Westward Ho Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Westward Ho.

Straight up, I gotta be honest with you – this forecast is a tough one. We’re looking at a long, dry spell with next to nothing rideable for the first ten days or so. The water is sitting at 66°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s about the only thing that’s feeling good. The wind is all over the shop, mostly onshore or cross-onshore, and the swell is either tiny or blown out. It’s a real bummer.

We kick off Wednesday the 26th with a tiny 1ft W swell, period a weak 8 seconds, and the combined energy is a measly 26. It’s clean thanks to a light SE cross-off, but mate, you’d be floating over the sandbars. Thursday the 27th and Friday the 28th are worse – stronger onshore winds, lumpy, choppy, and the swell barely gets above 1ft. Not worth paddling out.

Saturday the 29th gets a bit of size, with 4ft to 5ft of WSW swell, but the wind is howling from the WSW at 31 mph by the afternoon, making it a washing machine. It’s a no-go. Sunday the 30th is similar – 5ft to 5ft but with messy cross-winds and a risk of thunderstorms. Not good.

Now, Monday the 31st of August sees a jump in swell energy. We get 8ft of W swell in the morning, period 10 seconds, and the combined energy hits a strong 1065. But the wind is onshore from the WNW, so it’s gonna be a messy, lumpy, onshore mess. That size is also getting into expert-only territory, but with the wind – it’s really more of a kite-surfing show than a paddle session. Not for the beginner.

The first glimmer of hope doesn’t arrive until Saturday the 5th of September. The morning shows 6ft of W swell with a period of 7 seconds, and a light WNW wind. It’s still onshore, but the wave comment says "marginal surf" – it’s a bit of a maybe. The combined energy is 392, so there’s some push there.

The Standout
The real pick of the whole 16-day window is Sunday the 6th of September. This is where it all comes together. We’ve got a solid 6ft W swell, period 9 seconds, and a combined energy of 486 (moderate to strong). The wind is light and offshore from the SE – a cross-off at 6 to 10 mph. That’s glassy, clean conditions. The wave comment even says "expect good surf conditions". This is the one to circle on the calendar. It’s a week and a half away, so don’t bet the farm on it, but if the forecast holds, Westward Ho should be offering up some nice, clean, lined-up waves. Because it’s a beach break, that long period might make it a bit straight, but with that light offshore wind, it’ll be proper.

After that, Monday the 7th still has some clean conditions in the morning with 5ft and a cross-off, but it’s a bit of a drop-off. The rest of the second week tails off into small, windy nothingness.

So, for the next ten days, save your wax. The only real show in town is the 6th of September. Fingers crossed the wind plays ball.

Rusty.

Read more