Not enough data yet. Log a session to help build the accuracy score.
Local knowledge and community tips for Filey
Filey is a gentle, sheltered beach break on the North Yorkshire coast, protected by the rocky peninsula of Filey Brigg. The long curving bay faces east and the Brigg acts as a natural breakwater, filtering and reducing the raw North Sea swell before it enters the bay. The result is consistently small, soft waves that rarely exceed chest height. Wide, flat sand and a forgiving bottom make it ideal for absolute beginners.
Needs a north-easterly swell from the North Sea. A westerly wind blows offshore. The Brigg filters so much energy that you need a solid swell running for anything rideable to make it into the bay. October through March offers the most consistent windows. Even on good days, expect small, gentle waves.
The section at the south end of the bay, furthest from the Brigg, picks up slightly more swell. The sandy slope is very gradual so position yourself for the gentle crumbling waves rather than expecting a defined peak. On bigger days, the section closer to the Brigg occasionally produces slightly steeper peaks from the swell refracting around the rocks.
Very few. The gradual sandy bottom is forgiving, the waves lack power, and the sheltered nature of the bay limits currents. The main hazard is cold water in winter. Rocks around Filey Brigg itself should be avoided but these are well away from the main surfing area. An exceptionally safe environment for learners.
Seaside town parking along the seafront. Easy access to the beach from multiple points. Facilities including toilets, cafes, and changing rooms available in the town. A very accessible, family-friendly setup.
Almost nobody. Filey does not attract serious surfers because the waves are too small and soft. You might see the occasional bodyboarder, SUP rider, or surf school but generally you will have the water to yourself. The lack of quality keeps it permanently uncrowded.
Filey works well as a confidence-building venue for beginners who find other Yorkshire spots too powerful or cold-water daunting. If Filey is actually producing decent waves, Cayton Bay and Scarborough will be firing and are worth the short drive south. The fish and chip shops on the seafront are excellent. Do not underestimate how cold the North Sea gets in January.
No recent check-ins. Be the first to report.
Record your session, conditions and gear.
Based on historical weekly averages
Combining historical conditions with school holiday crowd pressure to find the sweet spot.
How busy each week is based on school holiday overlap from feeder markets.
The timing score combines two signals: historical conditions quality (how good the skiing or surfing typically is in a given week, based on 5 years of weather data) and crowd pressure (how many of this destination's feeder markets have school holidays that week).
Crowd pressure is weighted by each feeder country's share of visitors. If 40% of a resort's visitors come from France and France is on holiday, that contributes 0.40 to the crowd pressure score. Crowds can reduce the timing score by up to 35%, ensuring conditions still matter most.
Scores: 5 = great conditions with low crowds (the sweet spot). 4 = great conditions with moderate crowds, or good conditions with low crowds. 3 = average. 2 = below average conditions or very crowded. 1 = poor conditions or peak holiday chaos.
Last 28 days of logged conditions.
Sign up to save favourite spots and get surf alerts
Create free accountCreate a free profile and let employers in Filey find you.
Create Profile →Current conditions refresh every 3 hours when the cron runs. Hourly data updates every 30 minutes. The 7-day forecast, luck factor, and packing notes are all pre-computed at the same time.
We compare the 7-day forecast to the last 5 years of marine data for the same week at Filey. The delta tells you whether conditions are shaping up better, worse, or about the same as a typical mid-June.
We score each day of the 7-day forecast using the same algorithm as the leaderboard, and highlight the highest scorer.
Open-Meteo's Marine API (swell height, period, water temperature) and Weather API (wind and conditions).
Honestly, no. Every break has tide windows, swell directions and reef contours that a global model cannot see. Treat the score as a starting point, then check a local cam.
The best week for surf at Filey is the week of 23 November (score 3/5) with low crowds.
Flat as a lake. Save your energy for another day. Short-period wind swell: expect weak, crumbly faces. Heavy offshore making for difficult paddle-outs but textbook faces.
Heads up: cold-shock risk.
Indicators derived from forecast data, not official warnings. Always check local lifeguard or official advice.
Moderate water clarity: ~4m visibility
Updated 10:33
Daily scores over the last 12 months at Filey