Surf spot

Westward Ho!

Forecast conditions and map view for Westward Ho! in UK, Devon North. Open the interactive surf map to inspect wind, waves, and nearby spots.

Country: UK, Devon North
Coordinates: 51.0458, -4.2318

Metric
Metric	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00
Wave height (m)	0.7	0.7	0.5	0.7	0.6	0.7	0.8	0.9	0.8	0.7	0.7	0.6	0.6	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.6	0.5	0.5	0.4	0.4	0.5	0.6	0.5	0.7	0.7	0.6	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.6	0.7	0.8	0.9	0.8	0.9	0.9	0.8	0.8	0.7	0.6	0.5	0.7	0.9	1	1	0.8	0.9	1.1	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.6	0.7	0.8	0.5
Wave direction	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	WSW	W	W	W	WSW	W	W	W	W	WSW	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W
Wave period (s)	5.7	5.3	4.5	6	6.5	7	7.3	7.2	7.3	7.5	7.5	7.8	4.8	4.6	4.4	4.4	4.5	7.3	7.3	7.2	7	4.3	4	4.3	5.2	5	4.8	4.9	7	7.1	7.5	5	7.3	7.5	7.1	8	8.3	8.4	8.5	8.3	8.3	8.5	7.5	7	7.2	7	7	7.1	7.4	7.3	8.1	8.3	9.2	7.2	7.5	9.1
Wave energy (kJ)	30	25	10	31	32	45	61	77	74	61	52	49	19	22	19	17	13	25	24	20	17	8	10	10	23	24	18	24	51	52	45	26	67	82	71	104	102	100	83	64	53	39	50	88	94	95	69	78	133	74	91	88	53	45	64	35
Wind speed (km/h)	5.9	10.1	13.8	21.3	28.1	24.8	21.6	20	20.4	17.4	19.6	15	12.6	11.9	8	10.8	8.7	10.2	14.1	11.4	17.6	20.9	12.4	9.2	13.6	13.2	13.6	19.1	25.1	25.5	17.5	20.9	26	22.7	17.7	21.7	22.2	20	19.7	10.7	23.4	19.8	28.1	30.1	29.5	25.2	23.1	19.7	18.5	14.9	14.8	18.8	20	23.9	17.6	19.8
Wind direction	SSWCross	SCross	SSWCross-on	SWCross-on	WSWCross-on	WSWOnshore	WSWCross-on	SWCross-on	SWCross-on	WSWOnshore	WSWCross-on	WOnshore	WOnshore	WOnshore	WOnshore	WSWOnshore	SWCross-on	SCross	WSWOnshore	WSWOnshore	WSWOnshore	WSWOnshore	WSWOnshore	SSWCross-on	SCross	SSWCross-on	WSWCross-on	WNWCross-on	WNWOnshore	WNWOnshore	WNWOnshore	NWCross-on	NWCross-on	NNWCross-on	NNWCross-on	NWCross-on	WNWCross-on	WNWOnshore	WOnshore	WSWOnshore	WOnshore	WSWOnshore	WOnshore	NWCross-on	NWCross-on	WNWOnshore	WNWOnshore	WNWOnshore	WNWOnshore	WNWOnshore	WNWOnshore	WOnshore	WSWOnshore	WSWOnshore	SWCross-on	SSWCross-on

Westward Ho! (Devon North, UK) is a popular North Devon surf beach known for its long sandy shoreline and reliable Atlantic exposure. It’s one of the more accessible and beginner-friendly surf spots in the area, but it can still pick up enough size to be fun for intermediates when the swell is firing.

Spot overview

Beach type: Open beach break
Best for: Beginners to intermediates
Wave quality: Usually soft and forgiving, though it can become punchier on bigger swells
Crowds: Can get busy, especially in summer and on good swell days
Atmosphere: Classic British seaside town feel, with easy access to facilities

Conditions

Westward Ho! tends to work best with westerly to northwesterly Atlantic swell and light offshore winds from the east or southeast. Because it faces fairly open water, it can catch a wide range of swell directions, but conditions can be a bit messy when winds are onshore from the west or southwest.

Wave characteristics

Often offers mushy, rolling waves that are ideal for learning
Can produce cleaner, steeper peaks at times, especially around sandbar changes
Sandbars shift frequently, so the best takeoff zone can move around
Tides matter a lot: some sections work better at mid tide, while others can be best around mid to high tide

Hazards and considerations

Strong rip currents can develop, especially on bigger days
Tide and sandbar changes can create inconsistent conditions
It’s a beach break, so waves can be close together and less predictable
Busy beach traffic and other water users are common in peak periods

Best time to surf

Autumn and winter: Usually the best swell consistency and strongest waves
Spring and summer: Smaller and more beginner-friendly, but often less powerful
Early morning or late evening: Often the cleanest conditions due to lighter winds

Good to know

Westward Ho! is a great spot if you want a readily surfable beach with a friendly learning curve and easy access. For better wave quality, it’s often worth checking the sandbars and tide before paddling out.