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Best swell direction
and type
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S-W windswell or
Groundswell
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Standard beach break, great place to
shelter from SW gales, although
spring tides produce a lot of
backwash.
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A low to mid tide right hand reef,
needs a decent size swell to get
going, but produces some very
shallow, heavy, fast rights breaking
over sharp limestone reef. Only surf
on an incoming tide, as the dropping
tide produces dangerous currents
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SW groundswell or clean S
to SW windswell, also a NE
windswell
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A fun wave when it breaks, it can
produce lefts and right with a
suprising amount of power, breaking
over sand. Strong currents on a NE
windswell
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SW groundswell or a clean
SE to SW windswell
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The beaches in front of white city can
produce some good quality waves.
At high tide there is also a
shorebreak that can be fun for
bodyboarders
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A fun righthander that breaks off of
the wall near white city. It needs a
big high tide and is best with a NE
windswell, but can sometimes break
on a northerly windswell that wraps
around from the solent! The wave is
quite rampy but only handles 1-4ft
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SW groundswell or a clean
SE to SW windswell.
Sometimes a NE windswell
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Another fun wave that produces
more rights than lefts, breaking over
sand. There is sometimes a
longshore drift here that can drag
you down the beach, but that is
usually when the winds are cross
shore
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SW groundswell or a clean E
to S windswell.
Also an occasional NE
windswell
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Lake has a huge selection of
beaches to choose from, and they all
vary depending on the tide and the
shape of the banks. The best and
most consistant spots are the
beaches around the "Wight Water
watersports centre"
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All tides but
spring highs
can produce
backwash off
the sea wall
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SW groundswell or a clean
SE to S windswell
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This is surfed frequently during the
autumn and winter months due to its
shelter from strong SW winds. The
banks vary but can produce some
great waves that can get hollow at
times. There is also a right hand
wedge off the seawall in large
swells and spring tides.
Hope beach is mainly a right but can
produce some lefts, all breaking
over sand
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SW groundswell or S
windswell
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The wall is mainly a bodyboard
wave, but can produce some super
hollow sucky lefts off of a concrete
groin. It can handle onshore winds
quite well too. It breaks over sand
and stones up to 4ft and can get very
heavy for a small wave
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SW groundswell or a clean E
to S windswell
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The first few beaches along the
seafront can be good on the right
swell. They produce mainly rights at
high tide and can get quite hollow. At
low tide they rarely break, but when
they do they can produce some very
hollow rights and lefts
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SW groundswell or an E to S
windswell
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A bunch of us named "Hollowbeach"
back in the late 90's! It can be a fast
hollow wave that can easily handle
an onshore wind without effecting
the quality too much.
It breaks right more than left and can
vary from a shorebreak to further out
back wave depending on the banks.
It breaks mainly over sand although
way out back is a mid to low tide
reef that can get interesting.
This wave breaks quite often during
summer easterlies
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SW to NW
but an
onshore E
wind is fine
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SW groundswell or a S
windswell
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The far southern tip of Shanklin is a
rare right hand point break. It needs
a huge swell to get going, but can
give some quite long rides when it
does, although the wave is probably
best suited to a longboard because it
is very fat and not very hollow.
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Shanklin Reef (Horse
Ledge)
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SW groundswell or a clean E
to SW windswell
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This is a rarely surfed spot that can
be amazing! It produces hollow
rights and lefts and can give some
amazing rides breaking over a
limestone reef. Only surf at low tide
or a pushing low tide, never surf on
a dropping tide or you will get
sucked round to luccombe! There are
NO currents at all from low tide
onwards though.
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Low tide,
Spring low is
best
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SW groundswell or a clean E
to S windswell
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This is a mellow beach break that
produces rights and lefts breaking
over sand. Do not surf from mid tide
onwards because of random rocks
on the beach.
The main thing about this spot is the
walk which takes a good 15 minutes
after parking at the top of cowleaze
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SW groundswell or a clean
SE to SW windswell
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This spot only breaks during the
biggest of swells, but when it does
break its possibly one of the best
waves on the IOW! It produces long
walling rights breaking over rock
that can be super hollow and is
definately a spot for the more
experienced surfers. I have
personally surfed this spot quite a
few times, and one of those times it
was close to 3 times overhead and
breaking top to bottom! You access
the spot the same was as the bay
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Low to mid
tide, neap
tides only due
to currents
during a spring
tide
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SW or W groundswell or a
clean SW to NW windswell
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A fun wave with some pretty decent
takeoffs into a fairly mellow walled
up right breaking over rocks that
takes you to the inside of a tiny rocky
manmade cove. It can get shallow
on the inside during neap tides, and
there can be nasty currents right out
back during spring tides. Just be
aware of these risks and you will be
fine
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SW or W groundswell or a S
to NW windswell, also a NE
to E windswell
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Ventnor Bay tends to close out on
groundswells, although it can be fun
on cleaned up windswells. It
produces rights and lefts that are
pretty fat and not very hollow. There
is also a heavy shorebreak at the far
western end of the beach that
produces super hollow shallow
rights (great for bodyboards)
On a big NE or E windswell at mid to
low tide the bay really lights up with
some amazing long lefts that can
peel right across the bay from the
harbour at the eastern end and some
short hollow rights too.
