Folkestone Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(South Coast of England, UK)

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Spot Information

Folkestone Surf Guide

Folkestone on the South Coast is a sheltered beach and reef break that only works when conditions are just right. Winter is the best time of year for surfing here. Works best in offshore winds from the northwest. Usually gets local windswells, but groundswells do happen and the ideal wave angle is from the southwest. The beach breaks offer lefts and rights. Best around mid tide. The water quality here is rather suspect.

Folkestone Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach and reef	3	inconsistent	12.4°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Folkestone:

The best conditions reported for surf at Folkestone occur when a Southwest swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the Northwest.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Folkestone (for consistent clean waves)?

januaryBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing Folkestone with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of January. Clean surfable waves are typically found 1% of the time in January while 4% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 94% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

94%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Folkestone Location Map

Interactive Folkestone surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Folkestone is Lydd Airport (LYX) in U.k., 22 km (14 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Folkestone is Manston Airport (MSE) in England, 32 km (20 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Folkestone Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Wednesday, 6 May 2026, 14:57 Local Time

m, °C	Wednesday 06			Thu
ft, °F	4PM	7PM	10PM	1AM
Wave (m)	NE	NE	NE	NE
Period (s)	5	4	4	5
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross	cross	cross	cross

What does Folkestone look like?

Latest photos from Folkestone. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: O Fred Preston

Tides at Folkestone

Current tide and informaton

For Folkestone, 1 km from Folkestone.

Next High Water: 03:01am | 5.85m

Next Low Water: 09:46pm | 1.28m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Folkestone Sea Temperature

The water temperature (12.4 °C) at Folkestone is quite cold. If the sun shines as forecast, it should feel warm enough to get away with a good sealed spring wetsuit but you won't overheat in a winter wetsuit, gloves boots and a hood. Effective windchill factor of (10.0 °C).

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit, a neoprene hood, gloves and boots.

Current Temp*: 12.4°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

View Sea Temp Map

Swell History at Folkestone

Surf stats for Folkestone, see the swell variation by month or season on the history page here.

Average Swell

View Swell Statistics

Wind History at Folkestone

Wind stats for Folkestone, see the variation in direction and stength by month or season on the history page here.

Average Wind

View Wind Statistics

Folkestone Reviews:

Interactive Porthcawl Point location map. View nearby buoy information, live wind conditions and surrounding roads, paths and locations to help find new breaks. Click the buoys or wind icon to view more information.

Ratings

Based on 3 votes.

Overall:3.0
Quality on a good day:2.7
Consistency of Surf:1.7
Difficulty Level:3.0
Wind and Kite Surfing:1.0
Crowds:2.0
...

See all 18 ratings

Review

Impartial reviews submitted by Surf-Forecast users.

Jeremy Bill from United Kingdom

“Good when good, lays dormant about 340 days of the year.”

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