Conditions at Cave in May
May: Shoulder-Season Fun With a Chance of Glass
May signals a clear shift toward smaller, less organised surf. The average swell height falls to 5.6ft (1.7m) and the period drops below 10s to 9.9s, so energy levels become more average and punchy rather than powerful. The direction statistics still show abundant NNW and NW swell, but much of it is shorter-period windswell and smaller groundswell; direct W and WSW swell makes up an increasingly important quality share. Ideal E/NE offshore winds are down to 18%, and the wind rose is dominated by strong NNW flow at 36.5%. Air temps reach 16.7°C, water temp is 16.5°C and rainfall is 1.48mm/day. It is a month for grovelling on a fish or hybrid, picking the dawn windows when the north wind drops and waiting for the occasional clean westerly swell.
Average Spot conditions at Cave in May
Swell history for May
Wind history for May
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Cave 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 Cave for your next trip in May.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Cave 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 Cave.