Surf Forecasts:
Widemouth Bay surf forecast from 31 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 5 Sep, 10AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 11s period, W swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 31 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 10s period, W swell with 755 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 5 Sep, 7AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 10s period with W swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Widemouth Bay this week:
The surf forecast for Widemouth Bay over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 05) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Widemouth Bay in the next 16 days are 2.0m 10s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 31) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 3s period and expected on Sunday (Sep 06) at 10PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Sat 5th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 10AM (Sat 5th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Mon 31st Aug) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Widemouth Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for the next couple of weeks.
Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – this is a tough stretch for Widemouth Bay. We’re looking at a long, grim run of poor surf conditions with hardly a window that’s worth paddling out for. The first actual surf recommendation doesn’t pop up until the morning of September 8th, and even then it’s a marginal call. So we’ve got a solid week of nothing to get excited about. The water is a noticeably warm 66°F for the start of the period, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s about the only thing going for us.
The first half of the forecast is dominated by strong winds and messy, lumpy conditions. Monday the 31st of August kicks off with a 7ft swell from the west, but a fresh cross-onshore breeze from the NW at 18 mph chops it all up. The combined wave energy is moderate (947), but with winds like that, it’s just a blown-out mess. That pattern holds through the first week – a few pulses of swell, but always with that onshore or cross-onshore wind ruining the party. The periods are mostly short, around 8 seconds, so it’s just weak, bumpy, windswell.
The only real glimmer of hope comes on Tuesday the 8th of September. The morning sees a 4ft swell from the west with a period of 11 seconds, but the real story is the wind. A light cross-onshore from the WNW at 6 mph means only small wind ripples. The combined energy is moderate (375). It’s not a world-beater, but after a week of garbage, a clean 4ft wave with light wind is the best on offer. This is the standout. It’s the only time the conditions get a score of 1 out of 10, which is still a “marginal” call, but it’s the best we’ve got. The break is a beach and reef setup, and it’s fairly consistent, so there will be waves rolling through. The swell direction is from the west, which is a bit off the optimum WNW for this spot, but it’s close enough to work.
After that, it’s back to the doldrums. The wind swings offshore on the morning of Saturday the 12th of September, with a clean 2ft wave, but it’s just too small. Then on Sunday the 13th, we get a gentle offshore breeze from the east at 9 mph, with a 2ft west swell at 10 seconds. That’s a clean little wave, but the combined energy is weak (93). It’s surfable, but very ordinary.
The long-range stuff around the 14th and 15th of September looks horrible. We see a 15-second period groundswell on the 14th afternoon, with a very strong combined energy of 1084, but it’s accompanied by an onshore wind. On the 15th, we’ve got an 8ft swell with a strong breeze at 24 mph creating a messy, cross-onshore maelstrom. That’s expert-only territory if you’re mad enough, but the quality is shot. For a beach and reef break, that’s more of a kite-surfing wind-lotto than a paddle session.
So, to sum it up: the best surf you’ll see is the morning of September 8th. It’s a small, clean-ish window in a sea of bad wind. Don’t hold your breath for the second week; the long-range stuff looks promising on paper with big energy, but the wind will ruin it.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Mon morning. Very mild (max 19°C on Wed morning, min 15°C on Mon night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Warm (max 20°C on Thu morning, min 14°C on Fri night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SW on Thu night, calm by Fri night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 6 | WSW 7 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 9 | W 9 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
928 | 755 | 363 | 157 | 123 | 82 | 26 | 186 | 191 | 187 | 233 | 246 | 199 | 225 | 293 | 275 | 164 | 92 | 41 | 39 | 21 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | on | glassy | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross |
High Tide | 8:41PM7.77m | 8:59AM7.50m | 9:18PM7.52m | 9:37AM7.22m | 9:58PM7.11m | 10:20AM6.80m | 10:45PM6.58m | 11:12AM6.29m | 11:46PM6.02m | 12:22PM5.83m | 1:08AM5.61m | 1:54PM5.67m | 2:46AM5.65m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 2:26PM0.31m | 2:46AM0.35m | 3:00PM0.47m | 3:21AM0.61m | 3:38PM0.78m | 4:00AM1.02m | 4:22PM1.23m | 4:48AM1.54m | 5:18PM1.75m | 5:53AM2.07m | 6:40PM2.19m | 7:29AM2.36m | 8:28PM2.22m | ||||||||
6:28 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | |
— | 8:06 | — | — | 8:04 | — | — | 8:01 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 7:58 | — | — | 7:55 | — | — | 7:52 | — | |
mm | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 22 | 22 | 18 |
Feels °C | 12 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 18 | 19 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 18 | W 8 | W 6 | W 16 | W 15 | SW 15 | — | SW 16 | W 8 | SW 14 | W 14 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 |
— | 755 | 363 | 157 | 6 | 82 | 26 | 5 | 4 | 9 | — | 9 | 199 | 8 | 4 | 275 | 164 | 92 | 41 | 39 | 21 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | NNW 5 | W 18 | — | W 16 | W 8 | — | — | — | — | — | SW 15 | — | — | W 14 | NNW 4 | — | W 13 | W 13 | W 12 |
— | — | 9 | 6 | — | 5 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | — | — | 4 | 1 | — | 3 | 3 | 3 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 13 | W 13 | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 10 | NNW 5 | — | — | W 9 | — | SW 3 | WSW 7 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | — | W 9 | W 9 | — | — | — | — | SSE 3 | SSE 3 |
928 | 33 | — | — | 123 | — | 2 | 186 | 191 | 187 | 233 | 246 | — | 225 | 293 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 7 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 272 | 103 | 18 | 18 | 92 | 8 | 474 | 242 | 42 | 364 | 242 | 226 | 56 | 271 | 50 | 0 | 42 | 0 | 44 | 201 | 71 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Cornwall | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Widemouth Bay Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Widemouth Bay provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Widemouth Bay can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Widemouth Bay 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 (Widemouth Bay) 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 Widemouth Bay 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.
Widemouth Bay is 4 km (2 miles) from Bude. If you plan a holiday in North Cornwall, look for hotels and other accommodation in Bude. Bude has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











