Surf Forecasts:
Brighton surf forecast from 18 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 21 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 6s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 20 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 6s period, WSW swell with 280 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 21 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 6s period with SW 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 1.1m and 6s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-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 10PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 4s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 22) at 7AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 6s |
| Most Powerful | 10PM (Thu 20th Aug) | 6ft (1.9m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Brighton over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s get into it.
Well, honestly, this is a tough one to call. The next couple of weeks are looking pretty bleak for the Brighton area. The forecast shows a long stretch of small, weak, and messy surf with onshore or cross-shore winds that just won’t give us a clean wave. The first real chance of anything remotely rideable doesn’t pop up until Thursday the 27th of August, and even then, it’s a marginal call.
The outlook starts with a flat spell. From Tuesday the 18th right through to Wednesday the 26th of August, we’re looking at a run of poor surf. The swell is tiny, often under 3 feet, with periods mostly around 5 to 6 seconds – that’s short-period windslop, not groundswell. The wind is a constant problem: fresh cross-shore and cross-onshore breezes in the 15 to 22 mph range, making for lumpy, chopped-out conditions. On Friday the 21st and Saturday the 22nd, the wind turns cross-offshore, but the swell drops to nothing – 2 feet or less. It’s clean, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a wave worth paddling for. The combined swell energy is weak, mostly under 100.
The only window that even gets a mention is Thursday the 27th of August. The morning brings a pulse of 6 feet swell from the WSW, with a period of 7 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 430, which is solid, but the wind is a light cross-onshore from the ESE at 6 mph. The wave comment calls it “marginal” – the swell is there, but the quality is questionable. This is a beach/pier setup, so that short-period, 6 feet swell will be messy and dumpy, probably more interesting for the kite surfers than paddle surfers. It’s not one for the beginners, as it’s over 5 feet. After that, the surf fades again quickly.
The water temperature is a notable outlier here. On Tuesday the 18th, it was 70°F, which is a massive 8° warmer than average for this time of year – that’s very unusual.
Honestly, there’s no standout session in this 16-day window. The swell is too small or too messy, and the wind rarely cooperates. We’ll have to wait and see if the forecasts change, but for now, it’s a quiet one for Brighton.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Warm (max 22°C on Tue afternoon, min 15°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WSW on Thu morning, light winds from the N by Thu night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon. Warm (max 20°C on Sat afternoon, min 13°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | |||||||||||||||
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 | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | WSW 5 | WSW 5 | WSW 5 | WSW 6 | SW 6 | SW 6 | SW 6 | SW 5 | WSW 6 | W 8 | W 6 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | WSW 4 | W 9 | WSW 3 | WSW 4 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 69 | 148 | 144 | 51 | 37 | 53 | 74 | 128 | 91 | 15 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 3:43PM5.22m | 4:00AM4.90m | 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 | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:00PM0.99m | 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 | |||||||||
 |  |  | |  | |  | |  |  |  | | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | 5:50 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — |
 | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:14 | — | — | 8:10 | — | — | 8:08 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:05 | — | — | 8:02 | — |
mm | — | — | 1 | — | — | 3 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 6 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 21 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 20 | 20 | 16 |
Feels °C | 18 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 17 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SW 6 | — | — | — | — | — | SW 6 | SW 6 | SW 5 | WSW 6 | SW 6 | — | W 6 | — | — | WSW 4 | — | W 8 | W 9 |
| kJ | — | — | 88 | — | — | — | — | — | 91 | 15 | 7 | 3 | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | 4 | — | 1 | 1 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 9 | NNE 3 | W 9 | W 8 | W 6 | — | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 15 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 5 | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | WSW 5 | WSW 5 | WSW 5 | WSW 6 | SW 6 | — | NNE 2 | — | NNE 3 | NNE 4 | NE 5 | E 3 | — | WSW 2 | WNW 4 | — | WSW 3 | WSW 4 |
| kJ | 69 | 148 | 144 | 51 | 37 | 53 | 74 | 128 | — | 1 | — | 5 | 11 | 24 | 1 | — | 1 | 7 | — | 1 | 5 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 379 | 701 | 74 | 161 | 420 | 348 | 337 | 337 | 0 | 287 | 387 | 314 | 295 | 250 | 241 | 359 | 385 | 325 | 380 | 371 | 257 |
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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