Lance's Right (HTs) Swell Window

Mentawai Islands, Indonesia · part of the Lance's Right (HTs) spot guide

Swell window (from): 205°–320° (SSW–NW)
Best direction: ~220° (SW)
Period sweet spot: 12–18 s
Open-ocean height (Hs): 3–12 ft
Resulting faces: 3–12 ft

Open-ocean vs. the face: the heights on buoys and forecast models are significant wave height (Hs) in deep water. What you ride is the breaking face, which depends on period, direction and this break's bathymetry — that's why the two rows above differ. PierMonkey's spot ratings already do this conversion for you.

The window runs from southwest through west, with the money band on long-period south-southwest around 205–240° — the angle that lights the amplifying wrap around the point. Wider west still delivers but less cleanly. Longer period means a better wrap and more push over the reef; short-period or poorly-angled swell under-delivers.

Because the reef refracts and focuses energy, the breaking face commonly runs at or a bit above the open-ocean height on a well-angled long-period swell. Read the alert threshold as open-ocean height, not the face.

The storm corridor

Typical swell corridor to Lance's Right (HTs): Roaring Forties lows sending long-period SW groundswell that wraps the point at Sipora — Typical swell corridor (schematic straight line): Roaring Forties lows sending long-period SW groundswell that wraps the point at Sipora.