Conditions at Borkum in May
May: The Summer Lull Begins
May marks a clear drop into summer surf quality. Average swell height sits at 2-3ft (0.6-0.9m), average period falls to 5.6s, and ideal wind percentages bottom out at 8%. The swell direction is still strongly NNW at 29.3%, but the energy is overwhelmingly small: 14.0% of all observations are 0.5-1m from NNW alone, while the over-2m classes are negligible. The wind rose shows a shift toward the north-east quadrant, with ENE, NE and E winds contributing 8.8%, 8.2% and 6.7%; these cross-shore/offshore directions do little to build decent swell. The result is a month of small, short-period, often wind-affected waves. The good news is that water temperature climbs to 12.3°C and air temperatures average 11.9°C, so a spring wetsuit and an optimistic forecast check are the right moves. May is more about longboarding small peelers than serious hollow North Sea waves.
Average Spot conditions at Borkum in May
Swell history for May
Wind history for May
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Borkum 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 Borkum for your next trip in May.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Borkum 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 Borkum.