Cruden Bay
Surf spot · UK
Is it worth the trip?
16Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: too small (2 ft swell at 4 s)
Mon 2 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 5kJ
- Wind
- NW 9 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Tue 3 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 6kJ
- Wind
- NNE 4 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Wed 4 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft3 smushy
- Energy
- 2kJ
- Wind
- SSE 3 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Thu 5 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 6kJ
- Wind
- ESE 5 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Fri 6 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 7kJ
- Wind
- E 4 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Sat 7 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 3kJ
- Wind
- SW 2 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Sun 8 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 6kJ
- Wind
- SW 4 kn
- Temp
- 8°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 120, too small
- Mon 217, too small
- Tue 316, too small
- Wed 413, too small
- Thu 514, too small
- Fri 621, too small
- Sat 712, too small
- Sun 810, too small
- Mon 99, too small
- Tue 1025, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–10 ftof swell
- Water 11 °C4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves
- Best Jan, Mar1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
Cruden Bay does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 20, too small | 1 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 6kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 8 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 17, too small | 1 ft4 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 5kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 9 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft4 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 6kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 4 knots | 11°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 13, too small | 1 ft3 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 3 knots | 11°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 14, too small | 1 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 6kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 5 knots | 11°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 21, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | wind from the east, 4 knots | 10°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 12, too small | 1 ft4 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 3kJ | wind from the south-west, 2 knots | 9°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 10, too small | 1 ft6 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 6kJ | wind from the south-west, 4 knots | 8°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft5 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 6kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 10 knots | 9°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 25, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 11 knots, offshore | 8°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovHigh 05:16 +1.1 mLow 11:14 −0.9 mHigh 17:27 +1.2 mLow 23:59 −1.4 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 06:38 +1.0 mLow 12:28 −0.8 mHigh 18:45 +1.1 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 01:18 −1.4 mHigh 08:04 +1.0 mLow 13:49 −0.8 mHigh 20:07 +1.1 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best Jan, Mar
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
Cruden Bay on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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Photos of Cruden Bay
More surf near here
2 places
- Insanities 9.6 km away
- Sandford Bay 10.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Cruden Bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (119°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (299°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 700 m out (1 in 68). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 7°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 14°C in August, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January and March, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Cruden Bay, 1.8 km away (about 5 min by car).
Water about 11°C: 4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,290–US$2,400 each
about US$1,290–US$2,400 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to EDI, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$422–US$884 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$141–US$234 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$281–US$469 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$315–US$583 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$134–US$228 |
| Total | about US$1,290–US$2,400 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
3 min by car · 11 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Cruden Bay its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Peterhead on Booking.com
22 min by car · 24 places to stay
- Beds in Aberdeen on Booking.com
55 min by car · 128 places to stay
About US$107 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 15h 25m
About 15h 25m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → EDI, direct, then 3h 30m by road
Flights ORD → EDI on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.