Newgale • Statistics for May

May: Small, Clean and Rippable

May brings classic late spring conditions. Average swell height bottoms out around 2-3ft (0.8m), period drops to 7.4s, and the surf becomes more dependent on local windswell and weaker Atlantic pulses. The swell rose still shows a strong western bias, with WSW at 29.8 percent and SW at 17.5 percent, but most of that energy is small; the 0.5-1m class dominates and anything above 2.5m is virtually absent. Periods in the 7s range are punchy but not powerful, so expect fun, rippable walls rather than hollow winter ledges. The saving grace is wind. Ideal offshore flow remains common at 11 percent, with the NNE through E sector contributing about 21 percent of the wind rose, while onshore WSW-SW winds ease to roughly 31 percent. The ocean warms to 11.8°C, air temperatures reach 11.1°C, precipitation averages 2.29 mm/day, and long daylight hours make May one of the most pleasant months for a smaller-wave Newgale session.