Surf Forecasts:
Woolacombe surf forecast from 22 Jul 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 26 Jul, 4AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 6s period, W swell with 94 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Woolacombe this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Woolacombe in the next 16 days are 1.1m 6s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 26) at 4AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 4AM (Sun 26th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Woolacombe over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s get into it. Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for Woolacombe. Honestly, mate, it’s a bit of a tough stretch ahead. We’ve got a long, long gap before anything really worth paddling out for shows up, so you’ll need some patience.
The first bit of proper surf on offer isn’t until the 31st of July, and even then it’s a bit of a raw deal. The run-up to that is pretty bleak. From the 22nd right through to the 30th, it’s all tiny, weak waves – we’re talking 0.7ft to 3ft with poor conditions. The wind is mostly cross or onshore, and the combined energy is barely getting into double digits, well under 100. It’s just not worth getting wet for. That’s a solid nine days of flat or near-flat, messy conditions.
Now, things start to rumble a little on the 31st of July. The Friday afternoon sees a pulse of 5ft swell from the WSW, with period around 7 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 224 (moderate), but the wind is onshore from the west, so it’s going to be a messy, bumpy one. Not a great look. Then we roll into the 1st of August – that’s a Saturday, and the swell builds to 6ft in the morning and 6ft in the afternoon, both from the west. The energy is strong, hitting 521 and 493 (strong), but here’s the kicker: the wind is a fresh to strong breeze from the south and southwest, blowing cross-onshore. It’s going to be lumpy, messy, and honestly, for a beach and reef setup like Woolacombe, this looks more like a day for the kite surfers than a clean paddle. The 2nd of August keeps the swell around 5ft to 7ft, but again, onshore winds from the west. It’s a lot of water moving but no quality.
The real standout, the only one that gets my blood pumping a little, is the 3rd of August – Monday morning. After all that rough stuff, we get a drop in swell to 2ft from the west with an 8-second period, but the wind is a light cross-offshore breeze from the northeast. The combined energy is low at 66 (weak), but the conditions will be clean. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. For a break that’s fairly consistent, this is a frustrating run. The water temperature is about average for the time of year, no major anomalies to report.
So, to sum it up: the best of the lot is that Monday morning on the 3rd of August. It’s not a classic, but it’s the only window where the wind is your friend. The rest of the 16 days is either flat, or too windy to enjoy the bigger swell that rolls in. Woolacombe (North Devon) is a dependable spot, but this is one of those stretches where you’re better off waiting for the next forecast update.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Thu afternoon, min 14°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Mon morning, min 15°C on Sun morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NW on Sat night, light winds from the NNW by Sun night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | |||||||||||||||
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 9 | NNW 4 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 4 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 7 | W 6 | WSW 6 | W 5 | W 6 | W 5 | W 5 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 9 | 7 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 13 | 56 | 78 | 73 | 69 | 51 | 46 | 27 | 30 | 20 | 17 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | on | cross-on | on |
High Tide | 12:34PM7.21m | 00:58AM7.14m | 1:35PM6.87m | 2:04AM6.81m | 2:49PM6.78m | 3:20AM6.77m | 4:02PM7.00m | 4:30AM7.00m | 5:02PM7.39m | 5:25AM7.36m | 5:49PM7.81m | 6:10AM7.72m | 6:29PM8.17m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:10AM2.57m | 6:33PM2.76m | 7:06AM2.97m | 7:39PM3.07m | 8:19AM3.18m | 8:56PM3.12m | 9:36AM3.08m | 10:07PM2.89m | 10:40AM2.76m | 11:05PM2.52m | 11:31AM2.37m | 11:52PM2.14m | 12:12PM2.02m | 00:32AM1.81m | |||||||
 | |  | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 5:26 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:33 | — | — | 5:35 | — | — |
 | — | — | 9:17 | — | — | 9:16 | — | — | 9:15 | — | — | 9:14 | — | — | 9:13 | — | — | 9:12 | — | — | 9:09 |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 18 |
Feels °C | 14 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 10 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 18 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 10 | W 9 | NNW 4 | NNW 4 | W 9 | NW 3 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | — | W 6 | W 6 | — | W 7 | W 6 | W 8 | W 5 | W 6 | W 8 | W 8 |
| kJ | 7 | 7 | 11 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 1 | — | 56 | 78 | — | 69 | 51 | 6 | 27 | 30 | 5 | 5 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | W 9 | W 9 | — | W 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 9 | W 8 | — | W 12 |
| kJ | — | — | 6 | 6 | — | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 6 | — | 3 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | W 15 | — | — | W 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 12 |
| kJ | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 4 | NNW 4 | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 2 | NW 3 | WNW 4 | W 4 | — | — | W 6 | — | — | WSW 6 | — | — | W 5 | W 5 |
| kJ | 9 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | 13 | — | — | 73 | — | — | 46 | — | — | 20 | 17 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 430 | 804 | 385 | 83 | 160 | 404 | 443 | 854 | 477 | 424 | 411 | 736 | 316 | 316 | 147 | 101 | 147 | 41 | 145 | 147 | 147 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Devon | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Woolacombe Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Woolacombe provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Woolacombe can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Woolacombe 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 (Woolacombe) 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 Woolacombe 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.
Woolacombe is 14 km (9 miles) from Appledore. If you plan a holiday in North Devon, look for hotels and other accommodation in Appledore. Appledore has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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