Small waves are part of surfing in Yorkshire. Even when the forecast looks disappointing, a day with knee-high or weak waves doesn’t necessarily mean you should leave the board in the garage.

A small-surf day can actually be one of the best times to improve your surfing, practise technique, experiment with equipment, take photographs and simply enjoy being in the water without the pressure of bigger conditions.

This guide explains how to make the most of those frustrating little-wave days along the Yorkshire coast and the wider North East.

What Counts as a Small Surf?

There is no exact definition, but for many Yorkshire surfers, a small day might mean waves around:

• 1–2 ft – small and often weak, although occasionally fun on the right board.
• 2–3 ft – still small, but potentially very surfable with the right conditions.
• 3 ft+ – starting to become more substantial, depending on wave period and swell direction.

The important thing is that wave height alone doesn’t tell the whole story.

A 2 ft wave with a reasonable swell period can sometimes be much more enjoyable than a 3 ft wave produced by messy local wind.

Don’t Judge the Day by Wave Height Alone

Before deciding that the surf is hopeless, look at the complete forecast.

Pay attention to:

Swell Direction

The direction the swell is coming from determines which beaches can receive it.

Some beaches may have almost nothing while another nearby beach can still have rideable waves.

Wave Period

Wave period is particularly important on small days.

A longer-period swell has travelled further and contains more energy. Even if the forecast says only 2 ft, it can produce waves with considerably more push than a short-period 2 ft wind swell.

Wind Direction

Wind can completely change a small surf day.

Offshore or light winds can clean up small waves and make them much more enjoyable.

Onshore winds can turn the same small swell into weak, messy and difficult waves.

Tide

Tide can make a huge difference.

Some beaches may work better around high tide, while others can improve as the tide drops. Learning how your local beaches respond to the tide is one of the most useful skills a Yorkshire surfer can develop.

Choose the Right Surfboard

One of the biggest mistakes on a small day is taking a board designed for bigger waves.

A narrow shortboard that works brilliantly in overhead surf may simply sink into weak 1–2 ft waves.

Instead, consider a board with:

• More volume
• A wider outline
• More surface area
• A flatter rocker
• A fuller nose
• Good paddle speed

Longboards

Longboards are excellent for small conditions.

Their length and volume make it easier to catch weaker waves, while the larger surface area allows you to keep moving when a shortboard would stall.

Small waves can also be a great opportunity to practise:

• Cross-stepping
• Trimming
• Nose riding
• Turning from the rail
• Foot positioning
• Smooth transitions

Fish and Small-Wave Shortboards

A fish or small-wave performance board can also be a great option.

The extra width and volume can generate speed in waves that would feel frustrating on a conventional shortboard.

Work on Your Paddling

Small waves give you an excellent opportunity to improve your paddling.

Because the consequences are lower, you can concentrate on your technique rather than simply trying to survive the conditions.

Think about:

• Keeping your body positioned correctly on the board
• Entering your hands cleanly into the water
• Pulling efficiently
• Keeping your legs relatively still
• Building a consistent paddling rhythm

Better paddling will help you catch more waves when the surf gets bigger.

Practise Catching Waves Early

On small waves, you often need to catch the wave earlier.

Don’t wait until the wave has reached its steepest point.

Watch the approaching swell and begin paddling before the wave arrives. As the wave starts to lift the tail of the board, increase your paddling effort.

The goal is to get the board moving with the wave, rather than waiting for the wave to pick you up.

This is particularly useful for beginners.

Work on Your Pop-Up

Small waves are perfect for practising your pop-up because there is less consequence when you make a mistake.

Try to make every take-off deliberate.

Think about:

1. Paddle strongly.
2. Keep your head up.
3. Place your hands correctly.
4. Bring your feet underneath you.
5. Land with a stable stance.
6. Look where you want to go.

Avoid rushing the movement.

A clean, controlled pop-up on a small wave is much more useful than a frantic one on a bigger wave.

Practise Generating Your Own Speed

This is one of the biggest advantages of small surf.

When the wave doesn’t provide much power, you have to create speed yourself.

Instead of simply standing still, learn to:

• Shift your weight forward.
• Trim down the wave.
• Use your rails.
• Make small turns.
• Pump the board.
• Use the steeper part of the wave.
• Avoid excessive movements that slow the board down.

Learning how to generate speed in weak waves will make you a much better surfer when conditions improve.

Don’t Try to Force Big Turns

Small waves aren’t the place to practise enormous bottom turns and aggressive cutbacks.

Instead, concentrate on smooth surfing.

Small movements can make a big difference.

Try linking several smaller turns together rather than attempting one huge manoeuvre.

Think:

Speed → trim → turn → speed → trim → turn.

This helps develop flow and timing.

Use Small Days to Practise Your Weak Side

If you always turn one direction more confidently than the other, small waves give you a safer opportunity to work on your weaker side.

Practise:

• Frontside turns
• Backside turns
• Bottom turns
• Top turns
• Trimming
• Direction changes

You don’t need perfect waves to improve these movements.

Beginners Can Benefit the Most

A small day can be ideal for beginners.

