Conditions at Arenillas in May
May: Summer Lull Settles Over the Bay
May is the beginning of the summer lull, but the wave rose still leans heavily on NW and NNW. The average swell height is 3-4ft (1.1m) and the period falls to 10.0s. The distribution is telling: NW makes up 53.2% of the swell, NNW 21.9% and WNW 15.0%, but most of those waves are in the 0.5-1.5m range - fun and rippable, but not powerful. The ideal wind window remains at just 30%, and this is the real bottleneck. The thermal regime begins to set in, with ENE (9.0%), E (7.5%) and NE (5.4%) winds totalling a significant onshore component, while the northwesterly sea breeze (WNW 15.6%) is often too strong and not offshore. S/SSW/SW winds only combine for around 8.7% of the time, so clean sessions are rare. Air temperatures rise to 15.2°C, precipitation is 2.05mm/day and water temp is 16.0°C. A 3/2 wetsuit and a groveler or high-performance shortboard will be your friends.
Average Spot conditions at Arenillas in May
Swell history for May
Wind history for May
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Arenillas 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 Arenillas for your next trip in May.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Arenillas 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 Arenillas.