Woolacombe Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Gather ‘round, surfers. Rusty here. Lookin’ at the charts for Woolacombe, and I gotta be straight with you — this ain’t a pretty picture. We’re in for a long, drawn-out stretch of mostly poor conditions. The water’s about 66°, which is a solid 5° warmer than usual for this time of year — that’s a notable warm spell, but it ain’t gonna save the surf.

The window starts Thursday, 3rd September, and right off the bat it’s a write-off. Thursday morning and afternoon are both fresh cross-onshore winds at 19 to 22 mph, with swell just 5 ft to 5 ft from the WSW but lumpy and messy. Scores are a big fat zero. Friday the 4th ain’t any better — onshore winds still howling at 19 mph, swell pushing 7 ft out of the W, but with poor conditions. The combined energy is 587, which is moderate, but the wind’s wrecking it. Saturday the 5th calms down a bit with lighter onshore winds at 6 mph, but the swell drops to 4 ft and the period is a short 7 seconds — weak energy (131). Still poor.

Sunday the 6th is a bit cleaner with a cross-offshore wind from the SE, but at 2 ft with a period of 9 seconds, it’s not doing anything for anyone. Energy is a weak 60. Not worth paddling out. Monday the 7th brings a big pulse — 7 ft from the W with a long 12-second period and very strong energy (1111). But the wind is a moderate cross-onshore from the NW, making it choppy. Still rated poor. This is expert territory at that size, but with the wind on it, even the pros won’t be stoked.

Tuesday the 8th is even bigger — 8 ft from the W, but short period of 9 seconds and strong energy (1003). Wind is fresh cross-onshore again. Poor surf conditions. At that size and with that wind, this is kite-surfing territory, not paddle surfing at Woolacombe. Wednesday the 9th drops back to 4 ft, but the wind is still a problem — moderate cross-onshore. Poor.

Now here’s the one glimmer in the whole 16-day outlook: Thursday the 10th of September, afternoon. The wind goes offshore from the east at 16 mph, with swell 5 ft from the WSW and an 8-second period. The energy is moderate at 226, and the conditions are described as “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions” — scoring a 1 out of 10. This is the best on offer, but don’t get your hopes up. The east wind will clean it up, but the swell’s short-period and not big. If you’re desperate, it’s an option.

After that, it’s a long, sad slide. Friday the 11th through to Friday the 18th of September is a desert. The swell drops to below 3 ft, often below 2 ft, with periods all over the place. There are a few clean moments — like Sunday the 13th and Monday the 14th with fresh offshore winds from the ENE — but the swell is tiny: 2 ft, then 1 ft, then 1.0 ft. The energy is weak (107, 30, 28). On Tuesday the 15th, a long-period 17-second groundswell rolls in at just 1.0 ft with 92 energy — that’s a tease. A few tiny wave sets, but nothing you can ride.

So, bottom line: there is no standout swell here. The best day is Thursday 10th September afternoon, when offshore wind makes the 5 ft swell clean, but it’s ordinary. For the rest of the 16 days, you’re looking at a lot of flat, blown-out, or tiny conditions. It’s a tough stretch for Woolacombe.

Rusty.

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