🌊 Surfbot – Surf Forecasts Posted to Slack

“I don’t know about you, but I hate checking Surfline every day just to see if there’s something on the horizon.
I’d rather get a notification only when it’s worth paddling out, customized to the kind of surf I actually want. ”
— You, probably 🤙

Surfbot checks Surfline for you and posts only the good surf windows to your Slack channel. You don’t need to know how to code — just follow the steps below and you’ll be up and riding in no time. 🏄

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🛠️ What You’ll Need

• A Linux computer with Python installed
• A Slack workspace (free account is fine)
• A Surfline spot (your local break)

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👣 Step-by-Step Setup

1. Download the Files

Download these two files and put them in a folder:

• surfbot script
• .env config file

(You’ll get the actual download links from the repo.)

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2. Install Python Packages

Type this into your terminal:

pip install requests pytz python-dotenv

This installs everything Surfbot needs.

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3. Get Your Surfline Spot ID

1. Go to surfline.com
2. Search for your beach
3. Click on the surf report
4. Look at the link — it’ll look like:

https://www.surfline.com/surf-report/navarre-beach/5842041f4e65fad6a7708b03

Copy that long ID at the end:

5842041f4e65fad6a7708b03

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4. Set Up the .env File

Open the .env file in a text editor and paste in your info:

SPOT_ID=5842041f4e65fad6a7708b03   # 👈 replace with your ID
SPOT_NAME=Navarre Beach            # 👈 just a label for Slack
LOCAL_TZ=US/Central                # 👈 your timezone (Google: “pytz timezones”)

SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL=https://hooks.slack.com/services/...  # 👈 next step
SLACK_CHANNEL=#surf-reports
SLACK_USERNAME=surfbot

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5. Create a Slack Webhook

1. Go to: Slack Incoming Webhooks
2. Choose a channel like #surf-reports
3. Click “Add Incoming Webhook”
4. Copy the webhook URL it gives you
5. Paste that into your .env file where it says SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL=

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6. Run Surfbot!

Now in your terminal, type:

python3 surfbot.py

If there’s good surf coming, you’ll see a message in Slack like:

🔥 Tue Apr 23, 06:00 AM to 09:00 AM — Fair to Good
  🌊 2.5–3.5 ft waves
  🌬️ Wind: 4.3 kts @ NW ✅ Offshore
  📈 Swell: 7.5 s
  🌊 Tide: Rising (0.3ft → 1.0ft) ✅ Ideal

If there’s nothing worth surfing? Surfbot stays quiet. 🤫

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7. Automate It (Optional)

Want Surfbot to check for you every morning?

In terminal, type:

crontab -e

Then add this line to check at 6 AM:

0 6 * * * /usr/bin/python3 /path/to/surfbot.py

(Change the path to where you saved the script.)

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🌬️ Customizing Wind Logic

Surfbot is tuned for Navarre Beach, Florida, which faces south. If your break faces a different direction, use this guide to update the get_wind_label() function in surfbot.py.

📌 Use the table below to calibrate your offshore, onshore, and cross-shore logic:

Surf Break	Facing Dir	✅ Offshore Winds	⚠️ Onshore Winds	↔️ Cross-Shore Winds
Navarre Beach, FL	South	N (0°)	S (180°)	E/W (90° / 270°)
Pipeline, HI	Northwest	SE (135°)	NW (315°)	NE/SW (45° / 225°)
Ocean Beach, CA	West	E (90°)	W (270°)	N/S (0° / 180°)
Trestles, CA	South/SW	NE (45°–90°)	SW (210°–240°)	NW/SE (135° / 315°)
Sebastian Inlet, FL	East	W (270°)	E (90°)	N/S (0° / 180°)

✏️ Example Code Adjustment

If your break faces west like Ocean Beach, update your wind logic like this:

def get_wind_label(degrees):
    if 60 <= degrees <= 120:      # Offshore from east
        return "✅ Offshore"
    elif 240 <= degrees <= 300:   # Onshore from west
        return "⚠️ Onshore"
    elif (0 <= degrees <= 30) or (150 <= degrees <= 210):
        return "↔️ Cross-shore"
    return ""

You can adjust these values based on maps, satellite views, or just standing on the sand and feeling where the wind comes from. 🌬️

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🧼 Troubleshooting

• If you see ModuleNotFoundError, run:

  pip install requests pytz python-dotenv

• If Slack doesn’t post, double-check your webhook URL

• Still stuck? Open an issue on GitHub and I’ll help out 🤙

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That’s it! You’re done. Now go surf 🏄