Bamburgh Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Gutted, folks. I’ve been staring at the charts for the next couple of weeks and, honestly, it’s a tough stretch for anyone wanting to get a wave here at Bamburgh. We’ve got a real flat spell to start, then the ocean wakes up but it’s messy as hell.

First things first, the water's sitting at 59°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no shock to the system when you get in. But you won’t be getting in for a surf for a while. From now through to the 18th of August, there’s just nothing doing. Swell heights are stuck down at 0.7ft to 1ft, with weak energy readings of 10 or so. It’s a total lake out there. You might get a glassy morning on the 17th, but with no waves to push, it’s just a calm sea.

The first sign of life comes on the morning of Tuesday the 19th, but even then, it’s weak. We’re looking at 2ft of northeast swell with a short 8-second period, and only 73 units of that combined energy. It’s what I’d call marginal at best. The wind is cross-offshore from the west, so it will be clean, but there’s just not enough push. It stays poor through the 20th, with a bit more size on the 21st, but the wind swings onshore from the north, chopping it up.

Now, here’s the kicker. It’s not the size that’s the problem, it’s the wind. The 22nd sees real swell finally arrive—6ft to 7ft of north-northeast swell pushing the energy up to 599 and then 747 units. That’s decent power. But it’s all being wasted. We’ve got moderate to fresh onshore cross-winds, and the wave comment for the whole stretch just keeps saying “poor surf conditions.” The period is only 9 to 10 seconds, so it’s not the cleanest groundswell, and with that wind, it’s going to be lumpy and sectiony. This is a beach break, so all that north-northeast energy just turns into a closey-outy mess.

The 25th is when things get properly stupid. Swell cranks up to 10ft in the morning with a massive 1636 units of energy, but it’s accompanied by a strong breeze at 28 mph straight onshore. That’s not surfing waves, that’s survival. It's over 8ft, so it's expert-only territory anyway, but with that wind, even the experts will be staying in. Honestly, if you’ve got a kite, this might be more interesting than a surfboard. It’s a washing machine.

We see a little drop in wind on the 26th, down to 9 mph, but it’s still cross-onshore, and the wave’s still 7ft. It’s messy. The only glimmer of hope comes right at the end of the period, on the morning of the 27th of August. Swell drops to a more manageable 6ft and the wind goes light and cross-shore, which gives us a “marginal surf forecast” instead of just “poor.” It’ll be the best of a bad bunch, but it’s still a north-northeast swell with a 9-second period—not exactly the clean NE groundswell this place loves. After that, it fades back down to nothing.

So, bottom line: there is no standout day here. Nothing I’d tell you to cancel work for. The swell comes, but the wind ruins it every single time. It’s a real shame, because there’s some proper power in that water on the 25th, but it’s just blown to bits. Keep your eye on that morning of the 27th, but don’t hold your breath. The long-range stuff is a bit less certain anyway, but as it stands, I’d be looking for other things to do for the next two weeks.

Rusty.

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