West Dale Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for West Dale over the next couple of weeks.

Straight up, I gotta be honest with you – this is a tough stretch. We’re looking at a long, dry spell with no good surf for the first week and a half. From Wednesday the 19th right through to Saturday the 29th, it’s pretty much a write-off. The swell is tiny, mostly under 3 ft, and when it does bump up a little, the wind is all wrong – onshore or cross-onshore, turning things into a choppy mess. There’s a brief moment on the 21st and 22nd when the wind goes clean offshore, but the swell drops to barely 2 ft, so it’s not worth paddling out for. The combined wave energy is weak, sitting between 27 and 55 the whole time, just not enough push.

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

Now, the first real glimmer of hope shows up on Saturday the 29th in the afternoon. We get a clean cross-offshore breeze, just a light 5 km/h from the NNE, and the swell bumps up to 6 ft from the WSW with a short 7-second period. The combined energy jumps to 297 (moderate), and the forecast actually says “expect good surf conditions.” For West Dale, this is the standout session of the whole outlook. It’s not massive, but it’s clean and rideable for intermediates. Still, with that short period, it’ll be a bit jumbled – not the best shape, but it’s the best we’ve got.

After that, things get messy again. Sunday the 30th sees a bigger swell – 7 ft to 8 ft from the WSW – but the wind is cross and strong, 25 to 35 km/h, so it’s going to be lumpy and hard to handle. The energy is strong (487 to 853), but the quality is poor. By Monday the 31st, the swell hits 10 ft (very strong energy at 1922), but with a strong cross-onshore wind, it’s only for the experts, and even then it’s going to be a battle.

The wind stays nasty right through to the end of the forecast on the 3rd of September. There’s a lot of swell energy, but the wind keeps it blown out. Honestly, if you’re into kiting, this setup might be more interesting than paddling.

So, your best bet is Saturday the 29th afternoon. It’s not perfect, but it’s the only window that’s actually clean and rideable. Don’t hold your breath for the rest.

Rusty.

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