Conditions at Yerbabuena in May
May: Groveling Toward Summer
By May the character of the surf takes a laid-back turn. Average swell height drops to 3.3ft (1.0m) and period falls to 8.2s, so most days sit in the small, fun-sized, groveling category. The wave distribution is still dominated by WNW at 46.1% and W at 21.1%, but the period quality has deteriorated: much of this is short-period windswell rather than organized groundswell. E windswell is also present at 15.2%. True S/SW swell falls to less than half a percent, which means Yerbabuena rarely gets the direct swell it loves during May.
Winds are lean for surfers, with ideal offshore conditions just 25% of the time. East-southeast thermal flow becomes a daily ritual, with E at 21.7% and ESE at 11.1%, while W at 15.6% and WNW at 10.8% act as cross-shore spoilers. Air temperature reaches 18.1°C, water temperature 18.0°C, and rainfall drops sharply to 0.95mm/day. For the dedicated, dawn patrol on a high-tide push is the best chance of finding clean, fun-sized waves.
Average Spot conditions at Yerbabuena in May
Swell history for May
Wind history for May
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Yerbabuena 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 Yerbabuena for your next trip in May.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Yerbabuena 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 Yerbabuena.