Freshwater Bay

Freshwater · Devon and the south coast · United Kingdom

Today’s forecast: the current surf forecast for Freshwater Bay (wave height, swell, wind, tide and a 0–10 rating for every hour of the next 16 days) are only shown on SurfCams. They change every hour, so this text doesn’t contain them. To check today’s surf, open https://surf-cams.com/spot/freshwater-bay.

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Freshwater Bay is a small cove on the Isle of Wight between chalk cliffs. Off the point, a right-hand reef breaks over flat rock; at low tide it is shallow and hollow. On the rising tide the inside gets backwash, but the bigger, heavier sets still break out at the point.

Level
Advanced
Break
Reef break, rock
Waves
Rights
Crowd
Busy
Season
autumn, winter, spring
Boards
A shortboard or step-up.

When it works

✓ A 1.5–2.5 m south-west swell with a northerly wind, from low to mid tide on the rise.

When it doesn't

✕ High tide, small swells and southerly winds.

Watch out for

  • reef
  • rocks

Best months

October, November, December, January, February, March

Local tips

The reef is shallow, so this is for experienced surfers. Watch out for moorings and buoys in the bay.

Getting there

Along the Military Road to Freshwater Bay; buses on routes 7 and 12 serve Freshwater from the rest of the island.

Travel notes

How often it works
Fairly consistent in the winter when south-west swells run up the Channel; usually flat in summer.
Crowd and vibe
A few surfers in the week, crowded at weekends when it works.
Camping and vans
Compton Farm is about 3 km along the coast. Nearest campsite about 3 km away.
Facilities
A promenade with the independent Freshwater Bay lifeboat station; the village above has shops and cafés, and island buses stop here.
Water quality
Freshwater Bay is not a designated bathing water; nearby Compton Bay was rated excellent in the 2025 classification.

Ideal conditions

Swell
SSW–WSW best, S–W works
Size
1.5–2.5 m offshore swell; starts at 1 m, holds to 3.5 m
Period
9 s minimum, best from 12 s
Wind
Offshore NNW–NE; handles onshore up to 12 km/h
Tide
low, mid best, avoid high, on the rising tide
Faces
S (180°)

Live cam

No cam at this spot yet: the forecast and the guide are on the map.

Nearby spots

All spots in Devon and the south coast · All spots

Sources