Westward Ho Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks. To be honest, it’s a pretty quiet stretch for Westward Ho! and I’ll tell you straight up – there’s no real quality surf to get excited about. The whole 16-day window is a long run of small, weak, and often wind-affected conditions. The first decent build doesn’t even show up until the very end, and even then it’s nothing special.

The water temp is sitting at 65°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year – a good 4° above average. That’s a nice bonus if you’re getting in, but the waves just aren’t cooperating.

We start off on Saturday the 5th with a 3ft west swell, but the wind is onshore from the WNW at 9 mph and the combined energy is only 191 (moderate), making for poor surf. Sunday the 6th drops to 2ft and 3ft with cross-off and cross winds – still no good. Monday the 7th sees a jump in size to 6ft from the west, with a 13-second period (groundswell), and the combined energy shoots up to 1127 (strong), but it’s completely ruined by a cross-on to onshore wind blowing 12-16 mph. That’s a big, messy, onshore mess – not for paddling, frankly looks more interesting for kite surfing than a proper surf session.

The rest of the first week is a washout: Tuesday the 8th has 6ft but with a fresh onshore breeze at 19 mph, and the energy is still high (538) but the wind chops it to pieces. Wednesday the 9th drops to 5ft, still cross-on and choppy. By Thursday the 10th we’re down to 2ft – tiny and weak (energy 54). Friday the 11th bumps back up to 4-5ft but it’s a lumpy, cross-on mess again with 19 mph winds.

The second week starts with a whimper. Saturday the 12th and Sunday the 13th have 3ft or less, light winds, and very low energy (82 and 67). On Sunday the 13th morning, we finally see some clean conditions with offshore wind from the ENE at 9 mph, but the swell is only 2ft at 10 seconds – surfable but very ordinary, and the score reflects that. Monday the 14th is almost flat with 1ft and glassy conditions – calm, clean, but no power.

Tuesday the 15th through Wednesday the 16th is tiny. Swell hangs around 1ft with long periods (11-12 seconds), but there’s just no size. The combined energy is between 31 and 65 – very weak. Not worth paddling out for.

Then, finally, on Thursday the 17th we get a bit of a pulse. The morning shows 5ft from the west, 7-second period, and with a light ESE cross-off wind at 6 mph, the water is clean. The combined energy is 187 (moderate), and the wave comment says “surfable waves but very ordinary.” The afternoon keeps it going with 4ft, offshore wind from the ESE at 9 mph, and energy of 206 – still moderate, but at least it’s clean. Friday the 18th is similar: 4ft, clean in the morning, energy 122. Saturday the 19th drops to 3ft and 2ft, still clean but tiny. Sunday the 20th holds 3ft with a clean offshore wind from the east at 3-12 mph, energy around 108-117 – again, surfable but very ordinary.

All in all, it’s a long stretch of poor to ordinary conditions. The best seen is the period from Thursday the 17th to Sunday the 20th, where the swell is still small (5ft at best) but the wind is finally offshore and clean. Even then, it’s nothing to write home about. For a beginner-friendly spot like Westward Ho! (fairly consistent, sometimes crowded, exposed to WNW), the only real window for a clean, small wave session is those few days around the 17th-20th. But don’t expect anything punchy – it’s more of a longboard or funboard kind of week.

If you’re desperate, wait for the 17th. Otherwise, it’s a dry spell.

Rusty.

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