
Surf Forecasts:
Freshwater Bay surf forecast from 22 Jul 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 26 Jul, 4PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 4s period, WSW swell with 50 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 1.1m 4s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 26) at 4PM. 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 5s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 26) at 7PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Sun 26th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 4s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Freshwater Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve been staring at the charts for Freshwater Bay and honestly, it’s a pretty bleak run for the next couple of weeks. The reef and point setup there is a classic intermediate wave, but she’s just not getting the love from the ocean right now. We’ve got an exposed southwest-facing spot, but the swell is barely alive for the first week, and even when it tries to pick up, the wind is working against us. The water temp is about average for the time of year, so no surprises there.
We start off on Wednesday, 22 July, with nothing – some tiny 0.3ft west swell, period around 10 seconds, but the combined energy is a measly 3 (weak). It’s glassy in the morning, but the afternoon turns cross-shore and bumpy. Thursday and Friday, 23 and 24 July, are even worse; the swell drops to 0.3ft and 0.7ft with periods as short as 3 seconds, and the wind is onshore or cross-onshore, making it choppy and miserable. The combined energy is just 1 or 2 (weak). Saturday, 25 July, shows a little 0.7ft west swell, but it’s still tiny. By Sunday, 26 July, we get a bump to 2ft to 4ft from the west-southwest, but the period is a short 4 to 6 seconds, and while the wind is clean (cross-offshore), the combined energy only reaches 50 (weak) – still not enough to get excited about. The surf is rated as poor conditions throughout.
The whole first week is a write-off. There’s a gap of several days with no real recommendations. Monday, 27 July, is glassy but only 1ft, and then it’s back to onshore wind. Tuesday, 28 July, is dead calm with 0.3ft. Wednesday, 29 July, has a brief offshore wind window (NW) with a 0.3ft, 11-second period swell, but the combined energy is a paltry 2 (weak). The next few days repeat the pattern: tiny swell, cross-shore or onshore wind, and poor quality.
Now, into the second week, we finally see a pulse. Saturday, 1 August, kicks off with a 5ft swell from the southwest, period 6 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to 187 (moderate). That’s the biggest swell of the whole forecast, but the wind is strong cross-shore at 19 mph, creating lumpy, chop conditions. The surf is still rated as poor. For a break that’s fairly consistent, this is a letdown. Sunday, 2 August, drops back to 1ft to 4ft with strong cross-offshore wind, but the energy is only 32 to 93 (weak to moderate). The following days, 3 to 6 August, are a mix of small 1ft to 3ft swells from the east and southwest, with periods around 5 to 8 seconds. The wind is mostly clean (cross-offshore) in the mornings, but the combined energy stays low (13 to 51). The best-looking morning is Wednesday, 6 August, with a 3ft east swell, period 5 seconds, and a light NW cross-offshore wind, giving clean surf, but the energy is still only 41 (weak).
Honestly, there’s no standout here. The only real increase in size is that 5ft pulse on Saturday, 1 August, but the wind is terrible. If you’re a kite surfer, the strong cross-shore winds and lumpy chop on that day might be interesting, but for paddle surfing, it’s a pass. The best conditions are those clean mornings with tiny swell, but they’re not worth a trip. The forecast is a blank run for this area, and it’s not unusual to see these quiet spells. Stay patient, and keep an eye on the changes.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Fri afternoon, min 17°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Sat afternoon, min 14°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the W on Sun afternoon, calm by Mon morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | |||||||||||||||
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 10 | SW 3 | WSW 4 | SE 3 | W 9 | W 9 | SSE 3 | W 8 | WSW 3 | W 3 | WSW 4 | W 4 | WSW 6 | WSW 4 | WSW 5 | WSW 5 | SW 6 | W 9 | W 9 | WSW 5 | WSW 4 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 24 | 50 | 20 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | glassy | cross-on | off | on | on | off |
High Tide | 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 | 11:23AM2.18m | 11:24PM2.30m | |||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 4:09AM0.38m | 4:21PM0.52m | ||||||||
5:18 | — | — | 5:18 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:26 | — | — | |
— | — | 9:05 | — | — | 9:04 | — | — | 9:02 | — | — | 9:00 | — | — | 9:00 | — | 8:59 | — | — | 8:57 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 21 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 23 | 19 | 22 | 23 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 23 | 22 | 26 | 25 |
Feels °C | 19 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 20 | 20 | 24 | 22 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 3 | W 10 | WSW 4 | — | W 9 | W 9 | SSE 3 | — | WSW 3 | — | — | — | WSW 6 | — | WSW 5 | WSW 5 | W 9 | W 6 | WSW 4 | W 5 | WSW 4 |
1 | 2 | 3 | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | — | — | — | 24 | — | 20 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 10 | W 7 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | — | — | W 8 | — | W 3 | — | — | — | — | W 8 | — | — | W 9 | W 5 | — | W 8 |
2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | 1 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 9 | — | W 6 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 1 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 3 | SW 3 | ESE 2 | SE 3 | ESE 3 | SSE 2 | — | SSW 2 | NNW 2 | NNW 3 | WSW 4 | W 4 | W 6 | WSW 4 | NNW 3 | — | SW 6 | WSW 4 | — | WSW 5 | NNW 3 |
1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 31 | 30 | 50 | 4 | — | 8 | 5 | — | 2 | 1 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 448 | 718 | 285 | 241 | 304 | 356 | 641 | 810 | 534 | 622 | 464 | 778 | 346 | 341 | 116 | 116 | 248 | 156 | 156 | 268 | 284 |
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.










