Widemouth Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – this outlook for Widemouth Bay is a rough one. We’re looking at a 16-day window and there’s barely a whisper of proper surf. The whole forecast is filled with weak, short-period windswell and constant onshore or cross-onshore winds that will keep the ocean a choppy mess. For a beginner-friendly beach and reef setup, it’s a real bummer. The water temp is sitting at 64°, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year, so at least you won’t freeze waiting for a wave that never comes.

We kick off on Tuesday, 21st July, but it’s not worth paddling out. Tiny 1ft swell from the west with a 10-second period, and the wind is cross and cross-on, making it messy. The combined energy is weak (31), and the wave comment says it all: “poor surf conditions.” The next few days are a write-off. Wednesday the 22nd sees a bump to 3ft from the NNW, but with a period of just 5 seconds and a moderate cross-onshore breeze, it’s just a short-period chop. Nothing to get excited about.

Thursday the 23rd and Friday the 24th are even smaller, with swell dropping to 0.7ft to 2ft and the same poor wind conditions. The energy is barely registering, with values as low as 5 to 31. Saturday the 25th offers a bit more height, 3ft from the WNW, but the wind whips up onshore, and the period is a terrible 5 seconds. This is more of a kite-surfing breeze than a paddle-surfing session.

We hit a bit of a peak on Sunday the 26th of July, with the swell building to 4ft from the W and WNW, with a 7-second period. The combined energy jumps to 134 and 157, which is moderate, but the wind is a strong cross-onshore from the NW at 16 mph. It’ll be a bumpy, choppy mess. Not a standout. Monday the 27th is similar, with 3ft swell and cross-onshore winds keeping it poor.

Then things drop off again. From Tuesday the 28th of July all the way through to Monday the 3rd of August, we’re looking at tiny swell of 0.7ft to 3ft, with periods between 5 and 11 seconds. On Thursday the 30th of July, the morning sees a cross-offshore wind and clean conditions, but the swell is only 1ft with a 10-second period. You’ll be waiting for a set that never comes. The combined energy is a paltry 17. Friday the 31st of July morning is also clean with ENE cross-offshore wind, but again, only 1ft. It’s a tease.

We finally see a small pulse on Saturday the 1st of August with 3ft to 3ft from the NNW, but it’s a 5-second period, and the afternoon turns cross-onshore and choppy. The consistent theme here is that whenever the swell tries to show up, the wind ruins it.

The last few days of the forecast, from the 4th to the 5th of August, see a slight uptick. On Tuesday the 4th, the morning is clean with a cross-offshore wind from the SSE, but the swell is a weak 1ft from the west. The afternoon gets lumpy. Wednesday the 5th has a 4ft west swell with a 7-second period and a moderate combined energy of 140 to 176, but the wind is cross or cross-onshore, and there’s a risk of thunderstorms in the morning. Again, it’s not the clean, lined-up waves we’re after.

So, what’s the best on offer? Honestly, there isn’t a single standout. If you’re desperate, the cleanest conditions will be on Thursday the 30th of July morning and Friday the 31st of July morning, but the swell is so tiny you’ll be bobbing around on a lake. The biggest waves come on Sunday the 26th of July and Wednesday the 5th of August, but the wind will chop them to pieces. For a beginner spot, the larger swell on the 26th at 4ft is getting into the size where it’s not ideal for learning, and the messy conditions make it even worse. It’s a long, bleak 16 days. The ocean just isn’t cooperating. Keep an eye on the charts, but for now, this is a week or more of flat, choppy, and disappointing conditions.

Rusty.

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