Sunset Beach • Surf Spot Statistics

Best Surf Season (November - February)

The North Pacific roars to life from November through February, and Sunset Beach is the direct recipient of the heaviest groundswell of the year. A strong Aleutian Low and a southward-displaced storm track feed the Hawaiian Islands with repeated pulses from the N, NW and NNW. Average swell heights push toward 9ft (2.7m) with periods regularly above 11 seconds and often 12-plus. The trade-wind machine is at its calmest, giving ideal offshore wind windows 21-27% of the time. This is when Sunset's heavy, hallowed peaks are most likely to line up - big, powerful and, on the best days, perfectly groomed.

Fair Surf Season (March - April and September - October)

The transitional months are a mixed bag. March and April still offer plenty of size - around 7-8ft (2.2-2.5m) - but the swell window drifts toward the ENE/NE and the trades become more dominant, cutting ideal wind windows to as low as 16%. September and October see the opposite trend: size and period build back as the first North Pacific fronts arrive, and ideal wind windows recover to 23-26%. October, in particular, can deliver excellent early-season Sunset waves before the dead of winter.

Low Surf Season (May - August)

From May through August, the North Pacific High spreads westward and the islands settle into the summer trade-wind regime. Average swell heights drop to 5-6ft (1.5-1.8m) and periods shrink to 8-9 seconds, with the energy coming almost exclusively from the east and ENE - the wrong angle for Sunset Beach. Ideal offshore wind windows range from 9% to 21%, and the beach turns into a small-wave, longboard-friendly version of itself. May is the best of the low months; June through August is the true summer doldrums.