
Surf Forecasts:
Freshwater Bay surf forecast from 28 Jul 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 30 Jul, 10PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 5s period, WSW swell with 44 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Freshwater Bay this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Freshwater Bay in the next 16 days are 0.9m 5s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 30) at 10PM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.2m 5s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 30) at 7PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 10PM (Thu 30th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 5s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Freshwater Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. I’ve been staring at the charts for Freshwater Bay, and I gotta be straight with you – it’s looking pretty grim for a solid stretch. But let’s walk through it.
The next week and a half is mostly a write-off. For the first few days, from Tuesday the 28th of July right through to the morning of Monday the 10th of August, the surf is tiny and the conditions are just plain messy. We’re talking about a lot of flat, weak energy (with combined energy values often in the single digits and low double digits, like 5, 3, 2 and 30). The water is way warmer than usual for this time of year – a massive 5° warmer – but that’s about the only thing that’s unusual around here. The swell is coming from directions like WSW and W, but it’s mostly under 2 ft and the period is short, under 8 seconds, so it’s not going to do anything for us. Winds are all over the place, mostly cross or cross-on, and even when it’s glassy, there’s just no swell to work with. It’s a real bummer.
Then, on Tuesday the 11th of August, we see a tiny flicker of hope. The morning shows a bit of weak energy (129) and the wave comment says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” It’s a 2 ft swell from the WSW, period 8 seconds, with a nice clean cross-off breeze from the north. That’s the best of a bad lot, but it’s not worth getting excited about. The energy is still weak, and the swell is small.
The real kicker comes on Wednesday the 12th of August. The morning sees a 5 ft swell from the SW, but the period is only 6 seconds (short period junk) and the wind is a light cross-shore. The energy is moderate (172), but it’s still messy. The afternoon is the biggest swell of the whole run: a 7 ft swell from the WSW with a 6-second period. That’s got a combined energy of 340 – moderate energy – but the wind is a gentle cross-onshore, making it “fairly choppy”. The file says “poor surf conditions”. For a reef and point break like Freshwater Bay, a 7 ft short-period swell with cross-onshore wind is just going to be a sloppy, blown-out mess. It’s too big for beginners and not clean enough for the experienced crew. Honestly, this setup over 8 ft would be expert-only, but at 7 ft with that wind, it’s just not good.
So, what’s the call? There is no standout. The only remotely surfable moment is the morning of Tuesday the 11th of August, and even that is a “meh” at best. The gap of poor surf is from the start of the forecast right through to the morning of the 11th – that’s about 14 days of nothing good. If you’re desperate, you might paddle out on the 11th for a few small, clean waves, but don’t expect much.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Thu afternoon, min 14°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Mon morning, min 14°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Tue 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | ||||||||||||||
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) | WSW 5 | WSW 5 | — | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | WSW 4 | WSW 5 | WSW 5 | WSW 4 | W 12 | W 4 | SW 10 | WSW 9 | WSW 8 | WSW 8 | WSW 8 | SW 9 | WSW 9 | WSW 8 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 28 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 20 | 30 | 26 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | off | cross-off | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross | off | glassy | cross-on | off | off | cross-off | off |
High Tide | 11:24PM2.30m | 11:59AM2.29m | 11:59PM2.39m | 12:33PM2.38m | 00:32AM2.44m | 1:07PM2.43m | 1:06AM2.45m | 1:42PM2.45m | 1:40AM2.42m | 2:16PM2.44m | 2:14AM2.35m | 2:52PM2.39m | 2:50AM2.27m | |||||||
Low Tide | 4:21PM0.52m | 4:44AM0.25m | 4:56PM0.43m | 5:18AM0.14m | 5:30PM0.37m | 5:50AM0.06m | 6:04PM0.33m | 6:23AM0.02m | 6:38PM0.32m | 6:57AM0.02m | 7:14PM0.34m | 7:32AM0.07m | 7:52PM0.39m | |||||||
— | — | 5:26 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | |
8:57 | — | — | 8:55 | — | — | 8:53 | — | — | 8:52 | — | — | 8:51 | — | — | 8:50 | — | — | 8:47 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 20 | 22 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 22 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 24 | 23 | 19 |
Feels °C | 20 | 22 | 22 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 14 | 17 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 17 | 14 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 20 | 19 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 5 | WSW 5 | — | — | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | WSW 5 | WSW 5 | — | — | W 4 | SW 10 | W 4 | WSW 4 | WSW 8 | W 3 | SW 9 | WSW 9 | WSW 8 |
3 | 3 | — | — | 2 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 4 | — | — | 3 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 20 | 30 | 26 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | W 10 | — | W 11 | — | — | — | W 10 | W 9 | — | W 9 | W 11 | — | WSW 9 | WSW 8 | — | WSW 8 | — | — | WNW 3 |
2 | 2 | — | 2 | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | 2 | 2 | — | 8 | 7 | — | 6 | — | — | 2 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 8 | — | W 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 12 | — | — | — | — | — | SW 10 | — | — | SW 3 |
— | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | 2 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | WSW 3 | W 4 | W 4 | WSW 4 | NNW 3 | NE 3 | WSW 4 | NW 4 | N 3 | WSW 3 | NNW 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | 6 | 13 | 9 | 28 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 167 | 249 | 285 | 268 | 268 | 346 | 366 | 279 | 303 | 367 | 343 | 282 | 303 | 282 | 304 | 284 | 218 | 169 | 259 | 187 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Isle of Wight | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Freshwater Bay Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Freshwater Bay provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Freshwater Bay can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Freshwater Bay 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 (Freshwater Bay) 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 Freshwater Bay 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.
Freshwater Bay is 16 km (10 miles) from Newport. If you plan a holiday in Isle of Wight, look for hotels and other accommodation in Newport. Newport has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.










