Happisburgh Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, looking at the North Norfolk coast. Gotta be straight with you, it's a tough stretch coming up. The outlook is looking pretty bleak for the next couple of weeks. We've got a long dry spell ahead, with the first real chance of anything worth paddling out for not showing up until well into the second week. There's a lot of onshore and cross-onshore wind, and the swell is tiny and weak for days. It's a frustrating picture, but that's the hand we've been dealt.

Let's look at the only spot on the cards, Happisburgh. The water is sitting at 65.8°F, which is a good 4.5°F warmer than usual for this time of year, so that's a nice bonus if you do get wet.

The first sniff of something that isn't completely flat comes on the morning of Thursday, 13 August. We've got a 4.6ft swell pushing in from the ENE, but the period is a short, weak 5 seconds. The combined energy is moderate at 111. The wind is a light offshore from the WNW, which will keep the surface glassy. The guide says the conditions are "surfable but very ordinary" – I'd call it a small, weak, crumbly wave. It's a beginner-friendly spot anyway, and this is about as small as it gets. For a seasoned surfer, it's a skatepark wave, but for a total beginner, it might be a fun little bump.

Then, the morning of Friday, 14 August is the biggest energy we see in the whole 16-day window. A 6.6ft swell from the ENE with a 7-second period. That's a big ol' lump of close-to-shore windswell. The combined energy really ramps up to 332, which is a solid moderate energy. The wind is a cross-shore from the NNE, so it'll be a bit bumpy. At 6.6ft, this is getting into beefy territory, not for the faint of heart or the learner crew. The guide calls it "poor surf conditions" though, so while there's plenty of water moving, it's going to be a messy, disorganised wall close to the beach. It might be more interesting for the kite crew than the paddle crew, honestly.

The rest of the fortnight is a write-off. The first week and a half is a total blank with zero to tiny, weak, onshore-chop. The afternoon of the 14th drops back to a 4.6ft swell with cross-on winds, so back to choppy and ordinary. There's one standout date, and that's the morning of Friday, 14 August for size alone, but don't expect any quality. The wait is long, and the payoff is uncertain. Forecasts can change, but as it stands, your best bet is to keep your board in the bag and watch the charts.

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