At high tide on a NE or E windswell,
there is a peeling left shorebreak
can is super hollow, heavy, and fast,
great for bodyboards!
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High tide for
the shore
breaks, mid
tide for SW or
W swells, low
to mid tide for
E or NE
windswells
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4 for W to SW
swells
7 for NE to E
swells
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SW or W groundswell or a
clean S to NW windswell
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The point is on the rocks on the
eastern edge of the cove. It only
breaks at high tide and is a fast
shallow right that breaks over rocks
and ends in deep water.
Occasionally a set will break wide
and when this happens you are at
risk of getting washed into the rocks
in the bay. I have never seen anyone
surfing this spot, although i have
surfed it many times myself. There
are other spots in the area that
people tend to surf rather than this
one, but i wont mention those spots
or i might get murdered!
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High tide only
but not neap
high tide
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SW or W groundswell or a S
to NW windswell
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This used to be a small sandy cove
with some fun peaks breaking over
sand, but in recent years the sand
has been sucked away to leave
shingle and rocks. When the sand
banks are good (usually in summer)
there can be fun lefts and rights on a
small swell, although big swells
close out the cove. Just to the right
of the cove there is a righthander
that occasionally breaks over rocks
on big swells
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In summer 6
In winter (lack
of banks) 2
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SW or W groundswell or an E
to NW windswell
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Woody bay isn't really a secret spot
as its not a very good wave in
general, but it does have the odd
occasion when it cranks!
The wave breaks right and left over
rocks at low tide.
The only positive is that this wave
breaks quite a lot, even more
frequently than Ventnor which is just
a few miles to the east
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SW to W groundswell or a SW
to NW windswell
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Back in the day Niton was a classic
spot with 2 main peaks that peeled
beautifully. Nowadays its a lot fatter
and struggles to break right at high
tide unless its big, although it can
still produce some great rights
breaking over rocks. It can get
crowded when its breaking though.
On spring tides there can be a strong
current further out so beware
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All tides, best
on a neap high
tide
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SW to W groundswell or a
clean S to NW windswell
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The left is a shallow, super hollow
wave that breaks over rocks next to
the channel to the east of the main
break at Niton. On its day it can
produce some amazing waves with
a wedge section at the end which
makes it perfect for bodyboarders. It
prefers a large groundswell but will
still break on a windswell.
There is also a right that sometimes
peels from the same peak.
Hard to paddle back out if you get
washed to the very inside
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SW to W groundswell or a
clean SW to NW windswell
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This wave is usually double the size
of the main break at Niton. Its a
heavy fat righthander that breaks
over rocks, quite close to St
Catherines Lighthouse.
The spot can hold huge waves,
infact as big as the swell can get
which can be over 10ft during big
winter swells.
Best surfed on clean swells and a
pushing tide because a dropping tide
has a nasty current that will rip you
toward the lighthouse then out to
sea! Neap tides can be ok though
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All tides but
never surf on
a dropping tide
unless it is a
very small
neap tide
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Atherfield Ledge
(inside right)
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There is a fast right that breaks over
flat reef on the inside of the most
southern ledge.
It needs a decent size groundswell,
but can be a really fun wave to ride.
Rarely gets above 4ft
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Low tide,
spring low is
best
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Atherfield Ledge
(outer southern ledge)
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The same reef as above but it breaks
further out (up to 1/4 mile) and
produces some nasty heavy rights
with a big bowl section. It breaks
best from 4-6ft.
Never surf on a dropping tide due to
strong currents.
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Atherfield Ledge
(middle ledge)
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The middle ledge usually has nasty
currents, but on a big swell and a
spring low tide for an hour or two,
there can be some perfect A-Frames
breaking into a couple of feet of
water over flat reef.
You can walk out to the wave
between the sets for a dry haired
paddle out!
Only surf in the 2 hours up to low
tide, otherwise the current is too
strong
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Last 2 hours of
a dropping
spring tide
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