Beach
both
Level 3/10

Rest Bay

Porthcawl, South Wales, UK
🌀Strong rips👥Crowded🪨Rocks🚫Pollution

Rest Bay is the most consistent break in Porthcawl's varied lineup--a broad sandy beach that picks up SW swells.

10-Day Forecast
Today9
0
Poor
0.2m@9s
15km/h
Mon10
0
Poor
0.5m@5s
15km/h
Tue11
0
Poor
0.3m@7s
15km/h
Wed12
30
Poor
0.6m@10s
9km/h
Thu13
22
Poor
1.0m@9s
12km/h
Fri14
21
Poor
0.8m@8s
11km/h
Sat15
15
Poor
0.5m@7s
9km/h
Sun16
13
Poor
0.3m@6s
8km/h
Mon17
2
Poor
0.2m@6s
9km/h
Tue18
15
Poor
0.0m@11s
10km/h
5+ days out, less certain

Today's Conditions

Find Flights
Best session: MorningAM 5 km/h · PM 26 km/h · Low tide at 9am (2.5m)
Swell
0.2m
WSW(254°)
Score: 1/25
Period
9s
Short period / windswell
Score: 9/25
Wind
15km/h
W(279°)
Score: 1/25
Weather
20°C
0.0mm20%
First light 5:21amSunrise 5:51amSunset 8:49pmLast light 9:19pm
Windswell0.1m@1sConfidence
100%

Location & Conditions

Loading map...
0°45°90°135°180°225°270°315°NESW
Swell
Wind
Showing forecast for today

Hourly Forecast, Tide & Strike Windows

Strike window: 5:21am–2:13pm · through lowStrike window: 5:03–9:19pm · droppingIdeal tide: low to mid
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
°C
15°
20°
21°
21°
20°
16°
19°
21°
21°
21°
17°
19°
23°
27°
27°
17°
20°
25°
29°
30°
19°
23°
28°
29°
27°
17°
22°
26°
27°
25°
15°
17°
23°
25°
22°
15°
17°
21°
22°
20°
14°
16°
20°
21°
22°
16°
18°
20°
20°
19°
2m1.0
sec
9s
9s
9s
9s
9s
4s
5s
5s
5s
5s
7s
7s
7s
7s
7s
10s
9s
9s
9s
9s
9s
9s
9s
9s
9s
8s
8s
8s
8s
8s
7s
7s
7s
6s
6s
7s
6s
6s
6s
7s
4s
6s
6s
6s
7s
11s
11s
11s
11s
11s
swell
windkm/h
2g5
8g14
14g26
25g41
27g45
5g8
9g17
14g27
21g35
20g34
17g29
16g31
14g29
14g30
12g24
12g21
12g23
9g21
7g18
6g13
6g10
6g12
10g23
18g36
17g33
5g7
4g9
10g24
16g32
20g36
7g11
7g14
7g19
11g30
19g45
8g24
5g20
6g20
10g26
16g36
8g19
2g19
9g26
9g33
19g41
8g23
4g23
11g30
15g34
15g35
tidem
2:55am7.0m
9:01am2.5m
3:38pm7.2m
9:53pm2.3m
4:15am7.4m
10:32am2.0m
4:50pm7.9m
5:21am8.1m
11:44am1.4m
5:48pm8.6m
6:14am8.7m
12:38pm0.8m
6:38pm9.2m
1:08am0.3m
7:03am9.1m
1:24pm0.3m
7:22pm9.6m
1:50am0.0m
7:47am9.3m
2:04pm0.2m
8:05pm9.7m
2:28am0.0m
8:26am9.3m
2:40pm0.2m
8:44pm9.5m
3:02am0.2m
9:03am9.0m
3:14pm0.4m
9:20pm9.1m
3:35am0.5m
9:40am8.6m
3:45pm0.8m
9:56pm8.6m
Ideal tide (from tide preference)Strike windowNight

Tide times today

2:55 am
High tide - 6.97m
9:01 am
Low tide - 2.46m
3:38 pm
High tide - 7.21m
9:53 pm
Low tide - 2.28m
Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

0
Poor
Components
Swell Direction10/25
Swell Size1/25
Swell Period9/25
Wind1/25
Raw Score21/100
Adjustments
🌊💨 Windswell-3
💨 Gusty Wind-5
⚠️ Weak Component-5
📉 Undersized Swell-9
🚫 Undersized Capmax 15
Adjusted Score0/100
Confidence
Multiplier×1.00
Final Score0

Plan Your Strike

Return flights to CWL, departing today with a 5-day trip window.

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Swell Requirements

Optimal direction
SW (225°)
Direction range
200° - 270°
Size range
0.8m - 2.5m
Ideal size
2.0m
Height multiplier
0.97×
Ideal period
12s+

Wind Requirements

Optimal direction
NE (45°)
Offshore range
20° - 80°

Tide Requirements

Optimal tide
low to mid

Water temp

11°C

Wetsuit

5/4mm + boots

Difficulty

3/10

Crowd level

7/10

Frequently Asked Questions

What tide is best at Rest Bay?

Rest Bay works best on a low to mid tide. The tide chart above shows today’s strike window.

What wind direction is offshore at Rest Bay?

Offshore wind at Rest Bay blows from the NE (45°). Anything in the 20° to 80° range grooms the faces; outside it, expect chop or bumpy conditions.

What swell size and direction work best at Rest Bay?

Rest Bay wants SW swell (200° to 270°) between 0.8m and 2.5m, with a period of 12s or more for quality waves.

When is the best time of year to surf Rest Bay?

The main season at Rest Bay is Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb. A secondary window runs Mar-May.

How do I get to Rest Bay?

Fly into CWL, then allow about 35 minutes by road.

What kind of wave is Rest Bay?

Rest Bay is a beach break, a peak with lefts and rights. Difficulty is rated 3/10.

Best Season

Peak: Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb

Secondary: Mar-May

Getting There

Airport
CWL
Drive time
35 min
Data quality
verified

Strike Log

Community Discussion