Roadsurfer exclusive discount
Surf Forecasts:
Watergate Bay surf forecast from 11 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 12 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 11s period, W swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 18 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 7s period, WNW swell with 306 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 12 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 11s period with W swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Watergate Bay this week:
The surf forecast for Watergate Bay over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 12) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Watergate Bay in the next 16 days are 1.8m 7s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 18) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.2m 2s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 11) at 7PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Wed 12th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Wed 12th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Tue 18th Aug) | 6ft (1.8m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Watergate Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks.
First thing to say, I’m looking at a pretty bleak start to the forecast. The water is sitting at 66°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so that’s a nice little bonus if you’re brave enough to get in, but the waves… well, they’re just not there for a good long while.
We’ve got a real gap of nothing from now through to the end of the first week. The swell is tiny, the wind is mostly cross-onshore or onshore, and the energy is weak. Tuesday morning only showed 29 units of combined energy, and it’s just poor surf conditions day after day. Wednesday afternoon on the 12th has a bit of a glassy moment, but the swell is under 3 ft and the period is short, so it’s only small, clean slop. Not worth paddling out for.
There’s a bit of a bump in swell around the 18th and 19th, with northwest swell pushing 8 ft on the 19th morning, but the wind is onshore and strong (16 mph, moderate breeze), with 646 units of combined energy. It’s not clean, it’s just messy and lumpy. That one’s a kite surfer’s session, not a paddle surfer’s.
The real standout, and I mean the only session that’s got me excited, is Sunday the 23rd of August in the morning. Watergate Bay is the spot. The swell is a solid 8 ft, W-N-W, with a moderate offshore breeze from the southeast at 12 mph. That wind is clean, it’s grooming the face, and the combined energy hits 754 units—strong stuff. This is a classic windswell setup, period around 8 seconds, so it won’t be too lined up, but with that offshore wind, you’ll get some punchy, hollow walls. This is expert territory at that size, so if you’re not confident, give it a miss. The afternoon is still good, 7 ft, with a lighter offshore breeze, but it’s smaller.
Before that, the 20th of August morning has a massive 10 ft swell with 1228 units of energy, but it’s onshore wind and only a marginal forecast. That’s a big, windy, lumpy mess—only for the brave and the experienced.
So, to wrap it up: don’t bother with the next week and a half. The only real window is Sunday the 23rd of August, first light. Get there early.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Wed morning, min 18°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Very mild (max 19°C on Fri morning, min 15°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | |||||||||||||||
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) | WNW 8 | W 13 | W 11 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | WNW 8 | W 7 | W 8 | W 8 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | WNW 9 | W 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 20 | 13 | 59 | 125 | 139 | 175 | 267 | 237 | 181 | 159 | 263 | 202 | 103 | 93 | 55 | 39 | 36 | 15 | 8 | 16 | 227 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | off | off | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on |
High Tide | 5:03PM6.19m | 5:30AM6.18m | 5:52PM6.64m | 6:17AM6.50m | 6:37PM6.94m | 7:00AM6.68m | 7:19PM7.04m | 7:40AM6.69m | 7:58PM6.95m | 8:18AM6.55m | 8:37PM6.67m | 8:56AM6.26m | 9:15PM6.25m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:03AM0.90m | 11:34PM0.54m | 11:53AM0.48m | 00:21AM0.17m | 12:37PM0.18m | 1:04AM-0.04m | 1:19PM0.04m | 1:44AM-0.06m | 1:57PM0.07m | 2:22AM0.10m | 2:35PM0.27m | 2:58AM0.40m | 3:11PM0.60m | 3:33AM0.81m | |||||||
 | |  | | | | |  | |  | | | | | | | |  |  | |  | |
 | 6:01 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — |
 | — | 8:47 | — | — | 8:45 | — | — | 8:44 | — | — | 8:42 | — | — | 8:39 | — | — | 8:37 | — | — | 8:37 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — |
Temp °C | 23 | 23 | 21 | 26 | 26 | 22 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 |
Feels °C | 20 | 19 | 19 | 25 | 25 | 21 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 15 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | W 11 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | WNW 8 | W 7 | W 8 | W 8 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | WNW 9 | W 8 |
| kJ | 20 | 11 | 59 | 125 | 139 | 175 | 267 | 237 | 181 | 159 | 263 | 202 | 103 | 93 | 55 | 39 | 36 | 15 | 8 | 16 | 227 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 4 | W 9 | W 7 | SW 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 13 | WNW 8 | — | — | — | W 18 | N 4 | W 10 | W 7 | W 16 |
| kJ | 1 | 7 | 9 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 24 | — | — | — | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 10 | W 13 | SW 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 18 | — | SW 18 | — |
| kJ | 8 | 13 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | 12 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SSE 2 | SE 6 | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 3 | — | — | — | N 5 | NNW 5 | N 4 | NNE 4 | N 3 | — | — | WSW 4 | — |
| kJ | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | 15 | 28 | 19 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 8 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 389 | 214 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 35 | 235 | 5 | 5 | 47 | 47 | 47 | 47 | 148 | 46 | 275 | 403 | 416 | 488 | 263 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Cornwall | |||||||||||||||||||||
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)
Latest Updates
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 Watergate 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 Watergate Bay Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Watergate Bay provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Watergate Bay can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Watergate 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 (Watergate 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 Watergate 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.
Are you planning a holiday in North Cornwall? If you are looking for accommodation near Watergate Bay, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in North Cornwall, consider staying in Newquay which is 5 km (3 miles) away. Other places in and around North Cornwall where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Padstow which is 13 km (8 miles) away, Truro, Bodmin and Saint Austell.
Nearest