Conditions at Impossibles in May
May: Groundswell Season Hits Its Stride
May sees a significant leap in both swell size and period. Average height jumps to 6.2ft (1.9m) and the period extends to 14.1s, with the SSE direction now supplying 11.4% and S another 31%. SSW continues its dominance at 44.8%. The energy distribution skews toward the 5-6.5ft and 6.5-8ft bins-over 40% of waves are 5-6.5ft (1.5-2m) and 25% exceed 6.5ft (2m). This is pumping, powerful surf. The trade winds are in full effect, with ESE flow at 55.4% and SE at 17.1%, but ideal wind sits at 61%-the strong trades are cross-shore enough not to fully ruin the groom, and the lack of any W/NW wind (less than 1%) is a huge bonus. Rain falls to just 2.22mm/day, water temp drops to 28.8°C, and the lineup is consistently busy with clean, long-period SSW groundswell.
Average Spot conditions at Impossibles in May
Swell history for May
Wind history for May
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Impossibles 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 Impossibles for your next trip in May.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Impossibles 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 Impossibles.