Surf Forecasts:
Bude surf forecast from 18 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 21 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 9s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 25 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 9s period, WSW swell with 680 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 21 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 9s period with W swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Bude this week:
The surf forecast for Bude over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 21) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 14s. Another secondary swell of 1.3m and 6s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Bude in the next 16 days are 2.0m 9s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 25) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.2m 2s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 22) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Tue 25th Aug) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Bude over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right, I’ll be honest with you – this is a tough one for Bude. The whole 16-day window is looking pretty grim. We’re staring down the barrel of a long stretch with no real surf to get excited about. The first proper chance of anything even slightly rideable doesn’t show up until Thursday, 27 August, and even then, it’s ordinary. That’s over a week of flat, messy, or just plain poor conditions.
Let’s walk through it. From Tuesday, 18 August, right through to Wednesday, 26 August, the story is the same: mostly onshore winds, choppy, and tiny waves. You’ll see readings like 1.0 ft up to 6 ft, but the wind is always wrong or the swell is too short-period. The energy is weak for most of that, with figures like 27 (weak energy) or 456 (moderate wave energy) but paired with a cross-onshore breeze that just ruins it. It’s a write-off for a paddle surfer.
The first glimmer of hope is on Thursday, 27 August morning. The window opens at Bude with glassy conditions – wind from the east at just 3 mph, full glass. The swell is a tiny 3 ft from the west, with a period of 9 seconds (moderate). The combined energy is 148 (moderate wave energy). It’s small, and the water temp is 66°F, which is about 4°F warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s noticeable, the water feels a bit warmer than normal. But it’s surfable, and with that glass, you might get a few fun little ones if you’re desperate. Don’t expect any power.
Then Friday, 28 August morning offers another small window: light offshore wind from the ENE at 9 mph, with 3 ft west swell, period 9 seconds. The energy is a weak 99 (moderate wave energy). It’s clean, but again, tiny. It’s not a standout, but it’s the best of a bad bunch.
Honestly, nothing here is a standout. The only spot worth mentioning is Bude itself, and it’s a beginner-friendly, fairly exposed beach break. The best on offer is the Thursday morning glass-off, but it’s so small, it’s only going to be for the longboard or a foiler. For everyone else, it’s a waiting game. The forecast might change, but as it stands, this is a blank run for the area.
Keep your eyes on the charts, but for now, I’d be finding a different hobby for a bit.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Tue night. Very mild (max 18°C on Tue morning, min 12°C on Thu night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Fri night. Very mild (max 18°C on Sat morning, min 13°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 7 | W 6 | W 6 | W 9 | W 9 | W 7 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | NNW 5 | W 10 | W 9 | NNW 5 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 9 | W 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 175 | 100 | 123 | 57 | 235 | 320 | 452 | 380 | 160 | 66 | 47 | 28 | 29 | 25 | 19 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 517 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | off | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off |
High Tide | 10:06AM6.84m | 10:25PM6.68m | 10:44AM6.32m | 11:05PM6.07m | 11:27AM5.79m | 11:54PM5.50m | 12:24PM5.31m | 1:03AM5.07m | 1:47PM5.04m | 2:38AM4.97m | 3:22PM5.17m | 4:01AM5.24m | 4:29PM5.59m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 4:10PM1.17m | 4:31AM1.47m | 4:49PM1.71m | 5:11AM2.01m | 5:36PM2.24m | 6:04AM2.51m | 6:42PM2.68m | 7:23AM2.84m | 8:19PM2.85m | 9:02AM2.82m | 9:49PM2.63m | 10:17AM2.47m | 10:49PM2.20m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | | | |  |  | | | | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — |
 | — | 8:34 | — | — | 8:31 | — | — | 8:30 | — | — | 8:28 | — | — | 8:24 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:21 | — |
mm | — | — | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 20 | 19 | 16 |
Feels °C | 17 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 19 | 18 | 14 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 17 | W 6 | W 17 | W 6 | W 16 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | NNW 5 | NNW 4 | W 9 | W 9 | NNW 4 | W 9 | NNW 4 | W 8 | W 9 | W 9 |
| kJ | 6 | 100 | 6 | 47 | 5 | 15 | 452 | 380 | 160 | 66 | 47 | 28 | 8 | 25 | 14 | 5 | 14 | 3 | 12 | 14 | 517 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 17 | — | W 9 | — | SW 16 | W 15 | SW 14 | W 14 | W 16 | W 16 | W 8 | W 10 | SW 15 | SW 15 | W 9 | SW 14 | W 8 | — | W 14 | W 13 |
| kJ | — | 6 | — | 57 | — | 10 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 22 | 29 | 9 | 8 | 14 | 8 | 12 | — | 4 | 3 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | W 16 | — | — | — | — | — | W 13 | W 13 | W 16 | SW 15 | — | — | SW 14 | — | W 5 | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 3 | 5 | 9 | — | — | 8 | — | 2 | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 7 | — | W 6 | — | W 9 | W 7 | — | — | NNW 6 | NNW 5 | NNW 5 | — | ENE 2 | N 4 | NNW 5 | — | NNW 4 | — | — | SW 4 | — |
| kJ | 175 | — | 123 | — | 235 | 320 | — | — | 113 | 28 | 21 | — | 1 | 9 | 19 | — | 7 | — | — | 7 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 222 | 403 | 83 | 83 | 276 | 222 | 90 | 94 | 0 | 33 | 101 | 2 | 5 | 83 | 5 | 97 | 100 | 115 | 115 | 79 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Cornwall | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Bude surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the Bude Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Bude provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Bude can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Bude surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Bude) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Bude may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Bude is 1 km (1 miles) from Bude. If you plan a holiday in North Cornwall, look for hotels and other accommodation in Bude. Bude has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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