Scratby Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab your cuppa and settle in. Rusty here, and I’ll level with you straight up—this stretch for Scratby looks like a write-off for a proper session. We’ve got a 16-day window and, to be honest, it’s a long, dry spell. The forecast keeps slapping us with “poor surf conditions” right through until the 4th of September, with only the tiniest flicker of something rideable that barely counts.

Let’s get the one and only mention out of the way. On Sunday, the 23rd of August, you’ve got the morning session at Scratby. The water temp is sitting at 68°, and with an anomaly of 5° warmer than normal, that’s feeling seriously warm for the time of year. That morning, the wind swings to glassy—dead calm, just 3 mph from the west—and the sky is clear. The swell is tiny, though, a mere 3 ft from the NNE with a short period of 8 seconds. The combined energy is weak, just 115. It’s described as “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions,” which is code for: you can get wet, but don’t expect any grunt. The break is inconsistent and best for beginners, so if you’re learning, that’s your window. The wind will clean it up perfectly, but the lack of size and energy means it’s a total flop for anyone after a real wave.

After that Sunday morning, the entire outlook turns to dust. The rest of the 16-day window is a graveyard of onshore winds, strong breezes, and swell heights that barely tickle the ankle. You’ll see a bit of a bump in size around the 22nd and 25th, hitting 5 ft, but it comes with raw winds and poor quality—definitely one to skip. Even when the wind goes offshore later in the second week, the swell drops to 0.7 ft or 1 ft. There’s literally nothing else worth paddling out for.

So, bottom line: there’s no proper surf on offer here. A blank run like this is not unusual for the area, but it’s still a tough pill to swallow. Don’t get too glum, though—forecasts can change. For now, I’d leave the board on the rack.

- Rusty

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