Compton Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let me have a look at what’s cookin’.

Honestly, mate, I gotta be straight with ya – the next couple of weeks are a real mixed bag and mostly a flat spell for the region we’re lookin’ at here, Compton Bay (Isle of Wight). The swell energy never really gets goin’ proper, and the wind just won’t play nice for most of it. We’ve got a big ol’ gap of flatness right in the middle, with hardly a ripple from Thursday the 22nd through Monday the 26th of August. That’s near enough five days of nothin’ to write home about.

The first few days, Tuesday the 18th through Thursday the 20th, we see some waist-to-chest high swell pushin’ in, around 4ft to 5ft from the WSW, but the period is short and snappy – only 5 or 6 seconds – makin’ it weak and disorganized. The wind’s howlin’ cross-on or straight onshore, so it’s just a choppy, lumpy mess with combined energy sittin’ between 77 and 160 – that’s weak to barely moderate energy. Not worth paddlin’ out for.

Then Friday the 21st the wind finally goes offshore from the NE, but the swell drops right off a cliff to just 0.7ft. It’s clean and glassy, but there’s simply no push to ride. That flat spell keeps goin’ through the weekend and into early the next week, with waves barely breakin’ the 0.3ft mark.

We get a little bump around Wednesday the 26th with a short-lived pulse of 2ft from the W and combined energy hittin’ 103 (moderate), but the wind’s back up to gale force from the WSW and it’s onshore – makes for lumpy, ugly surf.

Through the end of the month and into September, the swell picks up a bit of size. Saturday the 29th of August shows a 5ft SW swell with a period of 7 seconds and combined energy gettin’ up to 253 (moderate-strong). The wind’s still cross to cross-on, and it looks fairly chopped up. Sunday the 31st of August afternoon has a 8ft SW swell with big energy at 451, but it’s onshore and looks messy. Tuesday the 1st of September also has 5ft from the SW with a longer period of 9 seconds and strong energy (408), but again, it’s blowin’ onshore from the SW. All of these are for experts only given the size and onshore wind, and with the crowd factor listed as "sometimes," you’ll likely be fighting for scraps.

There’s one tiny window that stands out more than the rest: Tuesday the 1st of September morning. That 5ft SW groundswell with a 9-second period and combined energy at 408 is the biggest, most powerful patient wave we see. The direction’s right for the break’s optimum, and if you can handle the onshore breeze, it’ll have some grunt. But honestly, for clean conditions, we don’t really get a standout window. The offshore winds we saw on the 21st and 22nd were paired with zero swell.

So, if you’re desperate, the end of August into early September has the most size, but it’s a wind-swept, onshore affair. Beginners should steer clear of anything over 5ft, and there’s a few days surpassin’ that. The water temperature is average for the time of year, so you’ll be alright in a 3/2 wetsuit. For me, the pick of a poor bunch is Tuesday the 1st of September morning if you’re an expert lookin’ for a challenge in lumpy, powerful waves. Otherwise, save your energy.

Rusty.

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