Whitley Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s brewing for our local stretch.

To be straight with you, this run is looking pretty flat. The first week is a write-off for any proper surfing. We’ve got small, weak waves – barely a ripple for days – and the wind is mostly cross-off or worse. The water is a touch warmer than normal for the time of year, sitting at 61°F, but that’s about the only positive.

From Thursday the 30th of July right through to the end of the first week, it’s a real struggle. Thursday morning shows a tiny 1.0ft swell from the NNE, with a short period of 8 seconds, and a weak combined energy of only 13. The wind is cross-off, but the wave comment says it all: poor surf conditions. That pattern of knee-high slop with cross-off or cross-on wind just repeats. You’ll see a score of 0 for every single session in that first week. No standouts, no hidden gems.

We get a slight glimmer on Monday the 3rd of August. The morning shows a glassy 1ft from the NNE, with energy creeping up to 43. Still tiny, but it's clean. The afternoon bumps up to 2ft with a period of 11 seconds – that’s a long period, groundswell energy – but it’s onshore wind from the ENE. The energy climbs to 58, but the onshore kills it. Not worth paddling out unless you’re desperate.

The real kick in the pants is that the first real pulse of energy doesn’t arrive until Tuesday the 11th of August. The morning session shows a 2ft NNE swell, but check out the period: 11 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 114, which is a moderate energy level. The wind is light and cross-off, so it’s clean. The wave comment finally says "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions." This is the best on offer, and it’s still only a 1 out of 10. The afternoon of the same day sees a bigger swell of 4ft, but the period drops to 6 seconds – short period, sloppy – and the wind goes cross with an energy of 162. Richer in energy, but messy.

Wednesday the 12th of August holds a 3ft swell from the NNE with a period of 8 seconds and a moderate energy of 151, but the wind is cross in the morning and cross-on in the afternoon. Choppy, average.

After that, it fades back into the doldrums for the rest of the second week. Thursday the 13th drops to 2ft, and Friday the 14th is back to tiny 1.0ft and 1ft with glassy conditions on the morning of the 14th, but it’s just too small to surf.

Honestly, there’s nothing here that gets the blood pumping. The only window that even comes close to being worth a look is the morning of Tuesday the 11th of August at Whitley Bay. It’s the only time the energy is moderate (114), the wind is light and cross-off, and the period is 11 seconds. But at 2ft, it’s a long-period, low-tide knee-slapper. It’s a beginner-level break that’s inconsistent, and crowds are possible. It’s the best of a bad bunch, but it’s a very low bar.

If you’re a kite surfer, the afternoons from the 4th of August with a 4ft windswell and cross-on wind might be more interesting. For paddle surfing, it’s a lean fortnight.

Rusty.

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