West Dale Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into what’s happening for West Dale. Honestly, the outlook is a tough one for the next 16 days. We’re looking at a long stretch of pretty ordinary conditions, with only a couple of very brief windows where you might get a wave.

The water temperature is sitting at 62°F, which is basically normal for this time of year, so nothing wild there.

The first half of the period is a real grind. From Sunday morning, August 2nd, right through to the morning of Thursday, August 14th, it’s a whole lot of poor surf. The energy is low, the winds are messy, and the swell is either tiny or way too short period to do anything with. You’ll see a few pulses of swell, like around 4ft to 5ft on Tuesday, August 4th and Wednesday, August 5th, but the wind is blowing cross-onshore at 15 to 22 mph, making it a choppy, lumpy mess. That combined energy hits 363 (moderate) on the Wednesday morning, but the conditions are just not cooperating. It’s more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle session.

We finally get a glimmer of hope on the morning of Friday, August 14th. The swell is 5ft from the WSW with a short period of 6 seconds. The wind is a light ESE cross-off breeze at 9 mph, and the water is clean. The combined energy is 155 (moderate). It’s not going to be a world-beater, but for West Dale, this is the first surfable window. The report says it’s "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions," so keep your expectations in check.

The real standout, the one that’s actually worth trying to line up, is the morning of Saturday, August 15th. We’ve got 5ft of WSW swell, again with a short 6-second period, but the wind is light and offshore from the ENE at just 3 mph. That’s glassy conditions, and for West Dale, that’s a massive positive. The combined energy is 160 (moderate). The break is exposed to the SW, and the optimum swell direction is SW, so this is a solid match. It’s a fairly consistent break, so you’ve got a good chance of a few waves. Just be aware that crowds are possible here, but for this kind of small, clean window, it might be worth the company.

Beyond that, the second week fades out fast. The 17th of August morning has 4ft of W swell, but it’s just "poor surf conditions" again.

So, to wrap it up: the long wait pays off on the morning of the 15th. That’s your best bet. The 14th is a decent consolation if you’re desperate. Everything else is a washout.

Rusty.

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