Surf Forecasts:
Freshwater Bay surf forecast from 14 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 18 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 5s period, WSW swell with 117 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 1.4m 5s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 18) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 6s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 18) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Tue 18th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 5s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Freshwater Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, mates, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you. The next couple of weeks are looking pretty flat and grim for Freshwater Bay (Rusty’s corner). There’s a whole lot of nothing on the horizon for a while, so don’t get your hopes up. We’re looking at a long stretch of tiny, weak surf with poor conditions, so you might be better off fixing your dings or going for a run instead.
First things first, the water’s sitting at a toasty 70°, which is a solid 7° warmer than normal for this time of year. That’s a big deal, but honestly, with no waves, it doesn’t matter much.
The next good-looking surf doesn't show up until Friday, August 28th. That’s a long dry spell from now until then. We're talking over a week and a half of frustrating flatness. There are a few pulses of energy early on, like Tuesday afternoon, August 18th, when a 4ft WSW swell shows up with a weak 5-second period, and the combined energy is only at 99. That’s not surf; that’s a lake with a bit of wind chop. The wind will be howling cross-shore at 19 mph, making a mess of things anyway.
The next blip is Wednesday, August 19th, with a similar 4ft swell, but again, it’s a short-period thing, weak energy at 86, and it won’t offer anything rideable. The rest of that week is just tiny dribbles of 0.3ft to 1ft. There’s a nice glassy moment on Thursday morning, August 20th, but the swell is a pathetic 1ft. Not worth paddling out for.
The wind turns nasty on Sunday, August 24th, with strong easterly cross-onshore winds at 25 mph, and the surf is just messy windslop. That trend continues for a few days with more cross-shore junk.
Now, when we get to Friday, August 28th, things finally start to wake up. The swell builds into the afternoon with a 10ft SW groundswell, and the combined energy jumps to a strong 1321. The wind is cross-off from the NE at 22 mph, which will keep it clean. This is promising, but the 8-second period is still a bit short for a spot like this. It could be a handful and a half. Saturday, August 29th, continues with a solid 8ft WSW swell and a strong 823 energy, but with a strong N cross-off wind at 25 mph. This is definitely the standout period of the entire forecast, but the quality is still questionable, so I wouldn't call it a perfect day.
For most of this window, Freshwater Bay is a reef and point setup, but with these small, weak swells, it just won’t have any shape. There’s also a period when the swell is over 8ft, which, for a point break, might be pushing it for anyone not on their A-game. And with the light winds and clean conditions early on, you’d be surfing nothing but a ripple.
Honestly, if you're a kitesurfer, some of these windy, choppy days might be more up your alley, but for a paddle surfer, you should just wait.
Keep the faith, it tends not to stay this bad for long. Once that bigger swell hits at the end, it could be worth a look, but it might get a bit wild.
Rusty out.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Fri afternoon, min 14°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Warm (max 22°C on Mon afternoon, min 14°C on Wed night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | |||||||||||||||
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 9 | W 9 | WSW 4 | WSW 8 | WSW 7 | WSW 4 | WSW 8 | WSW 8 | W 7 | W 5 | WSW 4 | WSW 5 | WSW 6 | WSW 5 | WSW 6 | W 4 | WSW 5 | WSW 6 | WSW 5 | W 9 | W 4 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
17 | 41 | 10 | 6 | 18 | 6 | 11 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 99 | 0 | 0 | 86 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 4 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | glassy | cross-on | off |
High Tide | 12:59PM2.76m | 1:05AM2.71m | 1:38PM2.73m | 1:44AM2.63m | 2:16PM2.63m | 2:22AM2.49m | 2:52PM2.48m | 2:59AM2.32m | 3:26PM2.32m | 3:37AM2.15m | 4:02PM2.15m | 4:18AM1.98m | 4:42PM2.00m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:53PM0.05m | 6:15AM-0.27m | 6:34PM0.08m | 6:55AM-0.16m | 7:15PM0.18m | 7:35AM0.04m | 7:56PM0.34m | 8:15AM0.28m | 8:38PM0.52m | 8:57AM0.54m | 9:25PM0.73m | 9:46AM0.79m | 10:28PM0.91m | ||||||||
5:50 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | |
— | 8:29 | — | — | 8:27 | — | — | 8:24 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:21 | — | — | 8:19 | — | — | 8:16 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 27 | 28 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 20 | 22 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 18 | 19 | 22 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 16 |
Feels °C | 24 | 25 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 18 | 19 | 16 | 15 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 6 | W 9 | WSW 4 | WSW 5 | NE 4 | WSW 4 | WSW 8 | — | W 7 | W 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 5 | W 7 | W 4 |
7 | 41 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 11 | — | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 1 | 4 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 9 | — | WSW 8 | WSW 8 | — | WSW 8 | — | — | — | W 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 8 | W 9 | W 9 |
17 | — | 7 | 6 | — | 6 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 2 | 2 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | W 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 9 |
— | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | WSW 3 | NNW 3 | N 4 | WSW 7 | NNE 4 | NNE 3 | WSW 8 | WNW 4 | NNW 3 | WSW 4 | WSW 5 | WSW 6 | WSW 5 | WSW 6 | W 4 | WSW 5 | WSW 6 | N 3 | SW 2 | N 3 |
— | 10 | 6 | 9 | 18 | 11 | 3 | 11 | 7 | 1 | 10 | 59 | 119 | 99 | 67 | 31 | 86 | 50 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 187 | 248 | 116 | 357 | 366 | 182 | 260 | 620 | 431 | 464 | 652 | 268 | 260 | 218 | 351 | 284 | 218 | 196 | 116 | 152 | 220 |
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.











