West Wittering Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at the next 16 days for West Wittering. I’ve got to be straight with you – it’s a pretty bleak run. We’re looking at a long stretch with very little to get excited about, so temper those expectations.

The water is sitting at 69°, which is about 6° warmer than normal for this time of year. That’s very unusual, proper tropical-feel for the UK.

Through the whole 16-day window, the swell is tiny and the wind is almost constantly on it or cross-onshore. The first few days are a write-off. Friday the 4th kicks off with a weak 3 ft swell from the WSW, but it’s a short 3-second period and the combined wave energy is a paltry 15. Add in a 19 mph cross-on wind and it’s just messy. Saturday the 5th is even smaller, dropping to 1.0 ft. The swell direction is SW with a period of 5 seconds and energy of 7. The wind is still cross-onshore. It’s poor.

We go through the whole first week with nothing. The swell barely hits 3 ft on Monday afternoon the 7th, but with onshore winds at 22 mph and energy only hitting 42, it’s still a no-go. It’s not until we get into the second week that things change a little, but not for good surf. On Sunday the 13th, we get a glassy moment in the morning – wind drops to 3 mph from the SW – but the swell is only 0.3 ft from the west with a 7-second period and energy of just 1. It’s flat. You could paddle a SUP, but you won’t be catching waves.

Tuesday the 15th and Thursday the 17th morning sessions finally see some clean conditions with a cross-offshore wind from the NNW, but the swell is still a pathetic 0.3 ft. The period is 15 seconds on the Tuesday (very long period) but there’s no height to work with. Combined energy is 10 and 3 respectively. Clean, but useless for surfing. Friday the 18th morning is glassy again, but again, only a 0.3 ft west swell.

The best on offer – and I use that term loosely – would have to be those clean windows on the 15th and 17th of September. It’s not surfable for anyone who wants a proper wave, but if you are desperate for a longboard or a foiler in clean conditions, it’s the pick of a very bad bunch.

Honestly folks, there are no standouts here. No height, poor quality, and strong winds. For a beach/groyne setup like West Wittering, this is looking more like a kite-surfing stretch than a paddler’s paradise. The run is basically two weeks of nothing. It tends not to stay this poor forever, but this is a bleak outlook.

Rusty.

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