Freshwater West

Best Surf Season (October - March)

The North Atlantic roars to life during these months, and Freshwater West sits right in the firing line. This west-southwest facing beach is perfectly exposed to the long fetch of the Atlantic, and the winter storm track drives wave heights up to the 6-8ft (1.8-2.4m) range with powerful 10-14 second periods. The swell rose is heavily loaded in the SW, WSW and W quadrant, which is exactly what this stretch of Pembrokeshire coast needs. The catch is wind: the same low-pressure systems that pump out the swell also throw onshore SW/W gales across the beach. Ideal offshore flow from the NNE through E quadrant only arrives around 16-19% of the time. But when a strong high over Scandinavia links up with a deepening Atlantic low, Freshwater West turns on and delivers some of the heaviest, most memorable surf of the year.