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Best Time to Ride · Surfing · May

Where to go surfing in May

The 30 best surfing spots in May, ranked by wave height.

Find the best time to goTap a spot to see when to go: wind, waves, water temperature, sun and rain in every month, from years of weather statistics.

Updated October 2026 · weather data 2022–2026

In short

Best for surfing in May: Le Morne (Mauritius), Tahiti – Teahupo'o (French Polynesia) & Tavarua – Cloudbreak (Fiji).
Water at the top 10: 23–29°C.
Warm enough for no wetsuit: Le Morne, Tahiti – Teahupo'o & Tavarua – Cloudbreak.
For beginners: Canggu – Batu Bolong, Weligama & Noosa – Noosa River.

Le MorneMauritius · water 27°C · air 27°C2.5 m wavesIntermediate and up · no wetsuit · ✈ MRU 39 km 2

Tahiti – Teahupo'oFrench Polynesia · water 28°C · air 29°C2.5 m wavesAdvanced only · no wetsuit · ✈ PPT 51 km 3

Tavarua – CloudbreakFiji · water 29°C · air 29°C2 m wavesAdvanced only · no wetsuit · ✈ NAN 30 km 4

Oahu – PipelineUnited States · water 25°C · air 27°C2 m wavesAdvanced only · no wetsuit · ✈ HNL 41 km 5

Canggu – Batu BolongIndonesia · water 29°C · air 31°C1.9 m wavesBeginner-friendly · no wetsuit · ✈ DPS 11 km 6

WeligamaSri Lanka · water 29°C · air 30°C1.9 m wavesBeginner-friendly · no wetsuit · ✈ KCT 12 km 7

Kauai – Hanalei BayUnited States · water 25°C · air 25°C1.9 m wavesIntermediate and up · no wetsuit · ✈ LIH 32 km 8

Noosa – Noosa RiverAustralia · water 23°C · air 23°C2.1 m wavesBeginner-friendly · shorty · ✈ MCY 22 km 9

Oahu – Kailua BeachUnited States · water 25°C · air 27°C1.9 m wavesIntermediate and up · no wetsuit · ✈ HNL 22 km 10

UluwatuIndonesia · water 29°C · air 30°C1.8 m wavesAdvanced only · no wetsuit · ✈ DPS 11 km 11

LancelinAustralia · water 22°C · air 23°C2.7 m wavesIntermediate and up · shorty · ✈ PER 119 km 12

Puerto Escondido – ZicatelaMexico · water 29°C · air 34°C1.7 m wavesAdvanced only · no wetsuit · ✈ PXM 4 km 13

Margaret River – Surfers PointAustralia · water 21°C · air 20°C2.5 m wavesAdvanced only · 3/2 wetsuit · ✈ PER 244 km 14

Oahu – HaleiwaUnited States · water 26°C · air 27°C1.7 m wavesIntermediate and up · no wetsuit · ✈ HNL 36 km 15

TaghazoutMorocco · water 19°C · air 27°C2 m wavesBeginner-friendly · 3/2 wetsuit · ✈ AGA 38 km 16

Sal – Kite BeachCabo Verde · water 24°C · air 27°C1.7 m wavesIntermediate and up · shorty · ✈ SID 15 km 17

AhiparaNew Zealand · water 18°C · air 18°C2.5 m wavesBeginner-friendly · 4/3 wetsuit · ✈ KAT 16 km 18

Jeffreys Bay – SupertubesSouth Africa · water 18°C · air 22°C3.4 m wavesAdvanced only · 4/3 wetsuit · ✈ PLZ 63 km 19

Mentawai Islands – MacaronisIndonesia · water 31°C · air 30°C1.5 m wavesIntermediate and up · no wetsuit · ✈ PDG 225 km 20

Raglan – Manu BayNew Zealand · water 18°C · air 17°C2.4 m wavesIntermediate and up · 4/3 wetsuit · ✈ HLZ 46 km 21

PihaNew Zealand · water 17°C · air 18°C2.1 m wavesIntermediate and up · 4/3 wetsuit · ✈ AKL 29 km 22

Maui – Honolua BayUnited States · water 26°C · air 27°C1.5 m wavesAdvanced only · no wetsuit · ✈ JHM 7 km 23

New Plymouth – Fitzroy BeachNew Zealand · water 17°C · air 16°C2.3 m wavesBeginner-friendly · 4/3 wetsuit · ✈ NPL 8 km 24

MuriwaiNew Zealand · water 17°C · air 17°C2.1 m wavesIntermediate and up · 4/3 wetsuit · ✈ AKL 38 km 25

Kanaha Beach Park – MauiUnited States · water 25°C · air 28°C1.5 m wavesIntermediate and up · no wetsuit · ✈ OGG 0 km 26

Taranaki – Stent RoadNew Zealand · water 17°C · air 16°C2.3 m wavesAdvanced only · 4/3 wetsuit · ✈ NPL 43 km 27

Maui – Ho'okipaUnited States · water 25°C · air 28°C1.5 m wavesAdvanced only · no wetsuit · ✈ OGG 9 km 28

OpunakeNew Zealand · water 17°C · air 16°C2.2 m wavesIntermediate and up · 4/3 wetsuit · ✈ NPL 57 km 29

Gisborne – Wainui BeachNew Zealand · water 17°C · air 17°C2.2 m wavesBeginner-friendly · 4/3 wetsuit · ✈ GIS 9 km 30

MuizenbergSouth Africa · water 16°C · air 19°C3 m wavesBeginner-friendly · 4/3 wetsuit · ✈ CPT 19 km

The 30 spots with the best surfing conditions in May, from years of weather data, ranked by wave height and, a little, warm water. Wave height: average daily maximum.

Questions

Where is the best surfing in May?

Le Morne (Mauritius): 2.5 m waves; Tahiti – Teahupo'o (French Polynesia): 2.5 m waves; Tavarua – Cloudbreak (Fiji): 2 m waves.

Where is the water warm in May?

Mentawai Islands – Macaronis: 31°C, no wetsuit; Canggu – Batu Bolong: 29°C, no wetsuit; Uluwatu: 29°C, no wetsuit.

Where can beginners go surfing in May?

Good spots for beginners this month: Canggu – Batu Bolong, Weligama & Noosa – Noosa River.

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