Wembury Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – this stretch of coast is seeing a proper drought of decent surf. The charts are showing a whole lot of nothing for the next couple of weeks, with barely a bump worth paddling for. It’s one of those blank runs that’s pretty normal for the area, but don’t lose hope – it tends not to stay this poor for long, and forecasts can shift.

First up, the only spot on the cards is Wembury. This is a point break that’s exposed to the southwest, but it’s inconsistent, so it takes a good swell to get it humming. Right now, it’s a tough watch. The water is sitting at 66.4°F and with a temperature anomaly of 3.6°F, that’s much warmer than what we’d usually expect for this time of year – a real bonus if you’re just having a dip.

The outlook starts with a glimmer of hope on Friday morning, August 14th. We’re looking at tiny 1.6ft, 9-second swell from the WSW and a gentle cross-offshore wind. The energy is weak at 47. It’s surfable, but only just – very ordinary conditions. That’s the best you’ll see for a long time. After that, things flatline. Saturday the 15th through to the end of the month is a grim run of tiny waves, crossed-up winds, and flat spells. You’ll see a few days of glassy conditions on the 16th and 22nd, but with swell under 1ft, you’re looking at a lake.

Come Tuesday the 18th, the wind picks up strong, but the swell is still tiny and crummy. There’s a period of clean cross-offshore winds from the 19th to the 21st, but the swell is so weak it’s not worth a mention. The combined energy barely cracks 50 (45 being the highest in that stretch). Even the longer period swells that pop up on the 22nd and 23rd (15 seconds and 14 seconds) are too small to do anything at a point like this.

Then we get a proper shift. Starting Friday morning, August 28th, the swell finally arrives. It’s a serious 9.8ft from the WSW with a 10-second period, and the combined energy is a massive 1838 – that’s strong wave energy. The wind is cross-off and clean. But, and it’s a big but, this is a point break, and that size is only for experts. Saturday 29th is still pumping with an 8.2ft swell from the WSW, 12-second period, and a fresh offshore wind. The energy is 1805. This is the standout window, but it’s a long way out – a full two weeks away – so treat it as promising but not locked in. For the average surfer, the 28th is too big, and the 29th is barely within reach. The wind is good, but the crowd factor at Wembury is likely to be an issue when it’s on.

If you’re a paddler, hang tight. The 28th and 29th of August are the only dates that look like they’ll have any juice, and even then, it’s either experts only or a bit of a gamble. For the rest of us, the next two weeks are a write-off.

Read more