Pennan Surf Guide

Pennan on the East Coast is an exposed reef break that has pretty consitent surf. Winter and spring are the favoured times of year to visit. Offshore winds blow from the south. Windswells and groundswells in equal measure and the optimum swell angle is from the north northeast. The reef provides both left and right breaks. Unlikely to be too crowded, even when the surf is up. Hazards include rips and rocks.

Pennan Spot Info

Type:Rating:Reliability:Todays Sea Temp*:
Reef4fairly consistent
58°F*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Pennan:

The best conditions reported for surf at Pennan occur when a North-northeast swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the South.

What's the best time of year to surf Pennan (for consistent clean waves)?

octoberBest Season: spring
The best time of year for surfing Pennan with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Spring  and most often the month of October. Clean surfable waves are typically found 12% of the time in October while 15% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 73% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.
clean
12%
Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.
blown out
15%
Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).
too small
73%
Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Pennan Location Map

Interactive Pennan surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Pennan is Dyce (Aberdeen) Airport (ABZ) in U.k, 53 km (33 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Pennan is Lossiemouth Airport (LMO), also in U.k, 64 km (40 miles) away.

  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (ft)
  • Live Wind Speed (mph)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (ft)
  • Wind Speed (mph)
Map placeholder
Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.
Pennan Surf Forecasts:
Todays Surf Summary
Wednesday, 16 July 2025, 11:40 Local Time
Wednesday 16
10AM1PM4PM7PM
Wave (ft)
1
NNE
1
NNE
1.5
NNE
1.5
NNE
Period (s) 6 7 7 7
Wind (mph)
5
5
5
5
Wind State on cross-
on
cross-
on
cross

Swell History at Pennan

Surf stats for Pennan, see the swell variation by month or season on the history page here.

Wind History at Pennan

Wind stats for Pennan, see the variation in direction and stength by month or season on the history page here.


Nearest
Nearest
Nearest