Conditions at Les Sables d'Or in May
May: Small But Slick
May is where the summer doldrums start to take hold, but the swell angles remain textbook. Average swell height falls to 3ft (1.0m) and average period to 10.1s, as the North Atlantic storm track weakens and shifts north. The wave rose is still superb for Les Sables d'Or, with NW (50.1 percent) and WNW (40.8 percent) combining for over 90 percent of all swell. The catch is the size: nearly three-quarters of the month's waves sit in the small-to-fun-sized 2-5ft (0.5-1.5m) range, and truly head-high waves become the exception rather than the rule.
The wind share for clean offshore conditions drops to 23 percent, while the prevailing W, WNW, NW and NNW breezes blow onshore more often. That said, May can still deliver glassy dawn sessions on a longboard when a light ESE morning wind lines up. Air temperatures average 15.3°C, water warms to 16.2°C, and the lighter rainfall (2.7mm/day) makes it a more pleasant time to be out - even if the surf is smaller.
Average Spot conditions at Les Sables d'Or in May
Swell history for May
Wind history for May
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Les Sables d'Or 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 Les Sables d'Or for your next trip in May.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Les Sables d'Or 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 Les Sables d'Or.