Kimmeridge Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, mate. Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for our local stretch.

To be straight with ya, the next week and a half is a fizzer. The charts have been pretty stubborn, throwing small, weak, and mostly messy energy our way. There’s a real void of decent surf until we get to the latter part of the second week, so temper your expectations. We’re looking at a long dry spell before something finally turns up.

Starting from Tuesday the 11th of August and running all the way through to Saturday the 22nd of August, it’s one poor report after another. The waves are tiny, often under 3 ft, with short, weak periods and cross-shore winds that just trash the surface. The combined energy is next to nothing (values sitting between 1 and 63), so you’re really just fighting chop for barely a ripple. A few mornings look clean, like the 15th and 16th, but the swell is only 0.7 ft – not worth suiting up for.

The only real blip of hope in this entire 16-day window is a very specific window on Saturday morning, the 22nd of August. After nearly two weeks of dross, we finally see a pulse of something rideable. It's not pumping, but we’ll take it.

Saturday, 22nd August – The Glimmer of Hope

On the Saturday morning at Kimmeridge Bay, that waiting game finally pays off a little. We’ve got a glassy start – light rain and a slight air, so the surface should be clean. A new pulse of swell rolls in at 4 ft coming from the WSW. The combined energy climbs to 108, which gives it some moderate push. The water temperature anomaly is about average for the time of year, so don’t expect any surprises there.

Look, the wave period is short, only 6 seconds, so it’ll be a bit lumpy and won’t have the grunt of a groundswell. It’s still small enough for most intermediates, and the glassy conditions will make it look better than it is. This is the standout of the whole outlook, purely because everything else is junk. It’s a reef break that’s very consistent, exposed to the SW, so when it gets a pulse like this, it focuses the energy. Crowds are often here, but on a long flat spell, you might find a few less takers. If you’re jonesing for a paddle, this is your best shot.

After that, the wind howls up again later that afternoon (35 km/h cross-on) and the Sunday goes straight back to being blown-out and tiny. We scrape a few 0.3 ft swells with long, 14-second periods on the 24th, but that’s just for the seals.

Bottom line: a real quiet period, but the Saturday morning glass-off on the 22nd offers a saving grace. After that, it’s back to waiting.

Rusty.

Read more