Surf Forecasts:
Freshwater Bay surf forecast from 21 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 27 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 8s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 28 Aug, 1PM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 6s period, WSW swell with 266 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 27 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 8s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Freshwater Bay this week:
The surf forecast for Freshwater Bay over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 27) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 8s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Freshwater Bay in the next 16 days are 1.9m 6s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 28) at 1PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.0m 6s period and expected on Monday (Aug 24) at 10PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Thu 27th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Thu 27th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 1PM (Fri 28th Aug) | 6ft (1.9m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Freshwater Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let me break down what’s going on at Freshwater Bay. It’s a reef and point break, good for an intermediate, and it’s fairly consistent. Water temp is about normal for the season – nothing special.
Honestly, the next 16 days look cooked. We’ve got a major dry spell starting now and running all the way through the end of the first week of September. No waves worth mentioning for the whole stretch.
Right off the bat, Friday the 21st gives us a tiny 0.4m from the WSW with a short 6-second period. Combined swell energy is just 22 (weak). The wind is cross-off, so it’s clean, but there’s nothing to surf. Saturday and Sunday get even smaller – 0.2m and 0.1m. Sunday morning goes glassy, but with that 0.1m of west swell and an energy reading of 2, it’s as flat as a lake.
Come Monday the 24th, the wind turns onshore and stays that way. The swell picks up to 1.0m to 1.6m on Monday, with the energy hitting 168 (moderate). But the wind is a fresh cross-onshore from the east at 30-35 km/h, so it’s lumpy, choppy, and ugly. Not surfable.
This nasty pattern sticks around. The swell does get bigger – we hit 2.3m on the afternoon of Friday the 28th (485 energy, strong), and another 2.3m on Saturday the 29th afternoon (508 energy, strong). But the wind is still cross-on or cross, gusting up to 45 km/h, with storms around. Those 2.3m waves will be big, raw, and messy. Only for experienced guys, and honestly, it’s better for kiteboarding than paddling.
Into the first week of September, it’s back to tiny swell – 0.2m to 0.6m – and clean winds. Wednesday the 2nd afternoon and Thursday the 3rd morning see a nice offshore breeze, but the swell is only 0.2m to 0.3m with energy in the single digits. No juice.
Bottom line: there’s no best session, no highlight at all. This is a long, quiet spell for the bay. That happens here. Forecasts can change, but for now, keep the board in the garage.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 19°C on Fri morning, min 13°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Warm (max 21°C on Mon afternoon, min 16°C on Tue morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the E on Mon morning, light winds from the NNE by Wed night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | |||||||||||||||
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) | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | WSW 5 | WSW 8 | W 10 | ESE 4 | W 9 | WSW 12 | ESE 5 | SW 9 | SW 9 | ESE 5 | ESE 4 | SW 8 | SSW 4 | SW 4 | WSW 8 | SW 8 | SW 8 | SW 7 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 14 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 113 | 3 | 3 | 53 | 15 | 2 | 5 | 15 | 112 | 69 | 75 | 56 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | on | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross |
High Tide | 5:32PM1.89m | 6:10AM1.75m | 6:40PM1.84m | 7:52AM1.76m | 8:18PM1.89m | 9:27AM1.88m | 9:31PM2.03m | 10:16AM2.05m | 10:16PM2.18m | 10:53AM2.21m | 10:53PM2.32m | 11:28AM2.36m | 11:28PM2.43m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:59AM0.98m | 00:09AM0.99m | 12:44PM1.04m | 1:35AM0.91m | 1:56PM0.95m | 2:30AM0.76m | 2:45PM0.82m | 3:12AM0.58m | 3:25PM0.67m | 3:48AM0.39m | 4:00PM0.52m | 4:20AM0.22m | 4:34PM0.39m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | | | | | |  | |  |  | |  | | |  |  | |  | |
 | 6:01 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — |
 | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:13 | — | — | 8:10 | — | — | 8:08 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:05 | — | — | 8:02 | — |
mm | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 2 | 3 | 33 | 2 | 2 |
Temp °C | 19 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 21 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 17 |
Feels °C | 18 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 13 | 14 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 6 | ENE 4 | WSW 6 | WSW 5 | ENE 4 | W 10 | — | W 9 | WSW 12 | WSW 10 | SW 9 | SW 9 | SW 9 | SW 8 | SW 8 | SW 8 | SW 4 | WSW 8 | SW 8 | SE 4 | WSW 7 |
| kJ | 14 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | 2 | 14 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 112 | 69 | 1 | 21 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 9 | WSW 9 | — | W 8 | WSW 8 | W 6 | W 9 | W 5 | — | — | — | — | W 9 | SW 8 | — | W 10 | SW 7 | — | ESE 3 | — | — |
| kJ | 8 | 8 | — | 1 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | — | 2 | 2 | — | 1 | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SW 8 | — | W 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 8 | — | — | W 9 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | 3 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 3 | WSW 6 | NNE 2 | ENE 4 | — | — | ESE 4 | ESE 3 | ESE 4 | ESE 5 | E 6 | E 6 | ESE 5 | ESE 4 | SSW 3 | SSW 4 | SSE 3 | SE 3 | — | SW 8 | SW 7 |
| kJ | 4 | 15 | 1 | 10 | — | — | 2 | 1 | 9 | 113 | 275 | 244 | 53 | 15 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 2 | — | 75 | 56 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 187 | 483 | 116 | 167 | 304 | 216 | 255 | 259 | 220 | 475 | 372 | 248 | 275 | 268 | 268 | 260 | 221 | 99 | 15 | 609 | 600 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Isle of Wight | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Freshwater Bay 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 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.
Nearest