Kimmeridge Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get real about the next couple of weeks. I’ve been staring at the charts for Kimmeridge Bay, and to be honest, it’s a bit of a tough stretch for us paddle surfers. We’ve got a long gap here with hardly anything worth paddling out for. The water’s a whopping 69° right now, which is *much* warmer than normal for this time of year, a solid 7° above average. That’s pretty wild, but unfortunately, it’s not doing much for the waves.

The real issue is the lack of any decent, organised swell. For the next week or so, from the 15th to the 22nd, we’re looking at tiny, weak surf. The energy readings are almost all in the single digits or low teens, which is barely a ripple. The swell heights are mostly around 0.3ft to 1ft, with short, weak periods. Saturday the 15th starts with a clean 0.7ft WSW groundswell, but it’s just not enough. It’s a real scratch-fest.

The only small blip in this first week is around Tuesday the 19th and Wednesday the 20th, where the swell bumps up to 3ft, but it’s with a short 5-second period and onshore winds, making for a messy, choppy surf. Not worth the drive. This poor run continues, and it’s not until the very end of the second week, on Saturday the 30th, that things start to look a little more interesting.

Here’s how it shakes out:

The Long Gap (15th – 29th August):
This is a long stretch of tiny surf. We're talking days and days where the energy is in the low double digits or less. There are moments of clean, glassy conditions, like on the 26th afternoon, but with only 0.3ft on offer, you'd just be bobbing around. The winds are often cross or onshore, and the swell is just weak and disorganised. For anyone thinking of a kite, the stronger onshore days around the 20th could look more interesting, but for a surfboard, it’s a no-go. Honestly, there is nothing in this whole run that counts as a recommendation.

The Standout (30th August):
Finally, on the morning of Saturday the 30th, the energy meter jumps up. We’re looking at a combined energy of 101, which is the first real reading we’ve had, and a 3ft swell from the SW with a slightly better 7-second period. The wind is light from the WSW, so it’s not clean but it's cross-onshore, so expect some ripples. It’s not huge, but after the drought, it’s the best thing on offer. It’s a late call though, and with the period being short, it’s going to be crumbly. It’s not for the faint of heart, but for anyone desperate, it’s the only window in the whole forecast period that has a pulse.

Overall, this is a poor outlook. A long, disappointing stretch. We just have to wait for the ocean to wake up. Keep the boards waxed and the patience high.

Rusty

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