White Crest Beach (Wellfleet) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let me tell it to you straight: this is a tough one for Cape Cod, and I’m not gonna sugarcoat it. For the next couple of weeks, White Crest Beach (Wellfleet) is looking like a real struggle for us paddle surfers. The first full week is basically a write-off – tiny, weak, and not worth paddling out for. We’re talking about a solid 8 days of knee-high dribble with combined swell energy barely scratching 30 (like 11 to 31), and the period is just too short, mostly between 6 and 10 seconds, to offer any real shape. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so nothing weird there.

The morning of Tuesday the 20th of August is your one and only real standout. It’s not a classic, but it’s the best we’ve got. We finally see a jump in the swell – 5.2 ft from the east, with a combined energy of 323 (moderate energy). That’s a legit size. But here’s the catch: the period is 7 seconds, so it’s gonna be a bit fat and crumbly, and at this size, it’s too big for beginners and getting into expert territory. The wind is offshore from the west at 12 mph, which will keep it clean, but the short period means it’s going to wall up and close out a lot on this sandbar. It’s an exposed beach, so the swell will hit hard, but the shape is gonna be tricky. Crowds are sometimes a problem here, so expect some company.

The rest of the second week is a letdown. The swell drops back down quickly, and we get a few more days of onshore and cross-shore winds that chop it all up. The morning of the 22nd of August has a small 1.6 ft east swell with offshore wind, but it’s just too weak (37 energy) to get excited about.

So, bottom line: if you’re an expert with a shortboard and a lot of patience, the morning of Tuesday the 20th of August is the only window. For everyone else, it’s a long wait for better conditions.

Read more