Westward Ho Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at the surf ahead. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, so let's not get too carried away. I can see there's a patch of decent, clean swell early on, but a lot of the window is looking pretty average. Let’s break it down.

We start off on Wednesday the 12th with a bit of a tease. First light has some clean conditions with a light offshore breeze and a 2ft west swell. The period is a long 10 seconds, so there’s some push behind it. It’s surfable, I’ll give it that, but the energy is weak at 98. It’s more of a longboard grovel than a proper session. The water temp is about what you’d expect for this time of year, so no dramas there.

The rest of the first week is pretty much a write-off. We’ve got onshore and cross-onshore winds messing up the small, short-period swell through Thursday and Friday. It's just lumpy and poor. The morning of Saturday the 15th brings in a fresh cross-shore breeze and a short-period 3ft north swell, and it’s not looking pretty. The period drops right off, and the energy is weak. Skip it.

Now, there’s a proper gap of a few days with nothing worth paddling out for from Saturday the 15th right through to Tuesday the 18th. The swell drops right out to almost nothing.

Things start to stir again on Tuesday the 18th. We’ve got a light onshore wind, but the swell is pushing 3ft to 4ft with a short, unimpressive 6-second period. The energy is starting to build, but the conditions are still poor. The wind picks up hard out of the west on Wednesday the 19th, with 22 mph winds and a 5ft onshore swell. It’s a mess.

Then, here’s the first real standout of the whole window. On the morning of Thursday the 20th, the swell jumps to 8ft from the WNW. The period is a short 8 seconds, so it’s stormy, but the energy is getting serious – we're looking at a combined energy of 672. The problem is it’s coming with a fresh cross-onshore wind and rain, which is going to make it lumpy and difficult. This is more of a challenge than a classic, and it’s getting up there in size, so it’s for the experienced crew only. The afternoon is a touch smaller as it eases off.

After that, we go into another flat spell. Friday the 21st has a small 3ft swell, but the wind is on it. The weekend is small and poor. It’s not until Tuesday the 26th that anything else happens, and that day is a complete blowout with a strong breeze and tiny waves.

But hold on, there’s a tantalising one right at the end of the window on the morning of Thursday the 27th. We’ve got a 8ft west swell with a 9-second period, and the energy is massive at 859. The only problem is the wind is howling cross-on at 19 mph, which will tear it apart. It’s going to be a lumpy, powerful mess. It’s a promise of things to come, but for now, the best bet if you’re desperate is still that early session on Wednesday the 12th.

All in all, the standouts are poor. The 20th has the size, but the wind is mean. The 27th has the power, but it’s still messy. There’s no truly perfect day in the whole sixteen days. It’s one of those stretches where you have to pick your moments and be willing to work for it. If it's clean, small waves you're after, you'd better be quick on Wednesday morning. Otherwise, keep an eye on that last day and hope the wind swings around.

Rusty, out.

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