Guarita • Statistics for May

May: The Season Turns On

May marks the start of the proper surf season at Guarita. Average swell climbs to 1.7m (5.5-6ft) and the period jumps to 9.8s, the highest of the year. This is long-period groundswell territory and the wave quality reflects it. The direction distribution is the most balanced and southern of the year: S 18.1%, SSE 16.7%, ESE 13.7%, SE 13.4%, E 11.5%, ENE 10.5%, and SSW 5.2%, with SW finally appearing at 1%. The wind is much more favourable for a southeast-facing beach: ideal surfing wind is 51%, the strongest since summer's peak. NNW leads the offshore quadrant at 10.8%, with NW at 5.3%, WNW at 4.7% and W at 4.1%, while the competing SW through WSW sea breeze is counterbalanced by frontal passages. The result is more frequent clean, powerful surf in the 4-6ft (1.2-1.8m) range and plenty of 5-6.5ft (1.5-2m) sets. Air cools to 16.6°C, water temp drops to 20.4°C, and 3.72mm/day of rain keeps the hills green.