in October: ideal wind time reaches 29 percent, with NNE winds at 18.4 percent, NNW at 15.3 percent, and E/ENE/NE breezes becoming more common. There are still onshore S/SSE events, but the high-pressure windows are more frequent, producing clean, lined-up autumn surf. Weather is transitional - air temp 12.3°C, rain at 3.45mm/day, water temp 11.5°C - and the combination of increasing swell and improving winds makes October one of the most consistent months of the shoulder season.