Westward Ho Surf Break

Lat Long: 51.05° N 4.23° W

Westward Ho Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 12 am 18 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Westward Ho sea temperature is
18.9° C
2.3° 

Westward Ho surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Westward Ho surf forecast from 18 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Friday 21 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 9s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Thursday 20 Aug, 1PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 9s period, W swell with 390 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 21 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 9s period with W swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Westward Ho this week:

The surf forecast for Westward Ho over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 21) at 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 5s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Westward Ho in the next 16 days are 1.6m 9s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 1PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.2m 3s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 22) at 7AM.

Wave TypeTime (BST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 4AM (Fri 21st Aug)2.5ft (0.8m) 9s
Best Surf 4AM (Fri 21st Aug)2.5ft (0.8m) 9s
Most Powerful 1PM (Thu 20th Aug)5ft (1.6m) 9s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Westward Ho over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Right then, folks. Rusty here, and I’ve got to be straight with you – looking at this 16-day window for Westward Ho, it’s a tough one. The swell is coming, but the wind is just going to ruin it for almost every session. We're stuck in a pattern of onshore and cross-onshore winds, leaving the surf choppy and messy. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so nothing unusual to report there.

The first real chance of a wave comes Friday morning, August 21st. We’ve got a small 2ft swell from the west, with a period of 8 seconds. The energy is weak (74), but here’s the thing – we finally get a north-northeasterly breeze coming cross-offshore, which will clean things up. It’s not going to be big, but the conditions will be the best we’ve seen. It’s a beginner-friendly break anyway, so the small waves won’t be an issue for learning. You might get a couple of fun ones before the wind swings around.

Then we hit a proper flat spell. From Saturday the 22nd right through to Monday the 24th, the swell drops to 1ft. The energy is basically nothing, with readings between 20 and 42. There's a glassy morning on Monday the 24th with the wind gone completely calm, but there’s just no water moving. Forget about it.

Things start to look a bit more promising on Tuesday afternoon, August 25th. The swell picks up to 4ft from the west, with a 10-second period. The combined energy jumps to 314 (moderate). The wind comes from the south-southeast, which is cross-offshore again, keeping it clean. The report calls it marginal, but for Westward Ho, this is likely the best day on offer. It’s a fairly consistent spot, but the quality won’t be world-class. Later that week, around Saturday afternoon, August 29th, a 6ft west swell rolls in with 8-second period and moderate energy (328), but it’s cross-shore and choppy. Not worth getting excited about.

By the time we hit September, the swell is there, but it's got a cross-onshore wind on it. On Tuesday, September 1st, we’re looking at a strong 7ft west swell (900 energy), but it’s powered by a strong southwesterly wind. For most, that’s going to be a messy, blown-out mess. At that size, it's pushing expert territory, but the wind makes it look more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

So, my honest take: the standout is Friday morning, August 21st, for the clean conditions, and Tuesday afternoon, August 25th, for the best combination of size and clean wind. The rest is a write-off. Keep the board in the car for those windows.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Very mild (max 19°C on Mon night, min 15°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Fri morning, min 13°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light.

Tuesday
18
Wednesday
19
Thursday
20
Friday
21
Saturday
22
Sunday
23
Monday
24
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.4
W
7
1.1
W
6
1.3
W
6
1.1
W
6
1.3
W
6
1.8
W
7
1.7
W
8
1.5
W
9
0.9
W
9
0.7
W
8
0.6
W
8
0.4
W
9
0.4
W
10
0.4
W
9
0.7
NNW
4
0.3
W
9
0.3
W
9
0.2
W
8
0.3
W
8
0.3
W
8
0.3
W
8
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
171
94
132
94
132
330
320
343
126
68
46
24
29
26
16
14
14
8
12
12
12
Wind (km/h)
20
NW
25
WNW
20
WNW
20
W
25
W
25
W
20
WNW
25
WNW
20
NNE
15
NNE
20
NNW
5
NE
15
E
20
NNW
15
N
15
N
20
NW
15
N
0
SSW
15
NW
15
SSE
Wind State
cross-on
on
on
on
on
on
on
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
glassy
off
cross
cross
cross
cross-on
cross
glassy
cross-on
cross-off
High Tide
10:23AM7.52m
10:42PM7.35m
11:01AM6.95m
11:22PM6.68m
11:44AM6.37m
00:10AM6.06m
12:40PM5.85m
1:18AM5.59m
2:03PM5.55m
2:54AM5.47m
3:38PM5.68m
4:17AM5.77m
4:46PM6.14m
Low Tide
4:08AM1.01m
4:23PM1.26m
4:44AM1.59m
5:02PM1.85m
5:25AM2.19m
5:49PM2.45m
6:17AM2.75m
6:55PM2.94m
7:36AM3.12m
8:31PM3.14m
9:15AM3.11m
10:01PM2.91m
10:30AM2.74m
11:03PM2.44m
part cloud
part cloud
rain showers
rain showers
clear
rain showers
rain showers
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:07
6:07
6:09
6:11
6:13
6:15
6:16
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
8:32
8:30
8:29
8:27
8:24
8:22
8:21
 mm
1
2
3
1
Temp °C
18
18
17
18
18
16
17
17
15
17
17
16
17
17
16
16
17
16
17
17
15
Feels °C
16
15
14
15
13
13
12
13
11
14
13
14
13
12
12
13
13
13
14
14
14
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Westward Ho:

join our community of surf reporters

FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website

The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Westward Ho surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.


Information about the Westward Ho Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Westward Ho provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Westward Ho can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Westward Ho surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Westward Ho) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).

Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Westward Ho may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.

Westward Ho is 2 km (1 miles) from Appledore. If you plan a holiday in North Devon, look for hotels and other accommodation in Appledore. Appledore has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.

Nearest locationNearest