Conditions at Bundoran in May
May: Late Spring Lull
By May, the North Atlantic quietens considerably. Average swell height drops to around 3ft (0.9m) and period slides into the 9.6s range, producing mostly windswell and fading groundswell rather than the long, powerful lines of winter. The wave rose still points squarely at W-WNW-NW, but the energy is concentrated in the 0.5-1m class. Smaller, fun-sized waves are the norm, often down in the 2-3ft range and better suited to grovelers and high-performance shortboards than heavy-wave chargers.
Ideal offshore winds fall to 26 percent, while westerly and southwesterly breezes persist. Still, May offers some of the first mild surf days of the year: average air temperature climbs to 10.2°C and water warms to 11.6°C, so the occasional clean, waist-to-shoulder-high day with no crowds is well within reach. Keep expectations low and boards high in volume.
Average Spot conditions at Bundoran in May
Swell history for May
Wind history for May
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Bundoran 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 Bundoran for your next trip in May.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Bundoran 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 Bundoran.