Bigger surf can be intimidating, and learning in powerful waves can make it difficult to concentrate on basic technique.

Small, clean waves allow beginners to focus on:

• Paddling
• Catching whitewater
• Catching unbroken waves
• Standing up
• Finding balance
• Turning
• Surfing safely around other people

However, small does not automatically mean safe.

Always consider currents, rocks, tide, other surfers, water temperature and your own ability.

Practise Reading the Ocean

A poor surf day can become an excellent lesson in reading waves.

Spend some time watching before paddling out.

Look at:

• Where waves are breaking
• Which waves are bigger
• Where the peaks are forming
• How the tide is affecting the break
• Where other surfers are catching waves
• Where currents are moving
• How the wind is affecting the surface

You may discover that the surf isn’t actually as bad as it looked from the car park.

Explore Different Peaks

On a small day, don’t necessarily sit in the same place for an hour.

Look around.

A small change in position can make a significant difference.

You may find that one part of the beach has slightly better-shaped waves or receives more of the available swell.

This is particularly useful on beaches where sandbanks change throughout the season.

Try a Different Board

Small surf is an excellent opportunity to experiment with equipment.

If you normally ride a shortboard, try a fish or funboard.

If you normally ride a funboard, try a longboard.

Pay attention to how the different boards:

• Paddle
• Catch waves
• Generate speed
• Turn
• Hold speed
• Handle weak sections

You can learn a lot about board design without needing perfect waves.

Take Your Camera

A poor surf day doesn’t necessarily mean a poor photography day.

Small waves can provide excellent opportunities for surf photography.

You can concentrate on:

• Wave textures
• Reflections
• Silhouettes
• Shorebreak
• Water movement
• Surfers against the landscape
• Detail shots
• Interesting light
• Black-and-white images

Small waves can actually make photographing surfers easier because you can concentrate on composition rather than trying to follow huge sections of moving water.

Use the Day to Learn Your Local Coast

If the surf is genuinely too small to ride, use the opportunity to explore.

Walk the beach and look at:

• Sandbanks
• Rock formations
• Different peaks
• Access points
• Parking
• Tides
• Wind exposure
• Potential photographic locations

Understanding your local coastline can make a huge difference when a proper swell arrives.

Instead of asking “Where should I surf?”, you’ll have a much better idea of which beaches are likely to work for a particular swell direction, wind and tide.

Surf Fitness

You don’t have to catch dozens of waves for a surf session to be worthwhile.

A small day can be used as a low-pressure fitness session.

Work on:

• Paddling endurance
• Duck diving
• Positioning
• Balance
• Pop-ups
• Wave catching

You can leave the water having had a productive session even if the waves were poor.

Small Waves Are Great for Surfing With Friends

Small conditions can also be more social.

If the waves are manageable, you can spend more time talking, watching each other’s surfing and helping less experienced surfers.

Just remember that even on tiny days, surf etiquette still applies.

Give other surfers space, don’t paddle straight into someone else’s line and respect the normal priority rules.

When It’s Better Not to Surf

Sometimes the correct decision really is to stay on the beach.

If the waves are tiny and the wind is making conditions unpleasant, there may be little to gain from paddling out.

Likewise, don’t enter the water simply because you’ve driven a long way.

Consider:

• Your ability
• Water temperature
• Wind chill
• Currents
• Tide
• Crowds
• Visibility
• Access conditions
• Whether the conditions are actually suitable for your equipment

There is nothing wrong with calling it a day.

Turn a Bad Surf Day Into a Good Surf Day

A small day doesn’t have to be measured by how many waves you catch.

You might finish the session having improved your paddling, caught your first wave on a new board, worked on your pop-up, taken some good photographs or simply enjoyed an hour in the water.

That’s still a successful surf.

The Small-Wave Mindset

Instead of thinking:

“The surf is rubbish.”

Try thinking:

“What can I practise today?”

That change in attitude can make a huge difference.

A Simple Small-Wave Game Plan

Before entering the water, choose three things to work on.

For example:

Goal 1: Catch five clean waves.

Goal 2: Practise a smoother pop-up.

Goal 3: Work on generating speed through small turns.

Don’t worry about whether you get the perfect wave.

Concentrate on improving one small part of your surfing.

Yorkshire Small-Wave Days

Yorkshire and the North East can produce plenty of frustrating small days, but they are also part of surfing on the east coast.

Swell direction, wind, tide, sandbanks and wave period can all change the quality of the surf.

That means a forecast showing small waves doesn’t automatically mean there is nothing worth surfing.

Sometimes the difference between a frustrating session and a surprisingly fun one is simply:

the right beach + the right tide + the right board + the right attitude.

Final Thoughts

You don’t need perfect waves to become a better surfer.

Some of the most valuable sessions can happen when the surf is small enough to slow everything down.

Use those days to improve your technique, experiment with boards, practise generating speed, learn to read the ocean and enjoy being in the water.

And if the waves are simply too small to surf, grab the camera, explore the beach, watch the conditions and wait for the next swell.

The next good Yorkshire wave might only be a few days away.