Zandvoort Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the cards for the Zandvoort area over the next couple of weeks.

Well, I gotta be straight with you from the go – it's a pretty grim outlook for the whole 16-day window. The pattern is a long, drawn-out run of messy, wind-affected conditions with barely any consistent, rideable surf. The first real chance to even think about a paddle doesn't come until the morning of Thursday, the 30th of July, and honestly, it's not a good one.

The first few days to a week and a half are a write-off. From Saturday the 18th right through to Wednesday the 30th, we're looking at onshore winds, cross-onshore chop, and generally poor surf conditions. The swell is there, but it's all short-period, wind-driven stuff, mostly from the NNW, with the wind ruining any chance of a clean face. The combined wave energy is weak to moderate, with figures like 29 and 100 early on, and even when it bumps up to the 200s on the 19th, the wind is howling on it. There's a real gap of about 12 days where you wouldn't bother.

Now, the only glimmer, and I use that word loosely, is on the morning of Thursday, the 30th of July. The finder finally flags 'expect good surf conditions' for Zandvoort. The swell is a solid 6 ft from the WNW, with a combined energy of 239. That's a moderate wave energy. The wind is forecast to be light and offshore from the SSE, which is a massive positive – that's glassy, clean conditions. The swell period is only 6 seconds though, which is short and windswell-like, so the waves will be a bit fat and lack the punch of a groundswell.

But here's the catch. The light offshore wind is only for the morning. By the afternoon, it swings onshore from the NNW at 12 mph, and it's back to 'poor surf conditions'. So, you've got a small window of opportunity. For a beginner, the 6 ft swell might be a bit much, but given the light wind, it could be okay if you're confident. For anyone else, it's a last resort.

After that, the forecast goes back into the gutter for the first few days of August, with more cross-onshore wind and choppy conditions. The swell on the 1st of August hits 6 ft from the NW, which is a big enough wave for the area, but with a cross-onshore wind, it'll be a mess. The water temp on the first morning we look at (18th July) is 70°, which is a whopping 8° warmer than normal for this time of year – that's very unusual, but it won't matter much when you're battling the chop.

So there you have it. A long, dry spell broken only by a Thursday morning window that's worth a look if you're desperate. This is a very typical blank run for Zandvoort; it can be a real fickle stretch of coast. The setup looks far more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing for most of this period.

Rusty.

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