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Scarborough - South Bay Seasonal Surf Averages

Based on the last ten years data for this location this page gives seasonal trends and an idea of what kind of conditions you can expect and when. Of course these are just averages - it's worth reading carefully to understand exactly what they mean and to recognise the kind of variation you could expect on a trip because an average can never tell the whole story. Click on a month below to see more detail.
If you want a past forecast for a specific date range then click here.

Local Photo


Swell Consistency and Wind Overview

Wind Swell Ground Swell
17%
3%

14%

Jan
23%
5%

18%

Feb
22%
5%

17%

Mar
21%
4%

17%

Apr
10%
 
10%

May
12%
 
12%

Jun
9%
 
9%

Jul
10%
 
10%

Aug
12%
1%

11%

Sep
21%
2%

19%

Oct
21%
3%

18%

Nov
25%
7%

18%

Dec
This graph shows the percentage of days that had a ridable wind swell (7 seconds period or more) or groundswell (10 seconds period or more) of over 3ft. It also shows the dominant wind direction. Not all of these days will neccessarily give great surf, and very short lived wind swells or longer period secondary swells may produce surf not recorded, but it gives a clear idea of the seasonal trend and a rough guide to the chances of scoring something ridable.

Monthly Overview

Jan
Swell
Consistency
17%
Average Swell
Height
6ft
Average Swell
Period
9s
Dominant Wind
Dominant Swell
Feb
Swell
Consistency
23%
Average Swell
Height
7ft
Average Swell
Period
9s
Dominant Wind
Dominant Swell
Mar
Swell
Consistency
22%
Average Swell
Height
5ft
Average Swell
Period
9s
Dominant Wind
Dominant Swell
Apr
Swell
Consistency
21%
Average Swell
Height
5ft
Average Swell
Period
9s
Dominant Wind
Dominant Swell
May
Swell
Consistency
10%
Average Swell
Height
3ft
Average Swell
Period
8s
Dominant Wind
Dominant Swell
Jun
Swell
Consistency
12%
Average Swell
Height
4ft
Average Swell
Period
8s
Dominant Wind
Dominant Swell
Jul
Swell
Consistency
9%
Average Swell
Height
3ft
Average Swell
Period
8s
Dominant Wind
Dominant Swell
Aug
Swell
Consistency
10%
Average Swell
Height
4ft
Average Swell
Period
8s
Dominant Wind
Dominant Swell
Sep
Swell
Consistency
12%
Average Swell
Height
4ft
Average Swell
Period
9s
Dominant Wind
Dominant Swell
Oct
Swell
Consistency
21%
Average Swell
Height
5ft
Average Swell
Period
8s
Dominant Wind
Dominant Swell
Nov
Swell
Consistency
21%
Average Swell
Height
6ft
Average Swell
Period
9s
Dominant Wind
Dominant Swell
Dec
Swell
Consistency
25%
Average Swell
Height
6ft
Average Swell
Period
9s
Dominant Wind
Dominant Swell

Understanding this Data

These swell averages are calculated ONLY on swells of more than 7 seconds period. This means this is the average height of a swell that's likely to produce ridable surf NOT an average of every wave heading toward the beach in a month. Likewise the period is the average period OVER 7 seconds. There will be days that have short period wind swells that won't produce and ridable swell and these are excluded from the averages. The consistency figure gives the percentage of days that meet this condition.

For example if the consistency is 50% you could expect the 'average' swell for about 15 days in the month. Of course an average tells only part of the story. A combination of very large and very small swells may produce the same average as a consistent medium sized swell.

Monthly Data

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

Nearby Spots

Cayton Bay - Pumphouse
Filey
Whitby
Hornsea
Saltburn Beach
Withernsea
Redcar
Marske to Tees
Sunderland
Sutton on Sea
South Shields
Tynemouth - Longsands
Whitley Bay
Skegness
Seaton To Blyth
Beadnell Bay
Bamburgh
East Runton
Cromer
Mundesley
Bacton
Coldingham Bay
Walcott
Pease Bay
Blackpool South
Great Yarmouth
Gorleston
Belhaven Bay (Dunbar)
Lowestoft
Southwold
Seacliff
Walton-on-the-Naze
Silecroft
Southend on Sea
Kingsbarns
St Andrews East
Arbroath
St Andrews West
Lunan Bay
St Bees
Stonehaven
Nigg Bay
Aberdeen - Beach
Balmedie to Newburgh
Joss Bay
Broadstairs - Viking Bay
Cruden Bay
Shoreham
Brighton - West Pier
Littlehampton
Brighton - Marina
Peterhead (Sandford Bay)
West Wittering
East Wittering
Hayling Island
Tidemills
Camber Sands
Bracklesham Bay
Hastings
Folkestone
Eastbourne
Birling Gap
Surf Snowdonia
St Combs to Inverallochy
Fraserburgh
Highcliffe
Isle of Wight - Compton
Isle of Wight - Freshwater
Southbourne
Boscombe