Gorleston on Sea Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s on offer for our local stretch.

To be honest, looking at the next 16 days, it’s a pretty flat spell for us. The waves are going to be a real struggle for most of the window. The first bit of any real swell energy doesn't show up until around the 3rd of August, but even then, the conditions are poor. This is a long stretch of very small, messy surf, and it’s going to be a waiting game. The water is sitting at 66° on the 28th of July, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least the water’s nice.

Gorleston on Sea

The first few days are a write-off. The 28th of July has a tiny 2ft southerly swell with a period of just 4 seconds – that’s windswell, and it’s choppy. The next day, the 29th, drops to 0.7ft. It’s a dead start.

We finally see a tiny pulse of energy on the 3rd of August, with a 3ft swell from the ENE and a 6-second period, but with a cross-onshore wind, it’s going to be a mess. There’s a bit more energy (73) in the water on the 3rd afternoon, but it’s still onshore and not surfable quality.

The best chance, and I’m using that word loosely, looks like the morning of the 6th of August. The swell is only 2ft from the NE, but it’s glassy. That’s a rare moment of clean conditions, but the wave height is barely enough to get wet. That afternoon, the swell jumps to 4ft from the north with a 7-second period and the combined energy hits 123 (moderate), but it’s an onshore wind, so expect a bumpy, ugly wall.

The 7th and 8th of August see a bit more size, with 3ft to 2ft from the NNE, but the wind is a fresh cross-onshore, creating lumpy, choppy conditions. Not worth paddling for.

After the 8th, it drops right back off. The 10th of August morning has a clean, cross-offshore wind, but the swell is only 1.0ft. The 12th of August is the same story – tiny, clean, but utterly flat.

There is one standout session, but it’s not a classic. If you are desperate for a paddle and a glassy surface, the Thursday morning, 6th of August is the only time the wind is fully offshore and the water is glassy. The swell is tiny at 2ft, and the break is *inconsistent*, so it’s a gamble. But for a beginner looking for a safe, clean knee-high wave, it’s the best of a bad bunch. The swell direction is NE, which is fine for the exposure, but don’t expect any power.

Honestly, for most of this period, the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, especially when the wind picks up and the 3ft+ swell combines with choppy onshore conditions. The 3rd and 6th of August afternoons are prime examples.

Rusty.

Read more