Woolacombe Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you. For Woolacombe, the next two weeks look like a write-off. It’s a tough one to swallow, but there’s nothing on the cards that’s worth paddling out for. The whole 16-day window is basically one long stretch of poor surf conditions. From now until the end of the outlook, every session is marked by onshore or cross-onshore winds, with a lot of fresh to strong breezes, and the swell is mostly small and weak, with a few bigger pulses arriving at the wrong time.

Right out of the gate on Sunday, the 6th of September, we’ve got tiny 2 ft swell from the W with a short 6 second period, and the combined energy is a measly 62. Not even worth the wax. That trend holds through the first week with the swell bouncing between 2 ft and 6 ft, but the wind is almost always a problem – cross-onshore from the NW, W, or SW, and often hitting 19 mph to 22 mph. The water temp is sitting at 66°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year – a notable 4° anomaly – but it doesn’t matter when the surf is junk.

There’s a bit more size on Monday the 7th of September, with a 5 ft swell from the W, period up to 13 seconds, and combined energy at 848 – that’s moderate to strong energy. But the wind is onshore at 19 mph, and the wave comment is “poor surf conditions.” All that energy, all that groundswell potential, just blown out. Same story on Tuesday the 8th – 6 ft from the W with a 9 second period and energy at 492, but again onshore wind from the WNW at 22 mph. It’s frustrating.

The second week is more of the same. The swell drops right off again from the 14th onwards, with tiny 2 ft to 3 ft waves and combined energy often below 100. The wind stays nasty, hitting near gale force on the 15th of September – 31 mph from the SW, making it a total blown-out mess. Even on the 20th of September, when we finally get a clean-looking cross-off wind from the SSE at 16 mph, the swell is only 2 ft and the energy is 60. Too small to ride.

Then on the 21st of September, the forecast shows a pulse of 8 ft swell from the WSW, with a period of 8 seconds and combined energy at 644. That’s a solid amount of water. But it’s coming with a fresh cross-onshore wind from the WSW at 19 mph and the comment is “poor surf conditions.” For a beach and reef setup like Woolacombe, that’s going to be a choppy, lumpy mess. It’s too big for beginners at over 5 ft, and with that wind, it’s not even good for experts.

Honestly, there is nothing here to get excited about. Not a single standout session. The consistent onshore flow and the poor timing of the swells mean you’d be better off leaving the board at home. With the stronger winds and the beach setup, this looks more like a spot for the kite surfers than for paddle surfing.

Stay patient, mate. It won’t be poor forever.

Rusty.

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