West Wittering Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, surfers, Rusty here. Let's be straight with you about West Wittering.

Looking at the whole 16-day window, I gotta tell you, it's a tough one. The Atlantic isn't sending us much, and the local wind is a constant battle. We're staring down a long, dry spell with a whole lot of flat, choppy, and blown-out days. The first decent-looking wave doesn't even show up on the menu until the 10th of August, and even then, it's a gentle tease. There's a real gap of nothing from now until that Monday morning.

The water is a weird one, though. It's clocking in at a balmy 71°, which is a massive 8° warmer than normal for this time of year. That's a real anomaly and feels more like a bath than a British summer surf.

So, here's the run-down. The first hint of anything glassy is on Monday morning, the 10th of August. We're talking about a tiny 0.3 ft swell from the SW with a period of 6 seconds. The wind is a glassy NE at 3 mph, which is about as good as it gets for West Wittering, but the energy is basically non-existent at a combined swell energy of (3). It's a paddle-around session, not a surf.

Tuesday, the 11th, and Wednesday, the 12th, are clean with a cross-offshore wind, but the swell is still laughably small, mostly 0.3 ft. The combined energy is a measly (1). It’s a waste of a clean window.

Thursday, the 13th, we get a slight bump in the afternoon. The swell picks up to 1.0 ft from the SW with a 9-second period. The combined energy jumps to (17), which is still very weak, but it's something. The problem is the wind swings to a cross-onshore SSW, making it choppy.

The next morning, the 14th of August, is clean with a N wind, but the swell is back down to 0.3 ft with a 10-second period and energy of (3). It's frustrating.

We get another small pulse on the 16th of August. The Sunday afternoon sees a 2 ft SW swell, but it's a short 4-second period and an onshore SW wind at 16 mph. The combined energy is (10), but the quality is going to be poor.

The one window that has a glimmer of hope is Monday morning, the 17th of August. We get glassy conditions with a light WNW wind 3 mph, and the swell is a tiny 0.7 ft from the SSW with a 5-second period. The energy is (4). It's gloriously flat but glassy.

The rest of the window is a write-off, with strong winds and messy conditions. The 19th of August morning has a 1 ft SW swell with a 6-second period, but the wind is a fresh cross-shore lumpy mess. The 22nd of August Saturday afternoon has a glassy 1.0 ft swell, but it's a 3-second period from the SSE. Even for a longboard, it's a stretch.

To be honest, there's nothing here that's a standout. The best of the worst is the glassy morning of the 10th of August, or the glassy morning of the 17th of August. But neither is offering a wave worth paddling for. Given the predominant onshore and cross-onshore winds we're seeing, and the generally weak, short-period swell, West Wittering is looking more like a spot for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer for most of this period.

This is a classic summer flat spell for the area. It tends not to stay this poor for long, and forecasts can change, but for now, I'd find something else to do.

Rusty.

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