Hitherhills Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Grim times ahead, folks. Straight up: there’s nothing worth paddling out for at Hitherhills in this entire 16-day window. Not a single decent option. Every entry in the forecast comes back with poor surf conditions, which is a real kick in the guts because this stretch of coast can fire when it wants to. I know it’s hard to see the light right now, but this spot is fairly consistent, so a total blank run like this is more about the timing than the spot itself. Forecasts can and do change, so don’t write it off completely just yet. But if you’re jonesing for a wave over the next couple of weeks, you’d be better off finding a different hobby for a while.

Right now, it’s flat and messy. This Sunday morning (30 August) there’s a bit of swell at 1ft from the SE, but the WSW wind is blowing 12 mph straight across it, so it’s doing nothing but making a lumpy mess. Water temp is sitting at 70°, which is about normal for this time of year, so at least a summer suit is fine. Sunday afternoon the wind swings SW at 19 mph, the period drops to a gutless 4 seconds, and it’s cross-shore chop with zero push. Not a chance.

Monday (31 August) is even worse – barely 1.0ft of SE swell, light onshore breezes, and a sea that looks like it’s got the surface of a ripple chip. Tuesday morning has a touch of glass with the south wind dropping to 3 mph, but the swell is still only 1ft with a short 7-second period. You might find a knee-high dribble on the inside, but it’s not going to be worth getting wet for. Combined wave energy is weak as anything – 21 to 37 in the brackets – so there’s just nothing underneath you.

Then things get properly ordinary. Wednesday (2 September) brings a jump in swell to 6ft from the ESE, but the period is a junk 6 seconds and the SSE wind is howling at 25 mph. That’s 216 units of combined energy, but it’s all going to mush and blown-out chaos. This setup is way more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing – the waves will be lumpy, raw, and cross-onshore. By Thursday the swell drops back to around 3ft, but the wind and chop keep it useless.

The only faint glimmer comes on Friday morning (4 September). The wind goes offshore from the NW at 12 mph, and it stays offshore all day, cleaning things up nicely. But the swell is a pathetic 2ft from the ESE, period of 7 seconds, and only about 61 units of energy. It’s surfable, technically, but it’s the kind of day where you’d be scratching around for waist-high slop and calling it a session. Not the kind of thing you’d drive for.

From the 5th through the 7th, the surf stays small and mostly crossed-off or onshore. There’s a hint of longer-period energy sneaking in on Monday the 7th – 11 seconds from the E – but the size is just 2ft and the NNE wind is cross-off at 12 mph. It’s clean but tiny. The kind of day where you bring the longboard and maybe, just maybe, find a fun little corner if you’re patient.

The second week is more of the same. Tuesday the 8th has a bit more push – 4ft from the S, but the period is a short 6 seconds and the wind goes cross, then onshore. By the afternoon it’s 5ft and straight onshore from the SE – a total drifty, messy closeout with 213 units of energy and nowhere for it to go. Wednesday the 9th is similar: 4ft from the SSE, but the onshore SE breeze keeps it lumpy and weak. If you’re an expert, you might find a heavy bank doing something, but for anyone else it’s a pass.

After that, the swell fades away into the 1.0ft to 2ft range for the rest of the run. Thursday through Saturday (10th–12th) is a bunch of cross-shore and cross-on slop, and then Saturday the 12th gets hit with 28 mph NE winds making it absolutely unrideable. The final few days, the 13th and 14th, are just small, onshore, and weak – no energy, no shape, no point.

Bottom line: this stretch is flat and windswept for the whole 16-day outlook. If you’ve got to get wet, bring a mat or a foil, because the surf itself just isn’t there. It won’t stay like this forever – this spot’s too consistent for that – but for now, I’d stay home and watch the cams.

Rusty.

Read more