West Dale Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Well, grab a seat and let me have a look at what’s on the table for the next couple of weeks. It’s a pretty grim run ahead, I gotta be honest with you. There's just nothing to get excited about for the vast majority of the forecast period. The first actual sniff of anything remotely surfable doesn’t show up until the morning of Monday, August 3rd, and even that is a long way off from being any good. From now until then, it’s a flat, wind-affected mess with no worthwhile waves at all.

Now, the only break we’re looking at is West Dale. It’s an exposed spot that likes a swell from the southwest. The water temperature is sitting at 63°, which feels a touch warmer than usual for the time of year.

That Monday morning, August 3rd, rolls in with some clouds and a light breeze from the ESE. The swell is a tiny 3 ft from the WSW, with a period of 9 seconds. The combined wave energy is moderate at 127, so there’s a little bit of push, but the conditions are “ordinary.” The wind is light and cross-offshore, which is actually a positive—it should keep the surface clean. This is technically the best window we get, but calling it a standout feels like a stretch.

After that, the forecast drops right back off into the gutter. The rest of the first week and into the second week is just constant poor surf, with onshore or cross-shore winds and tiny, weak swell. The morning of Sunday, August 9th sees a little bump in size to 4 ft from the south, but it’s short period at 6 seconds, and the wind is a moderate cross-shore breeze, so it’s a choppy, messy affair. Then on Monday, August 10th, we get the biggest swell of the whole run at 5 ft from the SW (7 seconds) and a strong combined energy of 386, but the wind is howling from the south at 25 km/h (16 mph), cross-onshore. That’s a washing machine situation—more for kite surfers than paddle surfers, honestly. It’s not clean, it’s not well-shaped, and it’s too messy for any kind of fun.

The long-range stuff into the second week is just as bleak. There is no real standout session. The swell directions are all over the shop, the periods are short, and the wind never really lines up. If you are desperate for a paddle, that Monday the 3rd morning is the only time the conditions are clean—but you’ll be surfing ankle-biters.

It’s one of those blank runs that feels normal for this stretch. Forecasts can change, so don’t lose all hope, but right now, the ocean is telling us to take a break.

Rusty.

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