Surf Forecasts:
Freshwater Bay surf forecast from 18 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 21 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 6s period, WSW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 20 Aug, 7PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 6s period, WSW swell with 191 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 21 Aug, 1AM (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 Friday (Aug 21) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Freshwater Bay in the next 16 days are 1.7m 6s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 7PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 10PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 6s |
| Most Powerful | 7PM (Thu 20th Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Freshwater Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's get into it.
First off, I'm looking at the whole 16-day window for Freshwater Bay, and I gotta be straight with you—it’s been a rough one. There's a massive gap right at the start. From Tuesday, August 18th, right through to the end of Monday, August 24th, it's just flat to tiny, messy junk. You’re looking at a solid week of nothing worth paddling out for. The water temp is sitting at 70°F with a crazy anomaly of 8°F warmer than normal—that’s very unusual, feels like bathwater.
The first real chance to wet a line pops up on Tuesday morning, August 25th. There’s a bit of life in the ocean with a 4ft swell out of the WSW, but the period is short at 7 seconds, and the wind is cross-onshore from the east, chopping it up. The combined energy is moderate (353). Still, it’s a "poor surf conditions" call, so keep your expectations in the gutter.
The best window in the whole outlook shapes up on Thursday, August 27th. We’ve got a 5ft swell from the SW on the morning, dropping to 5ft in the afternoon (268 energy). The wind goes light and crosses from the east, which is key—light cross-shore with small wind ripples. This is the only day that gets a "marginal" nod, and honestly, that’s the pick of the litter. It’s an intermediate spot, a reef and point setup, so it’ll handle the swell better than a beach. The period is 8 seconds, so it’s not going to be a world-beater, but it’s the only time the conditions align even a little bit. The crowd factor is "sometimes," so you might have company.
Other than that, the second week is a wasteland. A few tiny pulses like 2ft on the 28th and 29th, but with clean offshore winds, it’s just too small to ride. The 1st of September brings a bit more size (5ft) but with a brisk 16 mph cross-shore wind, it’ll be a lumpy mess.
So, if you’re desperate, Thursday the 27th is your one and only shot. It’s not pumping, but it’s the only time the stars half-align.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Warm (max 23°C on Tue afternoon, min 13°C on Thu night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Fri afternoon. Warm (max 21°C on Sat afternoon, min 12°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | |||||||||||||||
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 5 | WSW 5 | WSW 6 | WSW 5 | WSW 4 | WSW 6 | WSW 5 | WSW 5 | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | SW 6 | WSW 8 | ENE 5 | SW 10 | ESE 4 | W 9 | W 9 | W 3 | W 8 | W 9 | SW 4 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 93 | 83 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 102 | 70 | 13 | 9 | 14 | 62 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-on | on | cross |
High Tide | 3:26PM2.32m | 3:37AM2.15m | 4:02PM2.15m | 4:18AM1.98m | 4:42PM2.00m | 5:06AM1.84m | 5:32PM1.89m | 6:10AM1.75m | 6:40PM1.84m | 7:52AM1.76m | 8:18PM1.89m | 9:27AM1.88m | 9:31PM2.03m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:38PM0.52m | 8:57AM0.54m | 9:25PM0.73m | 9:46AM0.79m | 10:28PM0.91m | 10:59AM0.98m | 00:09AM0.99m | 12:44PM1.04m | 1:35AM0.91m | 1:56PM0.95m | 2:30AM0.76m | 2:45PM0.82m | 3:12AM0.58m | ||||||||
 |  |  | |  |  |  | |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 5:56 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — |
 | — | 8:21 | — | — | 8:19 | — | — | 8:16 | — | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:13 | — | — | 8:10 | — | — | 8:08 | — |
mm | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 21 | 23 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 20 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 19 |
Feels °C | 19 | 20 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 18 | 15 | 17 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | SW 6 | WSW 8 | SW 6 | E 5 | E 6 | ESE 4 | E 4 | W 3 | W 8 | W 9 | W 9 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 70 | 13 | 9 | 14 | 1 | 19 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 9 | WSW 9 | WSW 9 | — | W 9 | SW 10 | SW 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 8 | 8 | — | 1 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 5 | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 5 | WSW 5 | WSW 6 | WSW 5 | WSW 4 | WSW 6 | WSW 5 | WSW 5 | — | NE 2 | ENE 3 | ENE 4 | ENE 5 | — | ESE 4 | — | — | WNW 3 | — | WSW 3 | SW 4 |
| kJ | 93 | 83 | 79 | 30 | 21 | 69 | 73 | 102 | — | 1 | 1 | 16 | 62 | — | 3 | — | — | 2 | — | 3 | 11 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 317 | 609 | 29 | 110 | 346 | 268 | 249 | 249 | 0 | 196 | 284 | 215 | 198 | 147 | 216 | 271 | 282 | 304 | 304 | 269 | 170 |
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