Rosie's Bay • Statistics for May

May: The Lull Takes Hold

May is when the summer doldrums begin to stretch across the North Pacific, and Rosie's Bay feels it. The average swell height falls to 1.5m (5ft) with a period of 11.7s - still rideable but no longer pumping. The swell direction is almost exclusively westerly, with WSW at 34.7% and W at 31.6%, plus SW at 16.2% and SSW at 5.8% - over 88% of the energy in the optimal window. But the wind becomes the enemy. Ideal offshore winds drop to just 25% as onshore WNW flow dominates at 22.4%, with NW at 13.3% and W at 11.6%. These directions spell wind-chopped, lumpy conditions for the west-facing beach. Air temperatures warm to 10.5°C, water rises to 11.5°C, and precipitation falls to a spring-like 2.7mm/day. Surfing is still possible on the smaller days, especially when a late-season low swings through and delivers a clean W groundswell before the onshore wind kicks up. But expect grovelly, small-wave sessions.