Offshore Wind and Surfing: Why Direction Matters as Much as Speed
Two beaches a few kilometres apart can have completely different days under the same forecast. Usually the reason is wind direction. Learning which winds work at each of your beaches is the quickest way to stop driving to blown-out surf.
Offshore, onshore and cross-shore
- Offshore: blows from the land out to sea. It holds the wave face up and keeps it clean. Usually the best.
- Onshore: blows from the sea onto the beach. It pushes waves over early and makes them choppy.
- Cross-shore: blows along the beach. Light cross-shore can be fine; strong cross-shore gets bumpy.
Wind directions in forecasts describe where the wind comes from. A north wind blows from the north.
Working out your beach's best directions
Find which way your beach faces (the direction you look when you stand on the sand facing the sea). The offshore wind comes from roughly the opposite direction. For a west-facing beach, east is offshore, and north-east or south-east are usually cross-offshore and also good. Note two or three directions that work and keep them as your rule for that beach.
How strong is too strong?
Even offshore wind can be too strong: it makes paddling into waves hard and blows spray in your face. Onshore wind of any real strength usually ruins things. Most surfers set a personal maximum and treat anything under about 10 km/h as fine whatever the direction. Mornings are often calmer before sea breezes build in the afternoon.
Save it once, stop checking
Once you know the directions and maximum wind for each beach, you can stop doing the maths daily. In SurfSlot's surf calendar you save wind directions and a maximum speed for each beach alongside wave and tide rules, and it tells you or blocks your calendar when everything matches. See also how to read a surf forecast.
Frequently asked questions
Is offshore wind always good for surfing?
Light to moderate offshore wind is usually ideal. Very strong offshore wind can make catching waves difficult.
Why is the surf better in the morning?
In many places, wind is lighter early in the day before afternoon sea breezes, which usually blow onshore, build up.