Widemouth Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get this out there. It’s Rusty.

Straight up, the next couple of weeks are a test of patience for us here at Widemouth Bay. We’ve got a lot of water moving, but the wind gods aren’t playing nice. We’re looking at a long stretch of cross-onshore winds and lumpy, messy surf that’ll have you fighting the chop more than riding the waves. There’s some size out there, don't get me wrong, but it’s not going to be pretty.

The trouble starts right now. Through the rest of August and into the first days of September, we’re mostly dealing with junky conditions. Winds are up and down but always onshore or cross-onshore. There’s energy in the water, with moderate wave energy readings (83 to 1277) building through the weekend, but it’s all over the place. Saturday afternoon kicks up to a solid 10ft, but it’s an onshore, rainy mess. That’s a washing machine, not a surf session. We get a bit of a break Monday with some 8ft swell but still with a cross-onshore wind, so it’s choppy and hard to manage.

The first few days of September are much of the same. We get some waves, but they’re poor quality. The wind just won’t get out of the southwest, keeping things lumpy and bumpy. We’ll see some 7ft sets on the 3rd, but the wind state is just not there.

Here’s the one and only window where things look worth paddling out for. On Saturday the 5th, we finally get a break. The wind drops out to nearly nothing, leaving it glassy. That’s the golden ticket. There’s a 4.3ft west swell in the morning with a 10-second period (combined energy at 358) that should have some shape. The afternoon bumps up to 8.2ft, but it’s a shorter period, so it might get a bit crumbly. This is our best window, and it’s not even a perfect one. With a west swell direction, it’s lining up right for the break. This is the standout. Get on it if you can.

After that, the wind comes back onshore from the southwest for the next week. We’re back to the same story: lumpy, messy, and a lot of effort for not much reward. It stays like that through the middle of the month. Water temps are running really warm, about 4.3°F warmer than average, so you won't need a thick suit, but you’ll be dodging the chop more than anything.

There’s a little tease on Friday the 11th with a clean cross-offshore wind, but the swell drops right down to 2ft. It’s surfable, but really marginal. Not worth getting too excited about.

To sum it up, don’t burn your energy on the junk. Mark Saturday the 5th in your calendar. That’s the one. The glassy conditions and the west swell at Widemouth Bay will be the best we see for a while. Everything else is a battle. Keep the faith, this stretch looks like it tends not to stay poor for long.

Read more