Norderney Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s shaping up for Norderney. I’ve got to be straight with you – the next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for a proper paddle. The wind is just not playing ball, and it’s going to be a long wait for anything decent.

The overall pattern is dominated by strong, cross-onshore winds that are going to leave the surface messy and lumpy. We’re seeing a lot of short-period, weak swell for the first week, with the combined energy mostly in the moderate range. The water temperature is sitting at 67°F which is about 5°F warmer than usual for this time of year, so that’s a nice touch for the skin, but it won’t help the waves.

This weekend, Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th, are a write-off. We’ve got a fresh to strong breeze out of the WNW and NW, hammering the coast at 18-25 mph. The swell is there, around 4ft to 6ft, but it’s all cross-onshore and messy. The breaks will be a lumpy, choppy mess. Not worth suiting up.

Monday the 20th through Wednesday the 22nd is more of the same – cross-onshore wind and poor surf. The swell sticks around 3ft to 6ft, but the wind keeps it ugly. The combined energy jumps up, but it’s all wind-affected junk. Honestly, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Thursday the 23rd and Friday the 24th offer a slight shift, with the wind turning more cross-shore, but the swell drops right off. On Friday we’re down to 3ft from the NNW with a short period of 7 seconds. The energy is weak. There’s a brief moment Saturday morning the 25th with a cross-offshore wind from the SSW, but the swell is tiny at 1.0ft. Clean, but no power.

We then have a gap from Sunday the 26th through Wednesday the 29th where the surf is poor and the energy is low. The wind is cross-off or cross, but the swell is small and weak. Not a single recommendation in that stretch.

Now, the best on offer – and I’m saying this with a big caveat – is Thursday the 30th of July. The morning shows a promising 6ft of WNW groundswell with a period of 8 seconds, and a gentle, cross-offshore breeze from the SE at just 9 mph. The combined energy is solid, and conditions are clean. That’s a window. The break is Norderney, a fairly consistent, exposed spot that likes a NNW swell. This WNW swell is close enough to the optimum. It will be a bit raw, but it’s the best chance you’ll get. It’s not huge, but it’s clean. The following days, Friday the 31st and Saturday the 1st of August, see the swell size jump up to 7ft and 8ft, but the wind swings back to cross-on. That’s expert territory and the chop will make it ugly. The energy is strong, but the quality is gone.

Sunday the 2nd of August morning has a 7ft NW swell with onshore wind – a marginal call at best.

So, the standout is that Thursday the 30th of July morning. It’s not perfect, but it’s the only clean, surfable wave in the whole outlook. Everything else is a fight against the wind.

Rusty.

Read more