- Home
- ...Africa
Cape Verde- Alibaba
Conditions at Alibaba in May
May: Summer Lull Sets In
May is where the Cape Verdean surf season loses its winter punch. Average wave height is down to 6ft (1.8m) and the period has dropped to 8.7s, categorizing the surf as average, punchy and rideable rather than powerful. The swell direction is now overwhelmingly NNE at 72.9%, with N swell at 15.5% and NNW at 6.6%. This is pure trade-wind swell for the most part - generated by the strong NE winds blowing over a long fetch - but it comes from the wrong side of the compass for Alibaba. Most of the energy is refracted or shadowed, and the spot loses the consistency it had in the winter months.
The trades are still howling: NNE wind dominates at 68.4%, with NE at 23.5%, and speeds in the 20-40kph range are frequent. Only 7% of the time does the wind fall into the ideal window, so the summer lull in wave quality is compounded by bumpy trade textures. Water has warmed to 23.0°C, air temps average 22.2°C and rainfall is almost non-existent at 0.16mm/day. Expect groveling, short-period waves and a lot of effort for not much reward.
Average Spot conditions at Alibaba in May
Swell history for May
Wind history for May
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Alibaba during May. Based on historical data, there is a % probability of groundswell occurring this month. The chart below provides a detailed breakdown of the average wave height distribution, offering deep insights into the swell quality and surf potential you can expect at Alibaba for your next trip in May.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Alibaba for May. Our analysis shows that favorable offshore or side-shore winds coincide with surfable swell approximately % of the time. The accompanying graph illustrates the average size distribution of waves during these optimal wind windows at Alibaba.