Surf Forecasts:
Brighton surf forecast from 19 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 21 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 7s period, WSW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 20 Aug, 7PM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 6s period, SW swell with 312 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 21 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 7s period with WSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Brighton this week:
The surf forecast for Brighton over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 21) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.5m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 1.2m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Brighton in the next 16 days are 1.9m 6s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 7PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 4s period and expected on Monday (Aug 24) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 7PM (Thu 20th Aug) | 6ft (1.9m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Brighton over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right, gather 'round, it's Rusty here. Let's get straight into it for Brighton.
First up, I’ve gotta be honest with you – it’s a tough one. For the next 16 days, there's absolutely nothing to get excited about. The forecast is a flat, blank run with no real surf on offer. The water temperature is sitting at 70°, which is a whopping 8° warmer than normal for this time of year – that's seriously unusual, and a bit of a head-scratcher for the season.
The guidance shows Brighton as an inconsistent beach/pier setup that's fairly exposed to a SW swell, but the finder data just doesn't back that up with any decent waves. The majority of the period is plagued by onshore winds, lumps, and chop, with the combined swell energy mostly sitting in the single digits or low double digits – weak stuff. There's a brief moment on the morning of Friday the 21st of August with a clean, cross-off breeze, but that's on a 1ft, 9-second swell. That's barely a ripple. You'd be better off taking the camera than the board.
The period from the 22nd of August right through to the 3rd of September is a long stretch of nothing. We see a few days with a bit of height, like the 26th of August afternoon with a 7ft swell from the SW, but it's showing onshore winds at 25 mph and the quality is described as poor. It would be a complete mess. Similarly, the 31st of August afternoon has a clean 6ft SW swell, but the onshore wind is 25 mph, and the energy is high (314), but it's just not clean enough for a paddle. That setup, with strong wind and a beach break, looks far more interesting for kite surfing than for a surfboard.
There are no standouts. No clean windows with any size. It's a total write-off for the whole 16 days. The only positive is that this area is listed as inconsistent, so a blank run like this is more normal for the area. Don't lose hope, though – forecasts can change, and it tends not to stay poor forever.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 13mm), heaviest on Wed morning. Warm (max 20°C on Wed afternoon, min 13°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WSW on Thu morning, light winds from the SW by Fri afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Mon night. Warm (max 21°C on Mon afternoon, min 15°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (calm on Sat night, strong winds from the NE by Mon night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 5 | SW 4 | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | SW 6 | WSW 7 | SW 6 | SW 5 | WSW 4 | W 8 | WSW 6 | W 10 | W 9 | ESE 3 | W 9 | ENE 4 | E 4 | SE 4 | NNW 3 | W 8 | WSW 5 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 56 | 21 | 103 | 119 | 229 | 187 | 16 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 33 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | on | glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 4:20PM4.82m | 4:39AM4.49m | 5:02PM4.41m | 5:26AM4.11m | 5:55PM4.06m | 6:35AM3.80m | 7:20PM3.84m | 8:24AM3.75m | 9:03PM3.93m | 9:48AM4.00m | 10:08PM4.23m | 10:39AM4.36m | 10:53PM4.58m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:15AM1.13m | 10:42PM1.36m | 11:00AM1.53m | 11:33PM1.70m | 11:58AM1.87m | 00:39AM1.95m | 1:10PM2.08m | 1:56AM2.02m | 2:29PM2.07m | 3:10AM1.86m | 3:38PM1.87m | 4:10AM1.56m | 4:33PM1.55m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | | |  | |  | | | |  | |  | |  | | | |  | |
 | 5:52 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — |
 | — | 8:14 | — | — | 8:10 | — | — | 8:08 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:05 | — | — | 8:02 | — | — | 8:00 | — |
mm | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 4 | 1 | 15 |
Temp °C | 18 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 17 |
Feels °C | 17 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 5 | — | — | — | — | WSW 6 | SW 6 | SW 5 | WSW 4 | SW 4 | WSW 6 | — | — | W 9 | W 9 | — | — | SE 4 | NNW 3 | ENE 6 | NE 6 |
| kJ | 56 | — | — | — | — | 113 | 15 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 9 | — | SW 6 | SW 6 | W 8 | W 10 | W 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 8 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | 16 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 8 | — | W 10 | W 5 | — | — | — | — | — | NE 6 | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SW 4 | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | SW 6 | WSW 7 | N 3 | — | NE 3 | NE 2 | — | ESE 2 | — | ESE 3 | E 3 | ENE 4 | E 4 | NE 3 | — | — | WSW 5 |
| kJ | — | 21 | 103 | 119 | 229 | 187 | 2 | — | 2 | 1 | — | 1 | — | 3 | 5 | 23 | 18 | 2 | — | — | 33 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 125 | 626 | 348 | 337 | 538 | 0 | 287 | 181 | 233 | 233 | 430 | 241 | 241 | 385 | 316 | 628 | 434 | 419 | 241 | 126 | 268 |
Best forecast wave conditions in South Coast of England | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Brighton surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the Brighton Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Brighton provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Brighton can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Brighton surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Brighton) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Brighton may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Brighton is 1 km (1 miles) from the city of Rottingdean. If you plan a holiday in South Coast of England, look for hotels and other accommodation in Rottingdean. Rottingdean has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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