Sandend

Scotland · United Kingdom

Today’s forecast: the current surf forecast for Sandend (wave height, swell, wind, tide and a 0–10 rating for every hour of the next 16 days) are only shown on SurfCams. They change every hour, so this text doesn’t contain them. To check today’s surf, open https://surf-cams.com/spot/sandend.

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Sandend is a small bay with a fishing village and harbour on the Moray coast, between Cullen and Portsoy. It has three main peaks: a left by the rocks next to the harbour, which is the best, a right on the other side of the bay, and peaks on the beach between them.

Level
Intermediate
Break
Beach break, sand and rock
Waves
Lefts and rights
Crowd
Busy
Season
autumn, winter, spring
Boards
A shortboard or fish.

When it works

✓ A 1.5–3 m north to north-north-east swell at low tide with a southerly wind.

When it doesn't

✕ At high tide the waves are weak, and northerly winds blow in.

Watch out for

  • rocks
  • crowds

Best months

October, November, December, January, February, March, April

Local tips

It works best at low tide. Weekends get busy with surfers and kayakers, but from October to December, when the waves are best, it empties out.

Getting there

Coming from Cullen on the A98, turn off just after the Fordyce road. Coming from Portsoy, turn right once you pass the Glenglassaugh distillery.

Travel notes

How often it works
Regular from autumn to spring when a northerly swell runs, mostly flat in summer.
Crowd and vibe
Few surfers on weekdays, crowded at weekends.
Camping and vans
Sandend Holidays is above the beach, about 500 m away. Portsoy Links and Cullen Bay caravan parks are about 4 km away. Nearest campsite about 0.5 km away.
Facilities
Car park and toilets by the beach. Shops in Portsoy and Cullen.
Water quality
Sandend is not designated. Cullen Bay, the nearest SEPA site, is rated excellent.

Ideal conditions

Swell
NNW–NNE best, NW–ENE works
Size
1.5–3 m offshore swell; starts at 1 m, holds to 4 m
Period
8 s minimum, best from 11 s
Wind
Offshore SSE–SSW; handles onshore up to 12 km/h
Tide
low best, avoid high
Faces
N (5°)

Live cam

No cam at this spot yet: the forecast and the guide are on the map.

In the guides

Nearby spots

All spots in Scotland · All spots

Sources