Whitby – West Cliff
Whitby · North East England · United Kingdom
Today’s forecast: the current surf forecast for Whitby – West Cliff (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/whitby.
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Whitby's beach runs west from the harbour piers below the West Cliff. Lefts and rights break on the sand, and on an easterly swell the rights by the pier can be hollow. It is the most consistent spot around Whitby and is often busy.
- Level
- Beginners
- Break
- Beach break, sand
- Waves
- Lefts and rights
- Crowd
- Crowded
- Season
- autumn, winter, spring
- Boards
- Any board: a longboard or foam board on small days, a shortboard on an east swell.
When it works
✓ A 1–2 m north-east to east swell from mid to high tide on a rising tide, with a south-westerly wind.
When it doesn't
✕ Northerly and north-easterly winds blow in.
Watch out for
- rips
- crowds
Best months
October, November, December, January, February, March, April
Local tips
The waves near the pier pick up the east swells best. On busy days, walk west towards Sandsend for space. There are surf shops in town.
Getting there
Park on the West Cliff in Whitby and walk down to the beach, or walk along from the harbour.
Travel notes
- How often it works
- Consistent for this coast; it picks up north to east swells.
- Crowd and vibe
- Often crowded, with learners near the piers.
- Camping and vans
- Sandfield House Farm is about 1.5 km away; Folly Gardens is about 1.5 km. Nearest campsite about 1.5 km away.
- Facilities
- Beach huts, cafés and toilets along the beach; all of Whitby's shops, pubs and restaurants.
- Water quality
- Whitby is rated excellent in the 2025 English classification.
Ideal conditions
- Swell
- NNE–E best, N–ESE works
- Size
- 1.2–2 m offshore swell; starts at 0.8 m, holds to 3 m
- Period
- 7 s minimum, best from 10 s
- Wind
- Offshore S–W; handles onshore up to 12 km/h
- Tide
- mid, high best, on the rising tide
- Faces
- NNE (15°)
Live cam
No cam at this spot yet: the forecast and the guide are on the map.
In the guides
Nearby spots
- Sandsend 3.1 km · Intermediate
- Runswick Bay 8.8 km · Intermediate
- Robin Hood's Bay 8.9 km · Intermediate
- Staithes 13 km · Expert
- Saltburn 25 km · Beginner
- Scarborough – North Bay 27 km · Intermediate