Hitherhills Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, looking at what's on the menu for Hitherhills over the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, I gotta be straight with you. This is a grim stretch. The entire 16-day window is a no-go zone for a proper paddle. Every single entry in the forecast is tagged as poor surf conditions, so there’s no standout session, no golden hour, nothing to get excited about. From now through to the 20th of September, all we’ve got is a long, flat run of tiny, weak, or messy windswell.

The water temperature is sitting at 69°F, which is bang on average for this time of year, so at least you won’t freeze if you go for a swim, but that’s about the only positive.

The swell energy is laughable for the most part. We see a couple of pulses around the 9th and 10th with combined energy hitting 165 and 178 (moderate), but look at the period: 6 and 8 seconds. That’s short-period, junky windswell. And the wind? On the 9th it’s a strong cross-shore at 25 mph, making a mess of things. The 10th has cleaner offshore winds, but the swell is still only 3 ft to 4 ft and poorly organised. Even then, the wave comment stays poor.

What’s frustrating is that from the 7th to the 12th we get consistent offshore winds from the NW, but there’s nothing to hold them up. The swell is tiny—0.7 ft to 1 ft. You could paddle around on a log for an hour and maybe catch a ripple, but that’s it.

Later in the window, around the 17th and 18th, we get a little more energy—162 combined from the east—but again, the wind is cross or cross-onshore, keeping it choppy and unappealing. Not worth the drive.

For a spot that’s exposed to SE swell, we just aren’t getting any proper groundswell lining up. The optimum direction is SE, but what’s arriving is mostly short-period stuff from the east or south-southwest. Nothing is coming together.

This is a blank run. It happens. Sometimes the ocean just shuts off. Don’t wrench your arm trying to make something happen here. Wait for a better forecast.

Rusty.

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