Barvas (Lewis) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a proper look at what’s on the cards for Barvas.

To be honest, the next couple of weeks are a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve got some swell around, sure, but the wind’s going to play silly buggers for most of it. The water temperature is sitting at a fairly normal 57°, nothing out of the ordinary for the time of year.

The opening Sunday morning, 16th August, is a write-off with a messy cross-onshore wind and lumpy surf. The combined swell energy is only 165 (weak), so nothing to get excited about. Sunday afternoon, however, throws up a tiny window of opportunity. The wind goes completely glassy, dead calm. The swell is a small 3ft from the WNW, with a period of 7 seconds, but it’s going to be clean. It’s not going to be a classic by any stretch, but if you’re desperate for a slide, that’s your best chance for a couple of days. It’s a beginner-friendly reef break, and crowds are rare, so you’ll have plenty of water to yourself.

Monday the 17th and Tuesday the 18th offer a bit more size. Monday morning has a 3ft WSW swell with a 9-second period and a clean offshore wind from the east – that’ll tidy it up nicely for a beginner’s session. Tuesday afternoon sees the swell jump to 6ft from the WSW (9-second period) with a combined energy of 543 (moderate energy), but the wind is going to be howling from the SW at 15 mph, putting a nasty cross-chop on it. That’s more of a kite-surfing set-up than a clean paddling wave.

We then hit a long, frustrating stretch from Wednesday the 19th right through to Saturday the 29th of August. The wind is constantly from the north or south-west, and it never settles into a clean offshore for Barvas. There are a few days of decent size – particularly the 28th and 29th, where we see a big 13ft, long-period, very strong swell (combined energy readings over 4000), but the wind is a horrible strong cross-shore or onshore mess. It’s going to be a washing machine out there. This break just can’t handle that northerly or strong westerly wind for surf.

The only other real standout, and it’s a long way off, is the morning of Sunday the 30th of August. We’ve got a 8ft groundswell from the NNW with a nice 11-second period (combined energy 2609, which is strong) and, crucially, a cross-offshore wind from the south at 15 mph. That should clean things right up. The period is long, which will favour the reef at Barvas, meaning it should shape up nicely. It’s worth keeping an eye on, but it’s over a week away, so don’t book the van just yet – forecasts that far out are always a bit sketchy.

The rest of the run into the 31st sees the wind swing back onshore and choppy again, so that Sunday morning window is the real gem in a pretty rough-looking fortnight.

Stay stoked, but don’t hold your breath.
Rusty

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