Dahomey Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s in store for the next couple of weeks.

Alright, mate, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it – this stretch looks pretty grim for any proper paddle surfing. The whole 16-day window is a write-off for quality waves. You’ve got a long gap right from the start with nothing worth getting wet for. The first real glimmer of anything that might be rideable doesn’t show up until late in the piece, around Friday, the 28th of August, and even then it’s a big question mark.

The main issue is the wind. It’s almost always cross, cross-on, or straight onshore, chopping up whatever small swell is trying to push in. The swell is small and weak for most of it, with combined energy readings barely cracking 100 (mostly 38 to 95). That’s anemic. There’s a bit more push from the 22nd of August onward, with swell heights creeping up to 5ft to 5ft and combined energy hitting between 199 and 363, but the wind is still a mess – cross-onshore from the NW or NNW, making it short-period and choppy. The period sits around 7 to 9 seconds, so it’s windswell, not proper groundswell.

The only break on the menu is Dahomey, a beginner-friendly, fairly consistent spot that’s fairly exposed to the swell. It’s a spot that can work, but the wind is just not playing ball. The optimum swell direction is NW, which is what we’re getting, but the wind is ruining the party.

The standout, if you can call it that, is the morning of Friday, the 28th of August. At Dahomey, you’ve got a 5ft swell from the NW with a period of 8 seconds, and the combined energy is a solid 319 (moderate). The wind is a light cross-shore from the NNE at just 3 mph, which is nearly glassy. That’s the cleanest window in the whole forecast. But it’s still a marginal call – the report says “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions.” The Saturday morning (29th of August) and Sunday morning (30th of August) are similar, with light cross-shore winds and 5ft swell, energy around 293, but again, it’s flagged as marginal.

The rest of the time, it’s a chop-fest. By the time we get to the second week – the 1st and 2nd of September – the swell is dropping back to 3ft to 4ft, and the wind is back to being messy. Honestly, if you’re a kite surfer, there might be some fun to be had in the onshore wind and 5ft to 5ft chop, but for a paddle surfer, this is a tough stretch. The water is about average for the time of year.

Rusty out.

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