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Home/Surf Conditions/ Saunton Sands
Live surf report

Saunton Sands

United Kingdom · Atlantic Europe

Current score
0.1
Flat
☀️

Right now

Clear
Wave height
0.4 m
1-1.5 ft / Ankle to knee high
Swell
6s Wind swell
From 249°
Wind
8 km/h
Offshore E
Water temp
10°C
5/4mm + boots

Wind and swell direction

NESW

Swell: 0.4m WSW

Wind: 8 km/h E (offshore)

Beach faces: NW

Very light wind. Expect glassy, clean conditions.

Swell is coming in at an oblique angle, some refraction expected.

GlassyClean face
Glassy: Very light wind, smooth water surfaceClean face: Offshore wind holding up wave faces

Today hour by hour

Updated 10:30
5am
--
Dark
Dark
6am
94
Epic
0.4m
6s wind
8kn E
Best
7am
89
Epic
0.4m
6s wind
4kn NE
8am
93
Epic
0.4m
6s wind
1kn SE
9am
92
Epic
0.4m
6s wind
1kn W
10am
86
Epic
0.4m
6s wind
5kn NW
11am
63
Good
0.4m
6s wind
10kn NW
12pm
56
Good
0.4m
6s wind
12kn NW
1pm
36
Moderate
0.3m
6s wind
16kn N
2pm
49
Fair
0.3m
6s wind
14kn N
3pm
37
Moderate
0.4m
6s wind
16kn N
4pm
37
Moderate
0.4m
6s wind
14kn N
5pm
23
Poor
0.3m
6s wind
14kn NW
6pm
15
Poor
0.3m
6s wind
19kn N
7pm
6
Poor
0.3m
6s wind
22kn N
8pm
43
Fair
0.4m
5s wind
19kn N
RatingEpicGreatGoodFairModeratePoor

Expected crowds

Prediction model v1
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm

6amDawn patrol territory

7amMidweek quiet

EmptyQuietModerateBusyPacked

Next 7 days

Forecast via Open-Meteo
Today
26 Apr
☁️
3.1
0.5 m
8s · 18 km/h
quiet
Sunday
Best session
Tomorrow
27 Apr
☁️
2.1
0.5 m
6s · 17 km/h
empty
Midweek
Tue
28 Apr
☁️
2.9
0.4 m
12s · 27 km/h
empty
Midweek
Wed
29 Apr
☁️
2.2
0.5 m
10s · 40 km/h
empty
Midweek
Thu
30 Apr
☁️
2.3
0.4 m
10s · 39 km/h
empty
Midweek
Fri
1 May
🌤️
2.6
0.3 m
9s · 23 km/h
empty
Friday
Sat
2 May
☁️
2.3
0.3 m
8s · 16 km/h
quiet
Saturday

What to pack

Forecast accuracy at Saunton Sands

Not enough data yet. Log a session to help build the accuracy score.

Best time to go

Today 6am-10am

quiet before the morning rush, conditions building through the session

86
Ankle to knee highVariableQuiet
Tomorrow 8pm-10pm

quiet evening session

Ankle to knee highVariableEmpty
84
Tomorrow 4pm-8pm

quiet evening session

Ankle to knee highVariableQuiet
78

Nearby spots right now

Saunton SandsYou are here
0.46mOnshore
Flat
Croyde
0.8 miles0.46mCross-onshore
Flat
Putsborough
1.6 miles0.46mOnshore
Flat
Woolacombe
2.5 miles0.46mOnshore
Flat

Crowd report

No recent check-ins. Be the first to report.

Session journal

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Tide

Approximate model
5am8pm
High 09:002.5m
Low 15:120.1m

Swell forecast

7-day forecast
Swell heightWind wavesBest day
Long (12s+)Medium (8-11s)Short (below 8s)

Water quality

5 nearby outfalls
Croyde Beach NorthSouthWest
1.2 kmNo recent data
Croyde Bay Beach (34200)SouthWest
1.2 kmNo recent data
Putsborough Beach (34300)SouthWest
1.3 kmNo recent data
Saunton Sands (34100)SouthWest
1.9 kmNo recent data
Barnstaple Bay Off Croyde (Wfd 02)SouthWest
2.7 kmNo recent data

Updated 10:30

Daily score breakdown

Swell quality1.8/7
Swell alignmentx0.74
Wind1.2/3
The luck factor

This week is looking below average for late April.

Comparing the 7-day forecast to the last 5 years of marine data for the same week at Saunton Sands.

Below avgAbove avg
3.5/10
vs typical 5.1/10 for late April

What's driving it

Average swell height
0.5 m typical
0.4 m
Swell period
6.9 s typical
9.1 s
Wind
0 km/h typical
26 km/h
Solid swell days
0.0 typical
0 forecast

Recent form

Last 3 days of logged conditions.

30-day average
1.2/10
Days firing
0
Score 7 or higher
Best day recently
3.5/10
25 Apr
Days logged
3

About Saunton Sands

Long flat beach backed by Braunton Burrows with mellow waves ideal for longboarding.

Compare nearby spots in detail

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Frequently asked questions

How often is this page updated?

Current conditions refresh every 6 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.

What is the luck factor?

We compare the 7-day forecast to the last 5 years of marine data for the same week at Saunton Sands. The delta tells you whether conditions are shaping up better, worse, or about the same as a typical late April.

How is 'best session' picked?

We score each day of the 7-day forecast using the same algorithm as the leaderboard, and highlight the highest scorer.

Where does the data come from?

Open-Meteo's Marine API (swell height, period, water temperature) and Weather API (wind and conditions).

Does the score capture local knowledge?

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.

When is the best time to surf Saunton Sands?

Check our timing score heatmap above for a week-by-week breakdown combining surf conditions with crowd pressure.