Rest Bay Surf Break

Lat Long: 51.49° N 3.73° W

Rest Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 12 am 13 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Rest Bay sea temperature is
20.4° C
4.1° 

Rest Bay surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Rest Bay surf forecast from 13 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Thursday 20 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 8s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 8s period, WSW swell with 660 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 15 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 8s period with W swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Rest Bay this week:

The surf forecast for Rest Bay over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 15) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 5s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Rest Bay in the next 16 days are 2.2m 8s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.

Wave TypeTime (BST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 7AM (Sat 15th Aug)2ft (0.6m) 8s
Best Surf 4AM (Thu 20th Aug)4.5ft (1.4m) 8s
Most Powerful 4PM (Wed 19th Aug)7ft (2.2m) 8s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rest Bay over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright, Rusty here, let’s have a look at what’s cooking for the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, this is a tough one. We’ve got a long stretch of flat, weak, or just plain messy conditions ahead. The whole 16-day window at Rest Bay is a write-off for any decent surf. There’s a bit of a pulse of swell showing up around Wednesday the 19th, but the wind is going to ruin it. That’s about the only real blip on the radar worth talking about.

For the first week, from now through to Tuesday the 18th, we’ve got nothing but tiny, weak waves with onshore or cross-onshore winds. Thursday the 13th starts with a light cross-shore and a small 2ft WSW swell, but the energy is weak (86), and the description says poor. It doesn’t get better. Friday, Saturday, Sunday… all flat, with the occasional glassy moment on Sunday morning the 16th, but that’s on a 1ft swell with next to no energy (13). Not worth paddling out for.

Tuesday the 18th is still poor, but you can feel the swell trying to build. The energy creeps up to 90 in the afternoon, but the wind is onshore and strong.

Then we get to Wednesday the 19th. This is the closest thing to a standout, and it’s not even good. We see a 7ft to 7ft WSW swell arrive with moderate wave energy (507 to 660). That’s a solid size, pushing into expert-only territory. But here’s the kicker – the wind is a moderate cross-onshore from the NW and WNW, creating a choppy, lumpy mess. It’s going to be big, raw, and ugly. For beginners, this is way too much; for experienced surfers, it’s a battle with the wind. This setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Thursday the 20th drops back to 4ft with a cross-shore wind, but the period is a short 7 seconds and the energy is moderate (207). Again, not clean. The following days from Friday the 21st onward drop right back down to tiny 1ft to 1ft swells. The wind does go light offshore or glassy on Friday the 21st and Saturday the 22nd, making it clean, but there’s simply no power in the water. The energy values are in the 20s and 30s.

So, the long and short of it: there is no good surf on offer in this forecast window. It’s a 16-day stretch of poor conditions. The only real “event” is the Wednesday the 19th pulse, but it’s going to be messy.

Keep the board in the car, but don’t get your hopes up. The forecast can always change, but for now, it’s a waiting game. There are a few glassy mornings on small days if you just want to sit on the water, but don’t expect to catch anything worthwhile.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Wed night, min 15°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (calm on Wed night, fresh winds from the NW by Sat afternoon).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Sun afternoon, min 14°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (calm on Sun morning, fresh winds from the WSW by Mon afternoon).

Thursday
13
Friday
14
Saturday
15
Sunday
16
Monday
17
Tuesday
18
Wednesday
19
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.7
WSW
10
0.8
WSW
10
0.6
WSW
10
0.5
WSW
9
0.5
WSW
9
0.6
W
8
0.4
WSW
8
0.5
W
7
0.4
WSW
8
0.3
WSW
7
0.3
WSW
7
0.2
WSW
7
0.2
W
7
0.6
WSW
4
1.1
W
7
0.9
WSW
7
0.7
WSW
6
1.3
WSW
6
2.1
WSW
8
2.2
WSW
8
1.4
W
8
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
86
114
74
47
45
46
19
28
19
11
10
5
4
11
110
75
43
95
507
660
229
Wind (km/h)
10
SSE
20
WSW
10
WNW
15
W
20
WSW
15
NNW
15
NNW
35
NW
10
NNE
5
S
15
WSW
5
NNE
15
W
30
WSW
20
W
20
W
25
WSW
35
W
25
NW
25
WNW
15
NNW
Wind State
cross
on
cross-on
cross-on
on
cross
cross
cross
cross-off
glassy
on
glassy
on
on
cross-on
on
on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross
High Tide
7:29AM8.86m
7:49PM9.35m
8:11AM9.09m
8:30PM9.49m
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
Low Tide
1:37PM0.36m
2:03AM0.09m
2:17PM0.15m
2:42AM0.02m
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
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
cloud
cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
part cloud
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
5:56
5:56
5:58
6:01
6:01
6:03
6:05
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
8:42
8:39
8:37
8:36
8:34
8:31
8:30
 mm
Temp °C
26
24
20
20
20
20
22
22
18
18
22
18
17
18
18
19
19
19
19
20
16
Feels °C
23
21
20
19
19
18
19
16
15
15
18
14
14
15
15
18
17
16
14
15
13
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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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