San Pancho • Statistics for May

May: SW Swell on the Rise, Best Left for the Beach

May sees the swell pattern lock into its unfavourable spring/summer mode. Average height is 1.1m (3.5ft) and average period remains a healthy 14.0s, but the direction is all wrong: WSW takes 46.0%, SW 43.3%, and SSW 1.4%, while W dwindles to 8.9% and WNW to 0.4%. Direct W/WNW/NW/NNW energy amounts to less than 10% of the wave rose, so San Pancho is effectively shadowed from the useful swell. The 1-1.5m (3-5ft) class still accounts for many readings, but those waves are predominantly SW/WSW groundswell with poor exposure. Wind conditions are also poor for surf quality: ideal offshore flow is only 2% of the time, with NNW (29.9%), NW (22.2%), WNW (21.1%) and W (12.3%) contributing to a messy, generally cross/onshore regime. Water temp climbs to 26.9°C, air averages 26.2°C, and rain is minimal at 0.28 mm/day. The odd clean day can be found, but May is not the month to plan a San Pancho surf trip around.