Westward Ho Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – it’s a rough start. The forecast is showing a whole lot of nothing for the first week or so. We’re looking at a solid 5-day gap of flat, poor surf before anything even gets close to interesting. It’s frustrating, I know, but that’s the way it’s shaping up.

Let’s run through it. From Sunday the 23rd right through to Thursday the 27th, the swell is tiny – we’re talking 1ft to 2ft at best, with a weak combined energy that never cracks 65 (that’s low). The wind is mostly offshore or cross-offshore, which is a tease, but there’s just no wave energy to work with. There’s a moment on Wednesday afternoon when the wind goes glassy at Westward Ho, but the swell is a pathetic 1ft with an 8-second period. It’s a flat spell, plain and simple.

Now, the first real sign of life shows up on Saturday the 29th of August. A solid push of swell arrives, but the wind is straight onshore from the west at 22-25 mph. That sends the combined energy zooming up to 604 (that’s very strong), with a 8ft swell from the west and an 8-second period. Honestly, for a surf at Westward Ho, that’s a mess. The size is decent, but the onshore wind will chop it to bits. This is a setup that’s more interesting for kite surfing than for paddle surfing.

The bad run continues through Sunday the 30th and Monday the 31st, with onshore and cross-onshore winds ruining the shape. The waves get bigger, hitting 7ft on Monday afternoon, but it’s lumpy and choppy. It’s just not a fun prospect.

The outlook improves slightly as we head into the new month. On Tuesday the 1st of September, we have a 4ft west swell with a 9-second period and a combined energy of 192 (moderate), but the wind is still onshore. It’s a step up in energy, but not in quality.

The real standout – and I mean the *only* one worth getting excited about – is way out there in the long range. On Sunday the 6th of September, we get a cross-offshore breeze from the SSE accompanied by a clean 5ft swell from the west. The combined energy is 199 (moderate), and the period is a short 6 seconds, so it’ll be a bit more sectiony, but with clean conditions, that’s your best bet. For a beginner break like Westward Ho, 5ft is right on the edge of being too big, but more experienced surfers will find some fun ones. Keep an eye on that one, but it’s a long way off so don’t bank on it just yet.

For the rest of the second week, it’s a mixed bag of onshore winds and small, weak swells. Nothing else jumps out as a must-surf session.

So, to sum it up: the first week is a write-off. The second week has a glimmer of hope on the 6th of September, but it’s a long-range call. The water temperature is a very unusual 66°F, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year – a bit of a bonus if you do get in. Hang in there, and check back in a few days.

Rusty.

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