
Surf Forecasts:
Freshwater Bay surf forecast from 21 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 26 Jul, 1PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 6s period, WSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 26 Jul, 7PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 6s period, WSW swell with 93 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 26 Jul, 1PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 6s period with WSW 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 Sunday (Jul 26) at 1PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 6s 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 1.2m 6s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 26) at 7PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 6s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 26) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1PM (Sun 26th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 1PM (Sun 26th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 6s |
| Most Powerful | 7PM (Sun 26th Jul) | 4ft (1.2m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Freshwater Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: the next 16 days at Freshwater Bay are a tough watch. The swell is almost non-existent for the first week, and even when the odd pulse shows up, the wind and quality are just not playing ball. There’s really no standout period to get excited about, so keep your expectations low and maybe give the board a rest.
We start off on Tuesday, 21 July with a tiny 0.3ft swell from the west, period 11 seconds. That’s a long period for such a small wave, and with a light cross-off breeze it’s clean, but honestly, there’s nothing to ride. Combined energy is weak (3). The afternoon turns cross-on and choppy. Wednesday the 22nd is more of the same – 0.3ft, clean in the morning but onshore slop later. Thursday the 23rd is a flat, onshore mess. Friday the 24th is a write-off with a 1ft, 3-second wind bump from the southwest – that’s just blown-out junk. The whole first week is a dead loss.
We finally see a pulse on Sunday, 26 July, with a 4ft swell from the west-southwest, period 5 seconds, and combined energy hitting 69 – still weak. The morning wind is offshore from the northwest, so it’s clean, but that short period swell is just lumpy, weak closeouts. This is the first bit of surf of the window, but it’s more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer. The swell is just too weak and short.
Monday, 27 July morning is clean but tiny – 0.7ft with a 9-second period. The afternoon has a moderate cross-off but zero swell. Tuesday the 28th afternoon gives us a 3ft, 4-second swell from the west-southwest, combined energy 39 – again, weak and short. Onshore cross-chop kills it.
Wednesday, 29 July is clean with a light breeze but only 1.0ft. The rest of the week into the start of August is a mix of tiny east-northeast swell (1ft to 2ft) with periods around 4-5 seconds, and persistent cross-shore or cross-onshore winds. The combined energy never gets above 55. The best looking conditions are on Sunday, 2 August morning with a 1ft easterly swell and a light cross-off, but it’s still barely surfable.
The only pulse that might get your attention is on Wednesday, 5 August, with a 4ft west-southwest swell, period 5 seconds, and combined energy hitting 97. That’s the highest energy of the whole run, but it’s still only moderate. Problem is, it’s accompanied by a moderate cross-onshore wind and light rain. The swell is short-period and onshore, so expect messy, choppy waves. It’s not worth a paddle out.
Bottom line: there’s honestly nothing to highlight here. The whole 16-day window is flat or blown out. Freshwater Bay is a reef and point setup that loves a clean southwest groundswell, but we’re not getting any of that. If you’re desperate, the 4ft clean morning on Sunday, 26 July is the best of a bad bunch, but it’s still a weak, short-period wave. Don’t waste your time.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Tue afternoon, min 16°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Warm (max 24°C on Fri afternoon, min 16°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (light winds from the N on Fri night, fresh winds from the WSW by Sat night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 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) | W 11 | W 11 | WSW 3 | W 10 | SW 3 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | — | SW 3 | W 3 | W 3 | WSW 4 | WSW 4 | WSW 6 | WSW 5 | SW 7 | WSW 9 | WSW 4 | WSW 7 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 69 | 14 | 8 | 0 | 4 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross | on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | off | cross | cross | cross-off | off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 4:17AM2.16m | 4:51PM2.21m | 5:02AM1.99m | 5:33PM2.07m | 5:52AM1.87m | 6:22PM1.97m | 6:59AM1.79m | 7:30PM1.93m | 8:45AM1.81m | 9:03PM1.97m | 9:59AM1.92m | 10:05PM2.07m | 10:45AM2.06m | 10:48PM2.19m | |||||||
Low Tide | 9:41AM0.51m | 10:19PM0.78m | 10:42AM0.73m | 11:36PM0.88m | 12:01PM0.87m | 00:56AM0.87m | 1:17PM0.89m | 1:58AM0.79m | 2:16PM0.83m | 2:48AM0.67m | 3:03PM0.73m | 3:31AM0.53m | 3:44PM0.62m | ||||||||
5:16 | — | — | 5:18 | — | — | 5:18 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | |
— | — | 9:07 | — | — | 9:05 | — | — | 9:04 | — | — | 9:02 | — | — | 9:00 | — | — | 9:00 | — | 8:59 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 24 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 19 | 22 | 23 | 18 | 21 | 23 | 18 |
Feels °C | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 20 | 19 | 13 | 17 | 18 | 14 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 4 | E 4 | — | W 3 | W 10 | WSW 3 | ESE 4 | E 3 | — | — | — | — | W 3 | — | — | — | — | SW 7 | WSW 9 | — | WSW 7 |
1 | 1 | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 14 | 8 | — | 4 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 8 | W 8 | W 10 | — | W 10 | W 10 | — | W 9 | W 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 7 |
1 | 1 | 2 | — | 2 | 2 | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 11 | W 11 | W 7 | W 10 | — | — | W 9 | W 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | WSW 3 | — | SW 3 | ESE 3 | — | — | — | — | SW 3 | W 3 | — | WSW 4 | WSW 4 | WSW 6 | WSW 5 | W 5 | WNW 4 | WSW 4 | W 4 |
— | — | 4 | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 4 | — | 21 | 17 | 74 | 69 | 47 | 32 | 21 | 15 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 250 | 718 | 332 | 448 | 652 | 311 | 241 | 304 | 322 | 641 | 845 | 622 | 611 | 847 | 845 | 169 | 346 | 169 | 284 | 219 | 341 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Isle of Wight | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.










