West Dale Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. It’s Rusty here, and I’ve got the long-range picture for West Dale. To be honest, mate, the next couple of weeks look pretty grim for the most part. We’re staring down a long stretch of gutless, onshore slop with only a couple of tiny windows that might be worth a paddle. Let’s break it down.

We start off on Wednesday, the 12th of August, with a tiny 2 ft swell from the WSW at a 10-second period. The combined energy is weak (80), and with a cross-offshore breeze, the waves are clean but just too small to get excited about. The next few days are more of the same – small, messy, and mostly blown out. Thursday through Sunday see swell sizes hanging around 1 ft to 3 ft, with cross-onshore or cross-off winds that keep things clean but depressingly weak. The combined energy drops to as low as 13 (on Sunday the 16th). It’s a real flat spell.

Then we hit a bit of a rocky period. Monday the 17th is weird – a very long-period 18-second groundswell rolls in, but it’s only 0.3 ft! That’s a ghost swell, not worth paddling for. The energy is still negligible (17-18). The wind is cross-onshore, chopping up any hope.

Tuesday the 18th sees a spike in size to 5 ft, but it’s a short-period 6-second windswell with a cross-onshore breeze. The energy bumps up to 142 (moderate), but the quality is poor. This is a messy, lumpy day. Wednesday the 19th gets a bit bigger, with 5 ft to 5 ft swell from the W and WSW, but the wind is howling onshore at 28 mph. The combined energy hits 215 (strong), but with that strong breeze and short period, this is not a surfer’s wave. Honestly, this setup is more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The following weekend, Saturday the 22nd of August, brings the first real standout – but it’s a strange one. Morning shows a glassy, 3 ft swell from the SW with a very short 4-second period. The combined energy is only 76 (weak), and the conditions are described as “surfable waves but very ordinary.” It’s not great, but it’s the only window with glassy offshore wind and any shape. The afternoon on the same day jumps to 7 ft from the SW (7-second period), with a combined energy of 384 (strong), but a cross-onshore wind kills it. So the morning glass-off is the pick, but it’s a short-period, weak-energy swell, so don’t expect barrels.

The final week gets messy again. Sunday the 23rd has a 4 ft swell but with a cross-onshore breeze and a risk of thunderstorms. The following days are all cross-onshore and chopped up, with swell sizes dropping again. The 16-day window ends with a monster 8 ft swell on Thursday the 27th of August, but it’s a full-on onshore gale with 25 mph winds. The combined energy is a massive 1896 (very strong), but it’s a complete washout. Only experts would even look at that, and even then, it’s a battle.

The water temperature is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

So, the one true standout in this whole bleak forecast is the morning of Saturday the 22nd of August. It’s a glassy, clean 3 ft wave at West Dale. The swell direction is from the SW, which is a good match for the spot’s optimum direction. The crowds are listed as “sometimes,” so you might have a few others with the same idea, but it’ll be worth it for the clean lines. For a spot that’s fairly consistent, this is a rare moment of quality in a long run of poor surf.

Beyond that, it’s a tough watch. The forecast shows a long gap of poor conditions from the 12th through the 21st, with only that one morning window on the 22nd offering a glimmer. Hang in there, and keep an eye on the charts – but for now, I’d say the board stays in the car.

Rusty.

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