New Smyrna Beach Swell Window
Florida, USA · part of the New Smyrna Beach spot guide
- Swell window (from)
- 30°–170° (NNE–S)
- Best direction
- ~60° (ENE)
- Period sweet spot
- 7–11 s
- Open-ocean height (Hs)
- 1–6 ft
- Resulting faces
- 1–8 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 is open to the Atlantic from the north-northeast through east to south-southeast, with the money direction northeast to east-northeast — ENE swells feed the inlet bars cleanest and can boost size near the jetty. The bars work even on short-period windswell, so the period sweet spot is a modest 7-to-11 seconds; nor’easter windswell often runs 6-to-9, hurricane groundswell 9-to-12.
Buoy height and breaking face are not the same number here: the inlet amplification means the face can meet or exceed a modest offshore reading. It tops out around an eight-foot face before it over-powers the bars and closes out.