Surf Forecasts:
Widemouth Bay surf forecast from 19 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 21 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 9s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 20 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 9s period, WNW swell with 484 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 21 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 9s 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 Friday (Aug 21) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 14s. Another secondary swell of 0.9m and 5s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Widemouth Bay in the next 16 days are 1.7m 9s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Monday (Aug 24) at 1PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Thu 20th Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Widemouth Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right, surfers, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you about the next 16 days at Widemouth Bay. It’s a bleak picture, if I’m honest. We’ve got a long, long stretch of poor conditions ahead. The first real chance of anything worth paddling out for doesn’t show up until the morning of Saturday the 22nd, and even then, it’s only just surfable. After that, it’s pretty much back to the same old story—a whole lot of nothing.
The water temperature is sitting at 66°, which is a massive 4° warmer than normal for this time of year. It feels like a warm bath out there, but that’s where the good news ends.
Let’s break it down. You’ve got a few days of onshore and cross-onshore winds from Wednesday the 19th through to Friday the 21st, with swell heights bumping up to 6 ft on Thursday, but the wind is just ruining it. The wave energy is moderate at best, hitting 479 on Thursday morning, but it’s all messy and choppy. Not worth your time.
Saturday the 22nd morning is the only real window in the first week. The swell is tiny, only 2 ft from the west, but the wind is a clean cross-offshore from the NNE at 9 mph. The wave energy is weak (90), but it’s clean. You’ll be on a longboard, but you might get a couple of fun little ones. The afternoon turns cloudy and cross-shore, so get in early.
From Sunday the 23rd all the way through to the end of the month, it’s a wasteland. The swell drops to nothing—0.7 ft to 2 ft—and the wind is all over the place. The combined energy is pathetic, barely reaching 54 on the 25th. There’s a brief spike on the morning of the 26th with 6 ft swell and 377 energy, but it’s onshore and raining. That’s a no-go.
The first few days of September aren’t much better. The 31st of August shows a bigger pulse of 7 ft swell from the west with strong energy (813), but the wind is a fresh onshore or cross-onshore, making it a lumpy, blown-out mess. That’s one for the experts only, and even then, it’s not pretty.
The only other flicker of hope is on the morning of Wednesday the 2nd of September. The swell is 6 ft from the west, with moderate energy (491), and the wind is a gentle cross-shore from the SSW at 9 mph. The report calls it marginal, but it’s the best we’ve seen in a while. Still, with a 6 ft swell and a short 8-second period, it’s going to be a bit fat and crumbly. It’s not a standout, but it’s the only day that even gets a score of 1 out of 10. If you’re desperate, that’s your shot.
The bottom line: there are no true standouts in this 16-day window. The forecast is persistently poor, with wind and swell rarely aligning. For a beach and reef setup like Widemouth Bay, this kind of blank run is more normal for the area. Don’t get your hopes up. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing on most of these days.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Wed night. Very mild (max 18°C on Wed morning, min 13°C on Thu night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Mon morning, min 14°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | |||||||||||||||
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 6 | W 6 | W 8 | W 7 | WNW 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 10 | W 9 | NNW 5 | W 9 | W 9 | NNW 4 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 10 | W 9 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
60 | 106 | 403 | 311 | 484 | 198 | 88 | 66 | 22 | 45 | 39 | 18 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 51 | 192 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | on |
High Tide | 10:44AM6.32m | 11:05PM6.07m | 11:27AM5.79m | 11:54PM5.50m | 12:24PM5.31m | 1:03AM5.07m | 1:47PM5.04m | 2:38AM4.97m | 3:22PM5.17m | 4:01AM5.24m | 4:29PM5.59m | 4:55AM5.70m | 5:16PM6.12m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 4:49PM1.71m | 5:11AM2.01m | 5:36PM2.24m | 6:04AM2.51m | 6:42PM2.68m | 7:23AM2.84m | 8:19PM2.85m | 9:02AM2.82m | 9:49PM2.63m | 10:17AM2.47m | 10:49PM2.20m | 11:07AM2.00m | 11:33PM1.70m | ||||||||
6:09 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | |
— | 8:30 | — | — | 8:29 | — | — | 8:27 | — | — | 8:24 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:21 | — | — | 8:19 | — | |
mm | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 4 | 9 |
Temp °C | 18 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 16 | 22 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
Feels °C | 14 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | W 16 | W 16 | W 9 | WNW 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | NNW 4 | NNW 6 | W 9 | NNW 5 | NNW 4 | W 9 | NNW 4 | NNW 4 | N 3 | W 8 | W 8 | W 10 | W 9 |
57 | 5 | 5 | 164 | 484 | 198 | 88 | 66 | 7 | 36 | 39 | 18 | 3 | 13 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 51 | 192 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 16 | — | — | W 14 | SW 14 | W 14 | W 16 | W 13 | W 8 | W 10 | SW 15 | W 9 | W 9 | SW 14 | W 8 | W 9 | W 9 | W 13 | NNW 3 | W 13 | — |
5 | — | — | 4 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 22 | 45 | 9 | 14 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 3 | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 13 | W 16 | NW 4 | SW 15 | — | SW 15 | SW 14 | — | SW 14 | W 14 | W 14 | W 11 | WNW 10 | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 5 | 4 | 9 | — | 8 | 8 | — | 8 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 10 | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 6 | W 6 | W 8 | W 7 | — | NNW 5 | NNW 5 | NNW 5 | — | — | NNW 5 | — | — | NNW 3 | — | — | — | NNW 3 | — | — | — |
60 | 106 | 403 | 311 | — | 26 | 43 | 21 | — | — | 26 | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 408 | 508 | 242 | 98 | 579 | 39 | 63 | 63 | 96 | 0 | 231 | 9 | 97 | 97 | 9 | 321 | 288 | 251 | 44 | 98 | 43 |
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.











