If you surf the Yorkshire coast, one of the most useful skills you can develop is learning how to work out whether tomorrow is actually going to be worth the drive.
A surf forecast can show plenty of numbers — wave height, swell direction, wave period, wind speed and tides — but the trick is understanding how they work together.
For Yorkshire surfers, conditions can change dramatically between Cayton Bay, Scarborough, Whitby and Saltburn, so don’t simply look at one forecast and assume every beach will be the same.
The Five Things to Check
Before deciding whether to surf tomorrow, check these five things:
- Wave height
- Wave period
- Swell direction
- Wind direction and strength
- Tide
If all five are working together, you could have a very good session.
If only the wave height looks good but the wind is blowing hard onshore, you could end up with messy, difficult waves.
1. Look at the Wave Height
The first number most surfers look at is wave height.
As a rough guide for Yorkshire:
| Forecast Surf | What You Might Expect |
|---|---|
| Flat–1 ft | Usually very little for most surfers |
| 1–2 ft | Small, beginner-friendly waves |
| 2–3 ft | Good size for many surfers |
| 3–4 ft | Fun, more powerful surf |
| 4–6 ft | Solid Yorkshire surf |
| 6 ft+ | Serious conditions for experienced surfers |
Remember that forecast wave height isn’t necessarily the height of the waves you will actually surf.
Offshore wave forecasts describe waves further out at sea. The beach, swell direction, tide and local sandbanks determine what eventually breaks on the beach.
Don’t automatically chase the biggest number
A forecast saying 4 ft isn’t necessarily better than one saying 2–3 ft.
For example:
2–3 ft + 10 second swell + light offshore wind
could produce much better waves than:
4 ft + 5 second swell + 25 mph onshore wind.
2. Learn to Love Wave Period
Wave period is one of the most important numbers on a surf forecast.
It tells you how many seconds there are between waves.
A rough Yorkshire guide
4–5 seconds
Usually short-period wind chop. Waves can be weak, messy and difficult to catch.
6–7 seconds
Typical local wind swell. This can still produce fun Yorkshire surf, particularly when the wind direction is favourable.
8–9 seconds
A better quality swell with more energy.
10 seconds+
Usually a more powerful groundswell-type swell.
The Met Office explains that longer-period waves generally carry more energy and can break with considerably more force than short-period waves.
Example
Imagine tomorrow’s forecast says:
3 ft @ 5 seconds
versus:
3 ft @ 9 seconds
The second forecast is generally much more interesting to a surfer.
The waves have had more time to organise and usually contain considerably more energy.
3. Check Where the Swell Is Coming From
Next, look at the swell direction.
This is particularly important on the Yorkshire coast because beaches face different directions.
A swell travelling towards a beach is much more useful than one travelling past it.
The Met Office explains that swell direction, beach orientation and shelter determine how much offshore wave energy actually reaches the beach.
For Yorkshire, don’t simply ask:
“Is there a swell?”
Ask:
“Is the swell actually pointing towards the beach I want to surf?”
This can make a huge difference.
4. Wind Can Make or Break the Session
For many Yorkshire surfers, wind direction is even more important than wave height.
Offshore
Wind blowing from the land towards the sea.
This generally helps clean up the waves and can produce smoother faces.
Onshore
Wind blowing from the sea towards the beach.
This can create:
- Choppy faces
- Whitewater
- Short-period waves
- Blown-out conditions
- Difficult paddling
Cross-shore
Wind blowing across the beach.
This can be somewhere between the two.
A light cross-shore wind may be perfectly surfable, while a strong cross-shore wind can make conditions very messy.
The Met Office notes that strong onshore winds generally produce rougher seas, while strong cross-shore winds can make waves increasingly choppy.
5. Check the Wind Speed — Not Just the Direction
Don’t just look at the little wind arrow.
Look at the actual speed.
As a rough guide:
0–5 mph
Potentially excellent if the swell is there.
5–10 mph
Usually very manageable.
10–15 mph
Can still be good depending on direction.
15–20 mph
Direction becomes very important.
20 mph+
Conditions can become challenging quickly.
25 mph+
Often messy or difficult on exposed Yorkshire beaches.
And remember to check gusts.
A forecast of:
12 mph wind / 25 mph gusts
is very different from:
12 mph wind / 14 mph gusts.
6. Check the Tide
Tide can completely change a session.
Some Yorkshire beaches can work better at one part of the tide than another because the changing water depth affects the sandbanks and how waves break.
Don’t simply assume:
“Low tide is always best.”
It isn’t.
The best tide can depend on:
- Beach
- Sandbanks
- Swell size
- Swell direction
- Wind
- Wave period
- Time of year
For example, Surfline’s Saltburn tide information shows how quickly the water level can change during the day, with two high tides and two low tides occurring during the forecast period.
The Met Office also points out that published tide times come from nearby tidal stations and can vary slightly from the actual beach.
7. Look at Tomorrow Hour by Hour
This is where you can start becoming much better at forecasting your own sessions.
