Kimmeridge Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it for Kimmeridge Bay.

Honestly, it’s a tough outlook. Over the whole 16-day stretch, there’s no real stand-out session that’s going to have you calling in sick. The forecast is a long run of poor surf conditions, with a lot of small, weak swell and unfavourable winds. The combined wave energy stays low, often in the double digits, and never really gets into a powerful range. There’s a gap of steady, unexciting conditions from the start right through to the end of the period.

Looking at the first week, Monday the 3rd of August starts flat with a tiny 2ft swell from the east and a cross-shore wind, with energy at just 46 – weak. The water temperature is a very unusual 68°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year. The rest of the week is much the same story: small, short-period windswell and onshore or cross-shore breezes. Wednesday the 5th sees a bump in energy to 192 (moderate) with a 5ft to 6ft swell from the west-southwest, but it’s accompanied by a fresh cross-shore wind that’s going to make it lumpy and messy. Not worth paddling out for.

Thursday the 6th morning cleans up a bit with a cross-offshore breeze and a clean look, but the swell drops right back to 3ft, and energy is back down to 47. A couple of glassy mornings pop up on Friday the 7th and Thursday the 13th, but they’re on tiny, weak swells of 1.0ft and 2ft respectively – you’d be floating around waiting for a ripple.

Into the second week, the pattern holds. The best chance of anything with a bit of punch comes on Sunday the 16th of August morning. We’ve got a 4ft swell from the west-southwest with a moderate cross-offshore breeze, giving clean conditions and combined wave energy hitting 131 (moderate). It’s not huge, but it’s the closest thing to a session you’ll get. The swell period is a short 7 seconds, so it’ll be a bit soft and crumbly, typical of windswell at a reef. This spot is a reef break, very consistent, and suited to intermediates. On a better day, it’s fairly exposed to the swell and likes the southwest direction, so this one matches up. But with the small size, you’ll be searching for the little peaks. Crowds are often here, so expect company if you do go.

The afternoon of the 16th drops off again, and the rest of the run into the 18th is back to tiny, poor surf. There’s a couple of clean mornings with cross-offshore breeze, but you’re looking at 1.0ft to 1ft waves – not really surfable.

So, the bottom line: if you’re desperate, target the morning of Sunday the 16th of August. For everything else, leave the board in the car and watch the tide come in. This is a lean run, but it won’t stay this way forever.

Rusty.

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