Surf Forecasts:
Rest Bay surf forecast from 15 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 20 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 7s period, W swell with 161 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Rest Bay this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Rest Bay in the next 16 days are 1.3m 7s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 4AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 4AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rest Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s get into it for Rest Bay. It’s gonna be a real test of patience for the next couple of weeks.
Right off the bat, the outlook is pretty grim. There’s a massive gap with absolutely nothing worth paddling out for. From now through to the early hours of Saturday, August 24th, there’s just no surf to speak of. We’re talking about a full week and a half where the waves are tiny, choppy, or blown out. The energy is almost non-existent, with readings down around 11 to 84 (weak energy), and the winds are all over the shop – mostly cross-on or straight onshore. It’s a write-off.
Finally, on the morning of Saturday, August 24th, things look like they might just come together. The swell picks up to 4 ft from the WSW with a period of 7 seconds, and the combined energy climbs to a moderate 119. The big win here is the wind – it’s glassy, almost no breeze at all. That’ll give you a clean, smooth face. It’s still a bit small and ordinary, but it’s the first window we’ve had in a week where you could actually ride something without swearing at the sky.
But don’t get too excited. That brief morning window gets hammered by a 19 mph onshore wind later that same afternoon, and the rest of the forecast is a real struggle. The swell tries to hold for a couple days after, but it’s accompanied by onshore breezes and choppy conditions. The energy does get stronger on the morning of the 25th (Tuesday) with 188, but the waves are just messy.
Looking further out, the morning of Sunday, August 30th, shows a bigger pulse of 5 ft from the WSW with a healthy 207 energy reading, but the wind is a moderate cross-shore at 16 mph, creating a cross-chop. It’s not the clean, groomed stuff we dream about.
Honestly, if you’re desperate, the standout – and I mean the *only* standout – is that glassy morning on Saturday, August 24th. It’s your best shot at a clean, albeit small, session. Everything else is for the kite surfers or the die-hard masochists. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing unusual there.
Stay patient, lads.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Sat afternoon, min 15°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Very mild (max 19°C on Tue morning, min 15°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NW on Tue night, fresh winds from the W by Thu morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | |||||||||||||||
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 8 | WSW 8 | WSW 7 | WSW 7 | WSW 7 | W 5 | WSW 6 | W 5 | W 7 | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | W 6 | WSW 5 | W 7 | W 7 | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | W 6 | W 5 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 20 | 19 | 18 | 11 | 18 | 5 | 11 | 29 | 9 | 51 | 56 | 33 | 51 | 84 | 130 | 152 | 155 | 90 | 56 | 35 | 13 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross | cross | on | cross-off |
High Tide | 8:51AM9.10m | 9:10PM9.36m | 9:30AM8.88m | 9:48PM8.99m | 10:07AM8.48m | 10:25PM8.43m | 10:44AM7.95m | 11:03PM7.76m | 11:22AM7.34m | 11:42PM7.06m | 12:04PM6.72m | 00:30AM6.40m | 1:00PM6.16m | 1:39AM5.89m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:55PM0.16m | 3:19AM0.19m | 3:32PM0.39m | 3:54AM0.55m | 4:07PM0.80m | 4:29AM1.07m | 4:44PM1.34m | 5:05AM1.67m | 5:23PM1.95m | 5:45AM2.30m | 6:09PM2.56m | 6:37AM2.88m | 7:14PM3.08m | ||||||||
 |  |  | |  | | | | |  | |  | | | | | |  | | | | |
 | 5:58 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — |
 | — | 8:37 | — | — | 8:36 | — | — | 8:34 | — | — | 8:31 | — | — | 8:30 | — | — | 8:28 | — | — | 8:25 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 5 | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 22 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 16 |
Feels °C | 18 | 18 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 18 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 8 | WSW 8 | WSW 7 | WSW 7 | W 7 | WSW 7 | WSW 6 | W 8 | WSW 7 | — | — | WSW 6 | SW 16 | — | SW 16 | W 15 | W 14 | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | WSW 9 | W 5 |
| kJ | 20 | 19 | 18 | 11 | 9 | 5 | 11 | 6 | 5 | — | — | 33 | 11 | — | 10 | 4 | 4 | 90 | 56 | 7 | 13 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | NW 4 | — | — | — | W 9 | — | W 7 | — | — | W 17 | — | — | W 16 | — | — | SW 14 | — | W 13 | WSW 9 |
| kJ | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | 2 | — | 9 | — | — | 6 | — | — | 5 | — | — | 8 | — | 3 | 7 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 16 |
| kJ | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 10 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NW 4 | — | — | WSW 7 | W 5 | — | W 5 | WSW 5 | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | — | W 6 | WSW 5 | W 7 | W 7 | WSW 6 | — | — | W 6 | — |
| kJ | — | 3 | — | — | 18 | 4 | — | 29 | 9 | 51 | 56 | — | 51 | 84 | 130 | 152 | 155 | — | — | 35 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 483 | 248 | 195 | 194 | 445 | 245 | 339 | 311 | 311 | 339 | 405 | 254 | 356 | 356 | 413 | 356 | 311 | 3 | 14 | 195 | 54 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Wales - South East | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Rest Bay Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Rest Bay provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Rest Bay can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Rest 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 (Rest 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 Rest 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.
Rest Bay is 1 km (1 miles) from Porthcawl. If you plan a holiday in Wales - South East, look for hotels and other accommodation in Porthcawl. Porthcawl has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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