Capbreton • Statistics for May

May: Fun-Sized Swells and Springtime Texture

May is where summer starts to tug at the edges of the surf season. Average swell height drops to 3ft (1.0m) and the average period is 10.1s, so the punch begins to fade. The direction, however, is still extremely favorable: WNW and NW together account for over 90% of all swell observations, with NW direction dominating at 50.1%. That means most of the waves are northwest windswell/low-pressure pulses, not the long Atlantic groundswells of winter. The height distribution shows a strong peak in the 0.5-1m range-about 44% of all waves-with a healthy slice of 1-1.5m waves around 28%: classic small-to-fun conditions. If a proper low tracks further south, 6-10ft (2-3m) days still occur occasionally, but they are the exception. Ideal wind occurs only 20% of the time, and the north/northwest sea breeze is increasingly regular: NNW, NW and WNW winds together approach 44% of all surface wind, most commonly 10-30kph. These cross/onshore winds tend to texture the surface and make the smaller waves more difficult to ride. The payoff is spring weather: air temperature averages 15.3°C, water hits 16.3°C, and there is less rain. Bring a smaller board, choose the morning offshore window, and enjoy some fun, playful sandbar surfing.