Surfing in Wales in July

Conditions in July

Water temp. : 17 °C
Wetsuit : 3/2 mm, 4/3 mm for long sessions

July is the smallest stretch of the Welsh year. Llangennith needs a westerly swell to do anything at all and July often does not send one, so a fortnight can pass with nothing on either side of the peninsula.

For a first week that is the point rather than the problem. Langland Bay is the sheltered side, it works across the whole tide, and in July it produces exactly the waves somebody learning wants: small, repetitive and warm enough at 17°C to stay in for two hours. Every school on the peninsula is running and the Welsh summer holidays have not started.

Set against that, the beach is busy and the parking is worse. Llangennith has three miles of sand and room to spread out; Langland is one bay and does not.

Learning in July

For learning : Excellent

The month to book. Warmest water of the year outside August, gentle waves and a school on both sides of the peninsula.

Where a beginner goes in July

These spots are reachable all year. What the month changes is the size of the waves, not the access.

For an experienced surfer

Surf : Good

Not for you. Come back in October, or come now for the coast path and treat a surfable morning as a bonus.

How July compares

All twelve months, side by side

Where these figures come from

Air, rain and sunshine: WMO / NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Agadir Al Massira, a station some twenty kilometres inland and so a little warmer than the coast in summer. Swell, period and share of workable wind: Swell Archive and surf-forecast. Water temperature: seatemperature.org and weather-and-climate. Crowds and prices are an editorial judgement, not a measurement.