Folkestone Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, gather 'round. Rusty here, and I've been staring at the charts for our little corner of the world, and honestly? It's a bit of a tough stretch. The finder is not spitting out any proper recommendations, so we're in for a dry spell. Don't get too down, though; this stretch of coast is a fickle mistress, and it tends not to stay flat forever.

Looking at the whole 16-day window, the pattern is pretty clear: lots of onshore and cross-shore winds smashing up what little swell we get. The water temp is sitting around 64°F, which is a solid 5°F above normal – that's much warmer than usual for this time of year, so the boardies will feel fine even if the waves won't.

We kick off on Wednesday, the 8th of July, and it's a write-off. A tiny 0.3ft groundswell from the southwest with a measly 4-second period and a combined energy of just 2. It's pathetic. The wind is a cross-shore from the east, so it's just messy. That sets the tone for the next several days. Thursday and Friday are flat with no energy, just choppy onshore slop. Saturday the 11th gives us a bump to 2ft from the NE, but the energy is still weak at 18 and that NE wind is 15-19 mph, so it's a lumpy mess.

There's a bit of a pulse around Sunday the 12th with swell hitting 5ft from the NE. The energy jumps to 161, but listen, that wind is howling from the NE at 25 mph, creating a messy cross-chop. That's not for paddling; that's kite-surfing territory. It stays in that zone of 5ft to 5ft through to Tuesday the 14th, but it's all blown out by that persistent NE wind. The spot is Folkestone, a beach and reef setup that's inconsistent and sheltered, and the optimum direction is SW, so we're getting the wrong angle anyway.

We finally catch a break towards the end of the second week. On Monday morning the 20th of July, we get a small 2ft swell from the NE, but the key here is wind. We've got a moderate offshore breeze from the NNW. That’s clean. The combined energy is still weak at 14, but it’s clean surf. The afternoon gets even better – light N winds, 3ft from the NE. That's your best chance for a couple of little glassy peelers.

Tuesday the 21st is a similar story. Morning sees 3ft from the ENE with light, clean winds from the north, and the energy is a tad better at 30. It’s small but it'll be the cleanest waves of the whole period. Get out early before the dreaded SW wind swings around in the afternoon and ruins it.

So, to wrap it up: don't even bother for the first week and a half. The standout is hands-down Monday the 20th and Tuesday the 21st of July. The swell is small, but the offshore and glassy wind means you'll at least get a few clean runners at a sheltered spot. Keep your expectations low, but your hopes high.

Rusty.

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