Westfalia Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s look at what’s been cooking up for Westfalia over the next couple of weeks. I’ll be straight with you – it’s a grim start, but there’s a faint light at the end of the tunnel if you can wait it out.

The first week is pretty much a write-off, I’m sorry to say. We’ve got a long stretch of nothing from the very start, all the way through the morning of the 5th of September, where the conditions are just too messy to get excited about. You’re looking at a mixture of light cross-shore and cross-onshore winds chopping up small, weak swell.

Now, a highlight finally pops up on the morning of Saturday the 5th. The wind goes glassy, which is a massive positive. The swell is a modest 3 ft from the ENE with a short 8-second period, and the combined energy is fairly low at 136, so you’ll need a bigger board to make the most of it. It’s surfable, but it’s ordinary. Then we go right back into a dry spell with poor conditions through to the 8th.

The real standout window is shaping up around Wednesday the 9th of September. We see a jump in swell size to 6 ft – 6 ft from the ENE, with the period stretching to 10 seconds. The combined energy ramps up strong to 544–596. This is where it gets interesting. The wind stays light and cross-shore though, so while the conditions are marginal, there’s good push. This is a spot that’s exposed to the swell, so when that ENE pulse hits, it'll be the biggest and most energetic we've seen. It’s not quite perfect, but it’s the best on offer.

The real gem, if you can wait, might be the morning of Saturday the 12th of September. We get a clean, cross-off wind from the WNW with a solid 6 ft swell from the ENE and 10-second period. Combined energy hits 516. This is the cleanest it’ll get with a good swell. Sunday the 13th then sees the swell top out at 6 ft with energy hitting 697 – but that’s getting into expert territory with still a cross wind. Saturday morning is the one to aim for.

Because the swell direction is ENE and the optimum direction here is NE, it’s not a perfect angle, but it’s close enough to make waves. Water temperature is around 84°F, which is pretty much normal for this time of year.

If you’re a beginner, stick to the smaller, glassy mornings, like Saturday the 5th, or Tuesday the 15th. Anything over 5 ft, like the 9th and 10th, might be a bit much. By the time it hits 6 ft on the 13th, only the experienced crew will be having fun.

For kite surfers, there’s a lot of onshore wind in the first week, so it might look better for you than for us paddle surfers early on.

Stay patient, it's coming.
Rusty.

Read more