Nordseeklinik Westerland (Sylt) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Let's be straight with you – it's a tough stretch ahead on the North Sea. The finder is only pointing to one break across the whole 16 days, and honestly, most of the time it's going to be pretty ordinary. We're looking at a long dry spell here for the first week or so.

Right now, starting Thursday the 23rd, there's a bit of swell around 4ft from the northwest, but the wind is howling onshore from the northwest at 15–18 mph and the wave energy is moderate (192). The water is sitting at 65°, which is a touch warmer than what's normal for this time of year. It's unfishable, messy stuff.

That pattern sticks around for days. Friday the 24th keeps that 4ft northwesterly swell, but the wind stays onshore and the period drops to a weak 6 seconds – short-period junk. The energy is low (89). Saturday and Sunday get blown out by strong cross-shore winds up to 25 mph, with only small 3ft to 4ft windswell. The Monday and Tuesday that follow are even smaller, 3ft and 2ft, with onshore breezes making it a complete write-off.

We've got a real gap here. From Thursday the 23rd straight through to Sunday the 3rd of August, there's nothing worth paddling out for. That's nearly a week and a half of poor conditions.

Now, things start to stir on Monday the 3rd of August. The swell picks up to 4ft from the northwest, and while there's still a cross-onshore wind, the afternoon cleans up nicely with a light cross-offshore breeze and the energy climbs to 147. It's ridable, very ordinary, but it's a start.

The real standout, and the only one worth setting the alarm for, is Tuesday the 4th of August here at Nordseeklinik Westerland (Sylt). We've got a solid 7ft swell from the northwest and the wind finally does the right thing – clear skies, light cross-offshore breeze, and the wave energy is cranking at 575. That's moderate-to-strong energy. Conditions are clean, with a period of 8 seconds, and this gets a good rating. It's a solid northwest swell, which aligns with the optimum swell direction. This is for experts only though – anything over 8ft can be too much for beginners, and at 7ft it's getting powerful. Expect a crowd here too, as it's often busy. This is the pick of the entire 16-day window.

Wednesday the 5th of August still has a decent 5ft swell from the northwest, energy is strong at 292, and the wind stays cross-offshore in the morning, but it's not quite as clean. The following days from Thursday the 6th onwards drop off again. The surf fades back to junk, with onshore winds and small swells.

For the kite crew? There's a heap of strong cross-shore and cross-onshore wind across this whole period, especially Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 2nd of August, with 25 mph gusts. The setup at the beach looks way more fun for kiting than paddle surfing for most of this forecast.

So to sum it up: sit tight through a long, flat, blown-out week. All eyes on Tuesday the 4th of August – that's your one real chance at something special. It's a long-range call, so treat it with a bit of caution, but it's got the makings of a cracker.

Rusty.

Read more