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. Wind sets the baseline, then each factor multiplies it down. Safety caps and a golden hour bonus are applied last.
The dominant factor. SUP is highly exposed to wind. Effective wind blends sustained speed (70%) and gusts (30%), penalised on a quadratic curve up to 28 km/h.
Flat water is ideal. Shelter level adjusts the effective wave height. Quadratic penalty from 0 to 1.4m, with exposed spots hit hardest.
Even mild current is tiring on a paddleboard. Quadratic penalty from 0 to 0.9 m/s. Above 1.5 m/s triggers a hard safety cap.
Apparent temperature and precipitation. Best between 18 and 30 degrees. Heavy rain degrades the experience sharply.
Atmospheric visibility and cloud cover. Below 1 km is poor. SUP rewards scenic, clear days for the full experience.
Tide access and flow state. Slack tide is ideal. Mid and high tides suit beach launches. Lakes always score 1.0.
Prolonged sun exposure on open water. Gentle penalty above UV 8, stronger above 12. Paddlers are fully exposed with no shade.
Satellite-derived Secchi depth. Clearer water scores a small bonus. Very murky water (below 1m visibility) is penalised.
A 5% bonus for glassy dawn or dusk sessions when wind is below 10 km/h and waves are under 0.3m. The classic flat-water paddle window.
Frequently asked questions
How often is this updated?
Every 6 hours when the conditions cron runs. We pull fresh wind, swell, tide, visibility, UV and precipitation data for every spot and recalculate the SUP score.
How is the SUP score calculated?
A multiplicative penalty chain starting from a perfect 10. Wind is the base factor, then wave height, current, comfort, visibility, tide, UV, and water quality each multiply down. Safety caps prevent inflated scores in dangerous conditions (extreme current, gusts above 40 km/h, waves above 2m, or very low visibility). A golden hour bonus rewards glassy dawn and dusk sessions.
What makes a perfect SUP day?
Glass-flat water, no wind, warm air, clear skies, slack tide, and good water clarity. A sheltered bay or lake on a calm morning is as good as it gets. The score rewards exactly these conditions.
Why do SUP scores differ from surf scores?
Surfers want waves; paddleboarders want flat water. A windless, waveless day scores low for surf but high for SUP. Conversely, a solid swell day that lights up the surf leaderboard will tank the SUP score because of the chop and instability.
Does this cover all types of SUP?
The scoring is optimised for recreational and touring SUP, the most common styles. Flat water, light wind and comfortable conditions are universally good. SUP surfing has different needs and is better served by the surf leaderboard.
Where does the data come from?
Open-Meteo Marine and Weather APIs for wind, swell, tide, visibility, UV and precipitation. Copernicus Marine and NOAA VIIRS satellite data for water clarity (Secchi depth). All refreshed every 3 hours.
Are these the same spots as the surf leaderboard?
Yes, the same 260 coastal spots ranked by a completely different formula. The calm days surfers skip are often the best SUP days.
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