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Conditions at Playa Tivives in May
May: Maximum Period, Minimal Size
May marks the true onset of the rainy season, and Playa Tivives begins to lose its clean surf windows. The average wave period hits 14.5s - tied for the year's longest - as the Southern Ocean storm track produces long-period energy from the S/SSW/SW quadrant. Indeed, SSW swell accounts for 71.3% of observations, with S at 17.9% and SW at 8.8%. But the swell height is still marginal: average 1ft (0.3m), and 99.1% of the wave distribution sits below 1.6ft (0.5m). The wind story turns negative: offshore N/NNE/NE/ENE flow drops to about 8%, while onshore S/SSW/SW/WSW reaches 40% and rainfall jumps to 5.4mm/day. Water temperature peaks around 29.7°C. May is a month of long-period, small-amplitude southern pulses, almost always under a wind-affected surface.
Average Spot conditions at Playa Tivives in May
Swell history for May
Wind history for May
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Playa Tivives 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 Playa Tivives for your next trip in May.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Playa Tivives 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 Playa Tivives.