Surf Forecasts:
Whitby surf forecast from 13 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 18 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 8s period, N swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 20 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 8s period, N swell with 925 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 18 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 8s period with N swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Whitby this week:
The surf forecast for Whitby over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 18) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 7s. Another secondary swell of 0.7m and 4s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Whitby in the next 16 days are 2.5m 8s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 5s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 20) at 1AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Tue 18th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Tue 18th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Whitby over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let's have a proper look at what’s on the cards for the Whitby stretch over the next couple of weeks.
To be straight with you, it’s a grim run. We’ve got a long, lean patch ahead, with very little worth paddling out for. After Thursday the 13th, there are barely any windows of proper surf, and what does show up is mostly messy, blown out, or just too small. The swell energy is weak for days on end.
On Thursday morning the 13th, there’s a tiny 2ft SE windswell with a short 5-second period, and it’s cross-off, so clean, but the combined wave energy is only 15 – basically nothing. That afternoon it gets worse, with onshore wind and a 4-second period. Forget it.
Friday the 14th and Saturday the 15th stay flat and weak, with northerly windswells around 1ft and periods around 10 seconds, but the winds are mostly cross or onshore, and the energy numbers hover in the 20s and 30s. Not worth the walk.
Sunday the 16th is more of the same – small, weak, onshore winds. Not a single decent wave.
Monday the 17th sees a brief window: clean offshore winds in the afternoon with a glassy feel, but the swell is only 1ft and combined energy is just 21. You might catch a knee-high ripple if you're desperate, but it’s more of a lake than a surf.
Tuesday the 18th is the closest thing we get to a highlight in the first week. Morning glass-off conditions with a 2ft, 8-second N swell and combined energy of 67 – still weak, but glassy. By the afternoon, the energy bumps to 114, surfable but ordinary. If you’ve got a longboard and no expectations, that Tuesday morning glass might give you a few clean little lines.
Then it gets ugly. Wednesday the 19th is blown out by strong WNW winds at 25 mph. Thursday the 20th sees a jump in size – 8ft N swell with a short 8-second period, but it’s cross-onshore and choppy. The combined energy hits 959, so there’s plenty of power, but the quality is poor. That’s big, messy, and only for experts who don’t mind a beating. Beginners stay well clear – over 5ft is too much, and this is well over 8ft.
Friday the 21st drops to 6ft with the same short period, but onshore winds kill it. Saturday the 22nd offers a small window: 4ft N swell, 8-second period, clean cross-off winds in the morning, combined energy 229 – it’s surfable, but ordinary. Possibly the only other half-decent moment in the whole run.
After that, from Sunday the 23rd all the way through to Friday the 28th, it’s tiny again. Swell drops to 1ft to 3ft, periods short, and while there are some clean offshore and glassy moments, the wave energy is pathetic – mostly in the teens and twenties. It’s a full week of flat, weak surf.
Water temp is about average for this time of year, no major anomaly, so at least it won’t feel freezing when you’re sitting out there waiting for nothing.
Bottom line: Whitby is not firing. The only windows worth a look are Tuesday the 18th morning for a glassy longboard session, and maybe Saturday the 22nd morning for a clean, small wave. The rest is either flat, chopped up, or too big and messy. If you’re into kites, Thursday the 20th might be your day – decent wind and solid swell – but for paddle surfing, it’s a lean couple of weeks.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 31°C on Thu morning, min 15°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Mon afternoon. Warm (max 20°C on Tue afternoon, min 13°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 5 | SE 4 | ESE 5 | N 10 | N 10 | N 10 | N 10 | N 9 | N 9 | NNE 9 | N 8 | NE 4 | N 8 | NNE 8 | N 9 | N 8 | N 8 | NNE 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 7 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
11 | 20 | 18 | 31 | 28 | 33 | 28 | 15 | 14 | 26 | 23 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 38 | 50 | 48 | 63 | 33 | 48 | 70 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | on | cross-off | cross | on | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | glassy | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 4:55AM5.67m | 5:30PM5.59m | 5:38AM5.85m | 6:12PM5.62m | 6:18AM5.90m | 6:52PM5.53m | 6:58AM5.82m | 7:29PM5.36m | 7:36AM5.63m | 8:06PM5.12m | 8:14AM5.35m | 8:44PM4.86m | 8:56AM5.01m | 9:27PM4.60m | |||||||
Low Tide | 11:22AM0.59m | 11:37PM1.18m | 12:05PM0.46m | 00:16AM1.14m | 12:46PM0.49m | 00:54AM1.20m | 1:25PM0.68m | 1:30AM1.34m | 2:01PM0.99m | 2:06AM1.56m | 2:38PM1.36m | 2:43AM1.83m | 3:17PM1.77m | 3:25AM2.13m | |||||||
5:33 | — | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:41 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | |
— | 8:38 | — | — | 8:37 | — | — | 8:35 | — | — | 8:32 | — | — | 8:30 | — | — | 8:28 | — | — | 8:25 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 6 | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 31 | 30 | 26 | 23 | 22 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 16 | 14 |
Feels °C | 27 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 18 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 15 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 10 | 12 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 5 | N 7 | ESE 5 | ESE 5 | N 10 | N 10 | N 10 | N 9 | N 9 | NNE 9 | N 8 | NE 4 | NNE 5 | NNE 8 | N 9 | N 8 | N 8 | NNE 8 | N 8 | N 8 | N 7 |
11 | 4 | 18 | 7 | 28 | 33 | 28 | 15 | 14 | 26 | 23 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 38 | 50 | 48 | 63 | 33 | 48 | 70 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 7 | — | N 9 | N 10 | ESE 4 | E 4 | E 5 | N 4 | NNE 4 | — | — | N 8 | N 8 | SE 4 | SE 4 | — | N 8 | NE 6 | SE 4 | SSE 4 | S 6 |
4 | — | 6 | 31 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | — | — | 5 | 5 | 3 | 1 | — | 48 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | N 12 | NNW 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | N 10 | SE 4 | — | — | — | ENE 5 | NE 5 | — |
— | — | 11 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 1 | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SE 4 | — | NW 3 | — | ENE 4 | NNW 3 | — | — | NNW 3 | — | — | SE 3 | SW 2 | W 2 | NNW 5 | N 5 | SE 3 | SW 3 | WSW 3 | NW 5 |
— | 20 | — | 2 | — | 2 | 2 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 18 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 25 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 342 | 342 | 28 | 408 | 530 | 397 | 559 | 745 | 394 | 390 | 387 | 440 | 440 | 361 | 129 | 12 | 0 | 207 | 397 | 404 | 9 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North East England | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Whitby Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Whitby provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Whitby can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Whitby surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Whitby) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Whitby may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Are you planning a holiday in North East England? If you are looking for accommodation near Whitby, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in North East England, consider staying in Waverley which is 1 km (1 miles) away. Other places in and around North East England where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Whitby which is 1 km (1 miles) away, Scarborough, Guisborough and Redcar.











