West Dale Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, surfers, Rusty here. Let’s get into it. We’re looking at West Dale, and I gotta be straight with you – the first week is a write-off. We’ve got a solid 10 days of nothing but frustration ahead. The wave energy is just too weak, the wind is messy, and the swell direction is all over the shop. It’s a tough start.

Come Monday the 24th of August, you’re looking at tiny 1ft waves out of the southwest with a weak 44 energy. The wind is a cross-offshore, but there’s just no power. It’s the same story through Tuesday and Wednesday – tiny, weak swells that won’t give you anything to ride. The water temp is 63°, which is pretty much normal for this time of year.

Thursday the 27th is where things get a bit cruel. The morning is still flat, but the afternoon sees a jump to 7ft from the south. The energy hits 430, which is moderate, but the wind is a fresh cross-onshore, making it lumpy and poor. It’s just messy.

The weekend of the 29th and 30th brings some real size, but it’s all wrong. Saturday afternoon sees a 10ft swell from the west-southwest with a massive 1137 energy, but it’s onshore and blowing a gale. That’s expert-only territory, and even then, it’s going to be a washing machine. Sunday is similar with 7ft and onshore wind. The wind stays strong and onshore into the next week, with Monday the 31st showing 8ft and a strong cross-onshore. It’s a mess.

Now, there’s a glimmer of hope on Wednesday the 2nd of September. The morning shows a 7ft west-southwest swell with a solid 567 energy, and the wind finally swings around to a clean offshore from the north. That’s a decent setup, but it’s still a "marginal" call. The break is exposed to the southwest, and this swell is straight in that direction. The period is only 8 seconds, so it’s a short-period wind swell, not a long groundswell. It’ll be a bit fat and unsurfable for anything but a shortboard. Still, it’s the best we’ve seen in a while.

The real standout, and this is a long-range one, so don’t book your flights yet, is Tuesday the 8th of September. The morning shows a 7ft west-southwest swell with a massive 2513 energy – that’s very strong. The period is a very long 17 seconds, which is proper groundswell. That kind of energy and period means the waves will have serious power and shape. The downside is the wind is a strong cross-onshore, which will chop it up. But if that wind cleans up, it could be a session to remember. The direction is perfect for West Dale, which is an exposed southwest spot. This is a long-range call, so it’s promising but less certain. Keep an eye on it.

So, to wrap it up: the first 10 days are a bust. Wednesday the 2nd of September is your best early bet for a clean, if average, wave. The true standout, if it comes together, is the 8th of September with that huge, long-period groundswell. But we need the wind to play ball.

Rusty.

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