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Conditions at St Ives in May
May: Small But Clean
May is officially shoulder season. Average swell height eases to 1.4m (4-5ft) and average period drops to 9.1s, meaning more windswell and less true groundswell. The swell rose is still dominated by W (24.5%) and WSW (17.4%), with WNW (12.9%) offering the best direction for the beach. Waves are mostly in the 0.5-1.5m range, with some fun 1.5-2m sets from W/WSW. Wind patterns become more variable and sea breezes start to feature: NNW is the biggest single direction at 11.2%, and that is onshore, while offshore SSW/SW/WSW winds combine for a decent chunk of clean windows. The ideal-wind percentage settles at 19%. Water temperatures creep up to 11.9°C, air temps average 11.9°C with occasional sunny interludes, and precipitation drops to under 2mm/day. Expect small but clean surf, especially in the mornings before the northwesterly sea breeze kicks up.
Average Spot conditions at St Ives in May
Swell history for May
Wind history for May
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at St Ives 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 St Ives for your next trip in May.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at St Ives 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 St Ives.