Surf Forecasts:
Woolacombe surf forecast from 16 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 23 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 15s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 19 Sep, 1PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 8s period, W swell with 531 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 20 Sep, 10AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 10s period with W swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Woolacombe this week:
The surf forecast for Woolacombe over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 20) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 14s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Woolacombe in the next 16 days are 2.1m 8s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 19) at 1PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.3m 2s period and expected on Wednesday (Sep 23) at 7AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10AM (Sun 20th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Wed 23rd Sep) | 2ft (0.6m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 1PM (Sat 19th Sep) | 7ft (2.1m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Woolacombe over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, I’ve taken a long, hard look at the charts for Woolacombe. Honestly, the next couple of weeks are looking pretty slim pickings. We’ve got a rough start ahead of us.
Right from Wednesday the 16th, it’s onshore and messy. A westerly wind is just tearing the place up, and we’ve got a cross-onshore chop that’ll make you want to stay on the beach. That bumpy, blown-out stuff lasts right through into Saturday the 20th. It’s a proper run of average conditions.
Then, we get a little window of hope. On Sunday the 20th in the morning, the wind drops to nothing and we get some clean, glassy conditions. The swell is small though, coming in at about 4 ft from the west with a 10-second period. The combined energy is weak (229). It’s basically a small, clean wave for a log or a fun mid-length if you’re desperate for a paddle.
That glassy spell is short-lived. The rest of the following week looks tiny with poor surf quality and the swell really dies off. There’s a few spells of very weak offshore winds on the 22nd and 23rd, but the swell is only 1 ft to 2 ft. Not really worth suiting up for. That stretch of flatness goes right through until the 27th.
We get another small pulse on Sunday the 27th with some clean conditions and a westerly swell around 3 ft to 3 ft, period around 11-12 seconds. It’s clean but it’s more of a beginner-friendly, weak wave. The energy is still low levels (224-260).
The only standout worth getting excited about is a fair way off. On Wednesday the 30th of September, we see a much bigger pulse of swell push in, hitting 8 ft from the west. That’s a fair bit of size for Woolacombe. The wind is going to be a cracking offshore from the east, which should keep things clean on the face, even if the period is a short 7 seconds. The energy jumps to moderate (675). That’s definitely one for the experienced crew only. It’s too big for beginners, but for the guys who know what they’re doing on a bigger, steeper beach break, that’s the session to circle on the calendar. The clean conditions and solid size make it the best on offer.
Mind you, with that short period, it’s going to be a bit bumpy and won't have the same grunt as a long period groundswell. It’s a long way out, so keep an eye on it.
The water temp is about average for this time of year.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Very mild (max 16°C on Tue night, min 14°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (moderate winds from the WNW on Tue night, strong winds from the SW by Fri afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Fri night, min 15°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SW on Fri night, calm by Sun morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | Monday 21 | Tuesday 22 | |||||||||||||||
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 10 | W 6 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 6 | WSW 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 7 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 8 | W 7 | WSW 7 | WSW 7 | W 18 | W 15 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 492 | 408 | 121 | 388 | 310 | 247 | 162 | 193 | 427 | 471 | 501 | 152 | 225 | 148 | 90 | 43 | 28 | 18 | 17 | 96 | 163 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | glassy | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross | glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 9:42AM8.36m | 9:56PM8.10m | 10:11AM7.82m | 10:25PM7.50m | 10:44AM7.24m | 11:03PM6.87m | 11:32AM6.65m | 00:03AM6.29m | 1:04PM6.24m | 1:57AM6.07m | 2:58PM6.45m | 3:37AM6.50m | 4:08PM7.08m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 3:31PM1.78m | 3:45AM2.13m | 4:02PM2.33m | 4:15AM2.69m | 4:40PM2.96m | 4:57AM3.31m | 5:42PM3.56m | 6:16AM3.86m | 7:36PM3.83m | 8:29AM3.85m | 9:14PM3.47m | 9:50AM3.31m | 10:16PM2.84m | ||||||||
 | |  | | |  | |  |  | | | | |  | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:52 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — |
 | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:27 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:21 | — | — | 7:17 | — | — | 7:15 | — |
mm | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
Feels °C | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 21 | 20 | 20 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 10 | — | W 10 | — | — | W 9 | W 7 | W 12 | W 12 | W 16 | W 14 | W 7 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 8 | W 7 | WSW 7 | WSW 7 | W 11 | W 10 |
| kJ | 492 | — | 50 | — | — | 85 | 162 | 27 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 152 | 225 | 148 | 90 | 43 | 28 | 18 | 17 | 89 | 106 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 10 | — | — | — | — | W 10 | W 14 | — | W 14 | — | — | — | W 10 | W 18 | W 15 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | 50 | — | — | — | — | 89 | 4 | — | 4 | — | — | — | 7 | 96 | 163 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 12 | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 11 | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 10 | W 6 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | — | W 6 | WSW 8 | W 8 | W 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | 408 | 121 | 388 | 310 | 247 | — | 193 | 427 | 471 | 501 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 41 | 222 | 279 | 376 | 279 | 41 | 323 | 268 | 268 | 274 | 184 | 43 | 0 | 45 | 0 | 6 | 114 | 83 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Devon | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Woolacombe surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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.
Nearest