Don’t just look at:
Thursday: 3 ft
Instead, look at:
6am — 2 ft, light offshore
9am — 2–3 ft, light wind
12pm — 3 ft, 15 mph onshore
3pm — 3–4 ft, 20 mph onshore
You might decide that the best session is early morning, even though the daily forecast says 3–4 ft later in the day.
This is particularly useful in summer when winds can strengthen during the day.
8. Compare More Than One Forecast
Don’t rely completely on one website.
A good routine is to compare:
Surf forecast
Look at:
- Wave height
- Period
- Swell direction
- Wind
- Tide
Met Office
Check:
- Wind direction
- Wind speed
- Gusts
- Weather
- Sea conditions
- Tide
The Met Office provides beach forecasts and tide information for hundreds of UK coastal locations.
Live webcam
A webcam is incredibly useful.
The forecast might say:
3 ft and offshore
but if the webcam shows clean 1–2 ft waves with good shape, you have a much better idea of what is actually happening.
Likewise, a forecast might look average while the beach is producing surprisingly good waves.
9. Look at the Forecast the Night Before
A useful Yorkshire routine is:
Evening before
Check:
Swell → Period → Direction → Wind → Tide
Then decide which beaches are likely to work.
Early morning
Check the forecast again.
Weather models can change.
Then check:
Webcam + wind + actual conditions.
If possible, compare what you see with the forecast.
Over time, you’ll start learning which forecasts tend to be accurate and which conditions your favourite beaches actually prefer.
10. Understand Yorkshire Wind Swell
A lot of Yorkshire surf is generated by weather systems in the North Sea.
This means you will frequently see relatively short-period swells.
For example:
3 ft @ 6 seconds
can produce perfectly surfable waves.
But it won’t behave like:
3 ft @ 12 seconds.
Short-period Yorkshire wind swell can be:
- Peaky
- Fast
- Close together
- Messy when the wind is strong
- Fun on the right board
This is one reason why having the right board matters.
A larger-volume board can make a small, short-period Yorkshire swell considerably more enjoyable.
11. Watch for the “Magic Combination”
One of the best signs for a Yorkshire session is when several things line up:
Good swell
2–4 ft
Reasonable period
7–10 seconds
Correct swell direction
Swell travelling towards the beach.
Light wind
Ideally:
0–10 mph
Favourable wind direction
Offshore or a light cross-shore wind.
Suitable tide
The beach is known to work at that stage of the tide.
When those conditions come together, you’ve got a much better chance of finding clean, fun waves.
12. Don’t Forget the Actual Beach
Forecasts are only forecasts.
Two beaches can experience completely different conditions on the same day.
For example, Surfline’s current Yorkshire/North-East listings show different predicted surf sizes at places including Longsands, Scarborough North Bay, Cayton Bay, Whitby and Saltburn, demonstrating why checking the individual beach rather than relying on a regional forecast is important.
The beach itself also matters.
Things such as:
- Sandbanks
- Reefs
- Headlands
- Cliffs
- Beach orientation
- Sheltered areas
can dramatically change the quality of the waves.
A Simple Yorkshire Surf Forecast Formula
If you’re in a hurry, remember:
WAVE + PERIOD + DIRECTION + WIND + TIDE
Wave
Is there enough size?
Period
Is there enough energy?
Direction
Is the swell hitting the beach?
Wind
Is it cleaning the waves up or destroying them?
Tide
Does that beach work at this stage of the tide?
If you can answer those five questions, you can usually make a much better decision about whether tomorrow is worth the trip.
Example: Is Tomorrow Worth Surfing?
Imagine the forecast says:
Wave: 3 ft
Period: 8 seconds
Swell: ENE
Wind: 5 mph offshore
Tide: Favourable
That’s a very promising forecast.
Now imagine:
Wave: 4 ft
Period: 5 seconds
Swell: Poor direction
Wind: 25 mph onshore
Tide: Unfavourable
Despite the bigger number, that’s potentially a much worse day.
The lesson:
Don’t chase wave height. Chase good conditions.
A 5-Minute Check Before You Leave Home
Before putting your board in the car, check:
- Wave height
- Wave period
- Swell direction
- Wind direction
- Wind speed
- Wind gusts
- Tide
- Weather
- Webcam
- Any beach or safety warnings
Then ask yourself:
Would I actually want to surf what I’m seeing on the forecast?
If the answer is yes, grab your board and go.
What Makes a Good Yorkshire Surf Day?
For many surfers, a good Yorkshire day isn’t necessarily huge.
It might be:
2–3 ft waves + 8 second period + light offshore wind + clean faces + a good sandbank + the right tide.
That’s often far more enjoyable than a stormy day with 6 ft waves and 30 mph onshore winds.
And that’s the real secret to reading Yorkshire surf forecasts:
Learn what the numbers mean, but learn what your local beaches do with those numbers.
The more often you compare the forecast with what you actually see in the water, the better your own surf forecasting will become.
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