West Wittering Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a proper look at what’s on offer for West Wittering over the next couple of weeks. I’ve got to be straight with you: it’s looking pretty bleak for a paddle. We’ve got a solid 16-day window ahead, but there’s a massive gap of small, weak, and messy conditions before anything even remotely worth mentioning shows up.

The overall pattern is dominated by tiny, short-period, onshore wind slop. For the first few days, from Saturday the 25th through the end of the month, it’s just one poor report after another. Winds are mostly onshore or cross-onshore, swell heights are under 3 feet, and the periods are short—mostly 3 to 5 seconds—meaning no real push. The combined wave energy is laughably low, often in the single digits (like 13 at best on Saturday). The water temp is reading 71°F, which is a whopping 10°F warmer than normal for this time of year—very unusual, so at least you’ll be warm if you’re just floating around. The only slight reprieve comes around Friday morning, the 31st, with a clean little 0.3ft bump under light offshore winds, but honestly, you’d need a foamboard to catch anything.

Then we hit another lull. Saturday the 1st of August and Sunday the 2nd are back to onshore wind and junk. Monday the 3rd morning almost looks promising with clean conditions and a cross-offshore breeze from the North, but again, it’s just 0.3ft of swell.

Now, the one and only standout worth getting a little excited about is Tuesday the 4th of August. Look at the morning session: we’ve got a light offshore wind from the NE, clean conditions, and the swell bumps up to 1ft from the SW. The period is still short at 3 seconds, so it’s not going to have any power or shape—call it a knee-high dribbler—but that offshore wind will make it look much better than anything else we’ve seen. The wave energy is still tiny (3), but for this stretch of coast, on a sheltered beach/groyne setup, that’s your best chance to get a few soft, clean little runners. Keep your expectations low, but the conditions will be nicer than they have any right to be. Crowds are possible here, but honestly, on a day like this, most people won't even bother.

After that, it’s back to the doldrums. Wednesday the 5th through Sunday the 9th of August is all onshore wind again, with wind speeds hitting 25 mph on the 8th. It’s going to be lumpy, choppy, and mostly flat. If you’re a kite surfer, those strong onshores on the 8th and 9th might look interesting, but for a paddle surfer, this is a total write-off.

So, to sum it up: there’s really only one morning worth circling on your calendar—Tuesday the 4th of August. Everything else is either too small, too windy, or both. It’s a tough run, but that’s West Wittering for you in the summer. The ocean will come back around. Keep your eyes on the charts.

Rusty.

Read more