Surf Forecasts:
Rest Bay surf forecast from 13 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 18 Aug, 1PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 7s period, WSW 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 Tuesday (Aug 18) at 1PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.3m 4s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 15) at 10PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 1PM (Tue 18th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rest Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here, and I’m calling it like I see it for Rest Bay.
Tough start, mates. We’ve got a long dry spell of flatness and junk wind that runs from Thursday the 13th all the way through to Saturday the 22nd of August. Swell is under 3 feet most days, with onshore or side-shore breezes ruining any hope of a clean wave. The combined energy is weak, barely cracking triple digits. Not worth getting wet.
Things finally wake up on Sunday the 23rd of August. That morning brings a 3 foot swell from the WSW at 8 seconds, but the wind turns light and cross-offshore, making for clean conditions. Energy is 79 (weak to moderate). By Sunday afternoon, the wind goes glassy, and the same swell holds at 3 feet with energy up to 111 (moderate). That’s your first real chance for a session – nothing huge, but clean and fun for an intermediate.
Monday the 24th teases with offshore wind in the morning, but the swell drops to 1 feet. Not enough.
The real reward comes later. Thursday the 27th of August afternoon and into Friday the 28th, we get strong offshore winds from the NE blowing 18-25 mph. The swell picks up to 3 feet from the W, with the period stretching to 9 seconds. That’s proper groundswell energy, and Friday the 28th afternoon sees combined energy hit 213 (strong). Rest Bay likes a SW swell, but the W direction will still wrap in nicely. This is the best bet of the entire forecast – glassy faces and real push.
Just keep your eyes open for crowds when it looks this good.
So, in short: save your energy. Wait for Sunday the 23rd for a clean little session, or hold tight for the last few days of the month when it finally turns on.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Thu afternoon, min 13°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NW on Sat afternoon, calm by Sat night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Tue night. Very mild (max 19°C on Mon afternoon, min 15°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (calm on Mon morning, fresh winds from the WSW by Tue afternoon). | |||||||||||||||||||
Thu 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | ||||||||||||||
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 10 | WSW 10 | WSW 9 | WSW 9 | W 8 | W 8 | WSW 7 | W 7 | WSW 7 | W 7 | W 4 | WSW 7 | W 3 | W 5 | WSW 7 | WSW 7 | WSW 7 | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | W 5 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 114 | 74 | 65 | 62 | 48 | 30 | 18 | 27 | 11 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 45 | 157 | 158 | 96 | 70 | 56 | 27 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | on | on | cross | cross-on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 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 | 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 | ||||||||
 |  |  |  |  | | | | | | | | |  | | |  | | | | |
 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — |
 | 8:42 | — | — | 8:39 | — | — | 8:37 | — | — | 8:36 | — | — | 8:34 | — | — | 8:31 | — | — | 8:30 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 24 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 16 |
Feels °C | 21 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 14 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 10 | WSW 10 | WSW 9 | WSW 9 | W 8 | W 8 | WSW 7 | W 7 | WSW 7 | W 7 | W 4 | WSW 7 | W 8 | W 8 | — | — | WSW 7 | SW 16 | W 16 | WSW 8 |
| kJ | 114 | 74 | 65 | 62 | 48 | 30 | 18 | 27 | 11 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 10 | — | — | 96 | 11 | 5 | 13 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | W 10 | — | — | — | — | WSW 7 | — | — | — | — | — | W 17 | — | — | SW 16 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | 10 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 16 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 4 | — | WNW 4 | — | NW 2 | NW 4 | — | — | — | — | — | W 3 | W 5 | WSW 7 | WSW 7 | — | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | W 5 |
| kJ | — | 4 | — | 4 | — | 1 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 45 | 157 | 158 | — | 70 | 56 | 27 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 366 | 21 | 22 | 391 | 195 | 584 | 391 | 195 | 194 | 392 | 452 | 339 | 254 | 91 | 158 | 155 | 3 | 22 | 355 | 248 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Wales - South East | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Rest Bay surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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.
Nearest