Boscombe Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: the next couple of weeks at Boscombe Pier are looking pretty slim. The surf is going to be a struggle for the most part, with a long, quiet gap from now until basically the middle of the month. The first real glimmer of something rideable isn’t until the second week. It’s a tough run, but we’ll take it day by day.

Here’s the deal. You’re looking at a pretty blank run to start. From Tuesday the 8th right through to the end of the first week, the wave heights are tiny, mostly hanging around 0.7 ft to 3 ft, and the energy is weak. A few sessions on Wednesday the 9th afternoon offer a bit of knee-high chop with the wind turning light cross-off, making it clean, but it’s still very ordinary. The combined energy is only 61 (moderate) and it’s super short period, 8 seconds, so it’s just mushy, gutless stuff. Not worth paddling out for unless you’re desperate. The water’s about average for this time of year, nothing to write home about.

Then we hit a real dry spell. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are all poor. The wind is mostly cross or cross-on, and the swell is just too small to do anything with. The 11th of September Friday morning shows a bump up to 4 ft, but the period is a terrible 6 seconds with a weak cross-shore wind, giving it a combined energy of 107 (moderate). The setup would be more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer, honestly. The wind is just ruining whatever shape that wave might have had.

The standout for the entire outlook, and it’s a conditional one, comes on Monday the 21st of September. That’s over a week and a half away. The data shows a fresh breeze from the WNW, pushing a 4 ft swell from the East with a combined energy of 158 (moderate). It’s cross-off, so the conditions will be clean. This is the biggest, most consistent looking pulse in the whole window. However, the period is a weak 5 seconds, so it’s windswell, not groundswell. It’ll be lumpy and short-period, but for Boscombe, that’s as good as it gets in this forecast. It’s not a beginner wave at that size. The wind and swell direction are a bit off the optimum, but it’s the best on offer by a long shot.

The following Tuesday, the 22nd, hangs on with a 4 ft swell from the East, with a light offshore wind and a gentle offshore feel. Again, short period, but rideable and clean. The energy drops back to 78 (weak) though.

So, bottom line: the first week is a write-off. The second week shows a single, promising but less certain peak on the 21st. If you’re a local, that’s the one to circle on the calendar. Otherwise, it’s a long wait for a very short, bumpy ride.

Rusty.

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