West Wittering Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s shaping up for West Wittering over the next couple of weeks.

Well, I gotta be straight with you – this is a tough one. The next 16 days are looking pretty flat and unpromising. We’ve got a real dry spell on our hands. The first week and a half is basically a write-off, with nothing but tiny, weak dribbles and poor surf conditions. The water is sitting at 71° – that’s a whopping 9° warmer than normal for this time of year, which is far warmer than usual, but it’s hardly a consolation with no waves.

We’re looking at a gap of about 10 days before anything even registers as surfable. Most of the time, the swell is barely a whisper – 0.3ft or 0.7ft – with wind direction all over the shop and mostly onshore or cross-onshore. The combined energy of all swells directed here is mostly in the single digits or low teens, which is weak as dishwater. There’s a little bump on the 5th of August with a morning of 1ft from the SW and a period of 7 seconds, but with a 12 mph onshore wind, it’s just messy. The same goes for the 7th of August afternoon – 2ft from the SW but a short period of 4 seconds, and a fresh 22 mph onshore breeze. That’s more of a kite session than a paddle.

The only real standout, if you can call it that, is the morning of the 8th of August. We get a glassy surface with a NNE breeze of just 3 mph, and the swell is 2ft from the SW. The period is still short at 4 seconds, and the combined energy is only 10, so it’s not going to be world-class, but it will be the cleanest conditions we see. West Wittering is a sheltered, intermediate beach/groyne that’s inconsistent, and on that morning, it might just offer a few fun, little rollers. The swell direction is right on the optimum SW, so it’s got that going for it. The 9th of August morning also looks clean with a 2ft SW swell and a cross-offshore breeze, but the energy is even lower.

After that, it’s back to the same story – tiny, weak swells and onshore winds. The 14th of August morning shows a bit of a pulse with 3ft from the SSW and a clean cross-offshore breeze, but again, it’s coming from a very short-period 4-second swell, so it’ll be lumpy and weak. The combined energy is 23, which is still weak.

So, to be blunt, there’s no classic surf on the horizon. If you’re desperate for a paddle and a few ankle-biters, aim for the morning of the 8th of August. Otherwise, it’s a waiting game. Forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a tough run for the South Coast.

Rusty.

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