Boscombe Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a proper look at what’s happening for the next couple of weeks. I’m going to be straight with you — it’s a tough run for the most part. We’ve got a long stretch of flat, weak, or messy conditions, so patience is the name of the game. But there’s a little glimmer of something towards the tail end if you’re willing to wait.

We start off with nothing doing. From Sunday the 9th of August right through to the 20th, it’s a real desert. There’s simply no surf worth paddling out for. The swell is tiny, the period is short, and the wind is all over the shop. Most days you’ll be looking at 0.3 ft to 1 ft of slop, with the occasional bump to 3 ft or 4 ft, but the wind is cross or cross-on, and the energy is feeble — the combined energy readings are mostly in single digits or low double digits, the highest being 94 on the Tuesday afternoon of the 11th, but even that’s weak and messy. You’d be better off staying on the beach with a cold one.

Now, the water temperature at Boscombe Pier is a real standout here. It’s sitting at 70°F on Sunday morning, which is about 8°F warmer than normal for this time of year. That’s very unusual, and it’ll feel like a warm bath. So if you’re just going for a dip, you’re in luck.

The first real sniff of something happens on Friday the 21st of August. The morning has a little pulse: 5 ft of easterly swell, with a period of 6 seconds — short period, windswell stuff, but it’s clean with a light offshore breeze from the north at 15 km/h. The combined energy hits 126, which is moderate. It’s still only a “surfable but ordinary” situation, and the break is inconsistent, so don’t expect much. The afternoon gets messy again with a cross-on wind.

Then on Sunday the 23rd of August morning, we get another shot. Swell from the southwest at 4 ft, period 5 seconds, and a light offshore from the north at 10 km/h. Clean conditions again. The energy is 96, so just shy of moderate. It’s a bit better than the Friday, but still, the period is short, and the break is inconsistent. The morning is the pick of the day, because by the afternoon the wind swings onshore and the swell picks up to 6 ft but it’s chopped out.

If you’re a beginner, stay away from the Sunday afternoon session — 6 ft is over the 5 ft threshold, and with a cross-on wind, it’s not a friendly wave. That afternoon set is more for experienced surfers and even then, the quality is poor.

The standout session — if you can call it that — is Friday morning the 21st of August. It’s the best combination of size (5 ft), clean offshore wind, and moderate energy (126). The swell is from the east, which is a fair match for the optimum SSW direction at Boscombe Pier, but it’s not perfect. Still, it’s the cleanest, most surfable window we’ve got. The crowds are marked as “sometimes,” so you might have a few others out, but it’s not a zoo.

The second best is Sunday morning the 23rd of August. With 4 ft from the southwest and a light offshore, it’s another clean window. The energy is a bit lower at 96, but the wind is glassy. The break is inconsistent, so sit and wait for the sets.

Overall, this is a grim run. The forecast is reliable for the first week, so don’t hold your breath for a turnaround. The second week has a couple of possibilities, but they’re still a long way off and uncertain. It tends not to stay this poor for long around here, so keep an eye on the charts.

Stay patient, and I’ll see you out there if the swell ever shows up.

Rusty.

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