Sutton-on-Sea Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on offer around Sutton-on-Sea. I’ll be straight with you – it’s a quiet stretch for the next couple of weeks. The forecast is pretty much a big fat blank for any proper surf, so I’ll give you the honest picture.

First up, the water temp is sitting at 67°F and that’s a whopping 7°F warmer than the long-term average for this time of year. That’s very unusual – you’ll be surfing in a warm bath, if there was any surf to surf.

The whole 16-day window is a dry spell for waves. The only break listed is Sutton-on-Sea, and it’s rated as inconsistent with a beginner difficulty. It’s fairly exposed to the swell, but the swells that do show up are tiny – mostly 0.7ft to 2ft, with periods under 10 seconds, and the combined energy never gets above 41 for the first week, then a brief bump to 263 around the 21st of August, but even then the waves are still under 4ft. The swell direction is mostly from the N or NNE, which is the optimum direction for the spot, but the size is just too small to get excited about.

Wednesday morning the 12th has a cross-on breeze from the SE at 9 mph, making it choppy, and the swell is a pathetic 1ft. The afternoon on the 12th gets a bit more wind from the E at 16 mph right onshore, and the swell bumps to 3ft but with a short 5-second period – junk. Thursday and Friday are even smaller, with 0.7ft. There’s a clean window on the morning of Friday the 14th with a light cross-off breeze from the NW at 6 mph, but the swell is only 0.7ft – you’d need a toy boat.

The best chance of anything remotely interesting comes around the 20th to 22nd of August. On the morning of Friday the 21st, there’s a light cross-shore wind from the N at 6 mph, and the swell pushes to 4ft from the N with a 9-second period, giving a combined energy of 215. That’s still poor surf conditions according to the data, but it’s the biggest pulse of the run. The wind stays clean but the waves are short period and mostly closeout material. Saturday the 22nd has a similar 4ft NNE swell but with a light cross-on breeze from the SE at 6 mph in the morning – still not great.

After that, it drops back to nothing. There’s a gap of about a week with no real surf, and by the 27th of August, the swell is down to 0.3ft.

To be honest, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, given the onshore winds and small, weak swell. If you’re desperate for a paddle, the morning of the 21st is your best bet, but don’t expect any waves that are worth the drive. The water is warm, the crowds are only sometimes an issue, but the inconsistency is the real killer here.

Rusty.

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