West Dale Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: the next couple of weeks at West Dale are looking pretty damn bleak. We’ve got a long stretch of poor conditions ahead, and for the most part, you’re better off finding something else to do than paddling out. The openers are poor surf conditions across the board through the coming weekend and into the start of next week, with the swell bouncing around but the wind and chop making a mess of things. The water temp is sitting around 63°F, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year, so if you do brave it, it won’t be for the cold.

Friday morning kicks off with a 5ft swell out of the WSW, period of 9 seconds, but a cross-shore NNW breeze at 12 mph chops it right up. The combined energy is 294, so there’s a bit of push, but the wave comment says it all: poor surf. Friday afternoon drops to 4ft and while the wind lightens to 6 mph, it’s still cross-on, so nothing to get excited about.

Saturday sees a jump in size – 6ft in the morning and 7ft in the afternoon, period of 6 and 7 seconds - but it's blown out by a solid 22 mph SW cross-on wind. That's fresh and lumpy, definitely not clean. The energy is building too, with 213 and 386, but you’d be fighting a messy surface. Too big and too ugly for most.

Sunday is a bit smaller, back to 4ft and 4ft, with lighter winds, but the cross-on and onshore components mean it’s still poor. The period stays around 7 to 9 seconds, so not a lot of quality there.

Monday and Tuesday are small and average – 3ft to 4ft with moderate cross-onshore winds and short periods of 6 seconds. The energy drops off (108 to 123), and it's just not worth the paddle.

Then Wednesday the 16th the swell fades right off to 2ft, and Thursday the 17th brings another pulse – 7ft and 8ft with periods of 7 seconds – but it’s accompanied by a 19-22 mph WNW cross-on wind. This is over 8 feet, so it’s expert territory only, and with that wind, it's a washing machine. The combined energy hits 385 and 532, so there’s power, but the quality is rubbish. Honestly, it looks more like kite surfing conditions than paddle surfing out there.

The following weekend (the 20th and 21st) the wind finally turns offshore or cross-offshore – ESE and later NE – and the conditions clean up. The swell, though, is tiny: 3ft to 3ft, periods of 5 to 8 seconds. The energy is low (45 to 80). It’s surfable, but very ordinary. You’ll get some clean little waves if you’re desperate, but don’t expect any push.

From the 22nd onwards, it just fades to nothing. The swell drops below 2ft, and while the wind stays offshore or cross-off, there’s simply no wave to ride. By the 24th and 25th, it’s down to 0.7ft. The long-period stuff arriving on the 23rd and 24th – 13 and 14 seconds – is intriguing, but at that size it means nothing. There’s a 1ft swell with an 11-second period on the 24th morning with light ENE offshore, and it’s clean, but again, it’s a dribble.

So, the honest call: there is no true standout in this window. The best on offer is probably the 20th and 21st, with those clean, cross-off winds and tiny but surfable waves. It’s not going to blow your mind, but it’s the least bad of the lot. For the rest, save your energy. It tends not to stay this poor for too long, and forecasts can change, but right now, West Dale is mostly a write-off for the next two and a bit weeks.

Rusty

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