Lowestoft Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s be straight with you – I’ve had a good look at what’s on offer here in Lowestoft over the next couple of weeks, and I’ve got to tell you, it’s a pretty lean run. We’ve got a long stretch of flat and messy conditions ahead.

The main issue is there’s no decent swell energy coming through for a long while. The water temp is sitting at a notable 69°F, which is 5°F warmer than normal for this time of year. That’s unusual, and although it’s nice for a dip, it doesn’t help the surf.

For the whole of this week and into the middle of next week, we’re looking at tiny waves, mostly under 2ft, with a lot of onshore or cross-onshore winds that will chop things up. Periods are short, mostly around 4 to 8 seconds, so there’s no real push or shape. The combined energy values are barely registering, with figures like 33 and 35 in the early days – that’s weak energy.

The first time we see a bit of a pulse is on Wednesday the 12th of August, with a morning swell of 3ft from the ESE and a period of 5 seconds. That’s still a short-period, weak signal (combined energy just 51), and with cross-onshore winds, it’s not going to be clean. Thursday the 13th morning is similar, 3ft from the E, but again, the wind is cross-onshore and the energy is weak (43).

Honestly, there isn’t a single standout day in this forecast. Everything is rated as poor surf conditions. If you’re desperate for a paddle, the cleanest windows are on the morning of Sunday the 9th of August, when it’s glassy, but the wave is only 0.3ft – not surfable. On Sunday the 16th of August, we get a cross-offshore wind and clean conditions, but the swell is tiny at 2ft.

We do see a small uptick in period on Saturday the 22nd of August, with a 2ft, 9-second swell from the north and a combined energy of 84. That’s still weak, and the wind is cross-shore, creating a chop. It’s the most promising day in the whole 16-day window, but ‘promising’ is a relative term here – it’s still not good.

There’s a big gap of several days where there’s no real recommendation at all, and overall, this stretch looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a surfer on a paddle board. The break is exposed to the north, and the optimum swell direction is from the north, so we’re waiting for a more powerful northerly groundswell with some clean, offshore winds. That just isn’t happening in this period.

That’s the truth of it. Stay patient, keep an eye on the charts – it can’t stay this flat forever.

Rusty.

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