Conditions at L'Ideale in May
May: Flat Spells and Grovelers
May marks the start of the real summer flat season. Average swell height falls to around 2ft (0.6m) and the period drops to 4.5s, which puts most surf in the sub-5s, choppy category. The direction rose still shows WSW (15.4%) and SW (14.1%) as primary western windows, but the vast majority of these are under 3ft (1m). South (16.9%) and S/SSW/SW swells dominate the small-scale windswell spectrum, and none of it packs much punch. You need a stronger storm track - rare in May - to generate a clean 3-5ft (1-1.5m) WSW groundswell.
Ideal wind drops to 10%, and the stabilizing high-pressure regime means lighter morning winds but increasing afternoon sea breezes from the west and northwest. Air temps are pleasant at 17.8°C, water temps climb to 18.5°C, precipitation eases to 1.67mm/day. This is longboard and summer-spring suit territory; still, if a lingering cold front rotates through, the swell window can briefly come alive.
Average Spot conditions at L'Ideale in May
Swell history for May
Wind history for May
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at L'Ideale 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 L'Ideale for your next trip in May.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at L'Ideale 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 L'Ideale.