The best downwind runs today
267 spots ranked for open-ocean bumps. We reward 1.5 to 3m of combined sea state and moderate wind, updated every 3 hours.
Weather data from Open-Meteo, refreshed every 3 hours.
How the score works
Every spot gets a composite score out of 10 using a multiplicative penalty chain, compressed with an adaptive gamma exponent. The combined sea state base is multiplied by each factor, then safety-capped, so a single soft factor never sinks a firing run.
Prime is 1.5 to 3m of combined swell and chop. This is the engine of a downwind run: the bigger, messier ocean is the ride, not a hazard.
Moderate wind of 15 to 25 km/h builds and lines up the bumps. Here breeze is a bonus, not a penalty, because it feeds the swell you ride.
The best runs happen when wind and swell march in the same direction, stacking clean open-ocean bumps you can link for miles.
Period barely matters. Short, disorganised wind swell is exactly what a downwind foiler wants, so long-period groundswell earns no special bonus.
Frequently asked questions
How often is this updated?
Every 3 hours when the conditions cron runs. We pull fresh swell, wind, tide, and visibility data for every spot and recalculate the downwind foil score.
How is the downwind foil score calculated?
An eight-factor multiplicative penalty chain compressed with an adaptive gamma exponent. The combined sea state base (0-10) is multiplied by wind, wind-swell alignment, direction, gust consistency, tide safety, rain, and visibility factors. The adaptive gamma stops one soft factor from sinking an otherwise firing day.
Why does it invert from prone foil?
The big, breezy bump days that prone foilers skip are exactly the prime downwind days. A 2m windy ocean scores poorly for prone foiling but lights up the downwind board, because the chop is the ride rather than a penalty.
Where does the data come from?
Open-Meteo Marine and Weather APIs. Combined swell height, period, direction, wind, gusts, visibility, and precipitation for every spot. Tide position from harmonic predictions.
Are these the same spots as the surf leaderboard?
Yes, the same surf spots ranked by a completely different formula. The windy, lumpy days most surfers and prone foilers skip are often the best downwind runs.
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