Surf Forecasts:
Rest Bay surf forecast from 16 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 21 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 9s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 20 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 8s period, WSW swell with 327 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 21 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 9s 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 Friday (Aug 21) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 14s. 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 1.7m 8s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.2m 3s period and expected on Monday (Aug 24) at 1AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rest Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, grab your cuppa and listen up. Rusty here.
Well, I gotta be straight with you – the next couple of weeks are lookin’ bleak for a proper paddle. The whole window is a bit of a write-off, to be honest. We’ve got a solid 16-day stretch ahead, and honestly, there’s almost nothing worth getting wet for. It’s a long, dry spell.
Looking at the first week, it’s all poor surf conditions with nothing but cross-onshore winds and messy, choppy water. The swell is tiny, rarely cracking 3 ft, and when it does, the wind just kills it. The combined energy is weak, barely hitting 100 (27 to 168) most of the time, and the period is short, around 6 to 7 seconds – just wind chop on top of weak swell. We start on the 16th of August with a 1 ft WSW swell and a 12 mph cross-on west wind, so don't even think about it. That theme runs right through until the 20th. The 21st and 22nd offer a bit of a tease with glassy mornings from a light ENE or variable breeze, but the swell is pathetic – maybe 1.0 ft to 2 ft at best. It’s flat. If you’re a beginner, some of the bigger stuff later (over 5 ft) might be too much, but it’s so ugly you wouldn’t want to be out there anyway.
Then there’s a bit of a spike in size around the 29th of August. Saturday the 29th afternoon sees a 7 ft SW swell, but it’s hammered by a 19 mph onshore west wind. The combined energy jumps to 650 which is strong, but the period is only 8 seconds, and the wind is gonna turn it into a complete washing machine. Too big for beginners, and even for the experienced guys, the conditions will be horrible. That carries into the 30th with a 4 ft, 8-second WSW swell but 28 mph winds... we’re talking full-on storm chop. Honestly, with the wind and the short period, the setup at Rest Bay is looking more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing for the entire forecast. The water temp is a weird 70°F, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year.
So, there are no standout days. Not a single session I’d recommend. Don’t bother waxing up just yet. The only bright spot is that it’s a beach and point break, so it tends to turn around pretty quick when the wind clocks around. Forecasts change, so keep your eye on it, but for now, it’s a solid pass.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Tue night. Very mild (max 19°C on Mon morning, min 14°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the WNW on Sun night, fresh winds from the W by Tue afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Wed afternoon. Very mild (max 18°C on Fri afternoon, min 12°C on Fri night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WSW on Wed night, calm by Fri morning). | |||||||||||||||||||
Sun 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | ||||||||||||||
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 7 | W 4 | W 6 | W 6 | W 5 | W 6 | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | W 7 | WSW 6 | WSW 8 | WSW 7 | W 7 | W 9 | W 7 | W 6 | WSW 8 | WSW 8 | WSW 10 | WSW 10 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 18 | 5 | 22 | 40 | 11 | 81 | 62 | 43 | 126 | 139 | 327 | 164 | 138 | 122 | 22 | 20 | 22 | 13 | 10 | 9 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | on | off |
High Tide | 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 | 2:24PM5.84m | 3:16AM5.76m | |||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 7:53AM3.28m | 8:46PM3.31m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  |  | | |  | |  | | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — |
 | 8:36 | — | — | 8:34 | — | — | 8:31 | — | — | 8:30 | — | — | 8:28 | — | — | 8:25 | — | — | 8:23 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 17 |
Feels °C | 15 | 19 | 18 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 14 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 7 | WSW 7 | W 6 | W 8 | WSW 7 | WSW 6 | W 17 | W 17 | SW 16 | — | SW 16 | W 15 | SW 14 | W 9 | W 7 | W 6 | WSW 8 | WSW 8 | WSW 8 | WSW 10 |
| kJ | 9 | 5 | 22 | 6 | 10 | 66 | 6 | 6 | 11 | — | 10 | 4 | 8 | 122 | 22 | 20 | 22 | 13 | 6 | 9 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | W 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 16 | — | — | SW 14 | — | W 13 | SW 16 | W 11 | WSW 10 | — |
| kJ | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | 8 | — | 3 | 10 | 2 | 10 | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 12 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 7 | W 4 | — | W 6 | W 5 | W 6 | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | W 7 | WSW 6 | WSW 8 | WSW 7 | W 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 18 | 4 | — | 40 | 11 | 81 | 62 | 43 | 126 | 139 | 327 | 164 | 138 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 430 | 254 | 356 | 311 | 405 | 155 | 363 | 405 | 453 | 311 | 584 | 70 | 311 | 0 | 34 | 195 | 238 | 194 | 145 | 54 |
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