Surf Forecasts:
Southerndown surf forecast from 17 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 20 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 6s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 20 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 7s period, WSW swell with 228 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 20 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 6s period with W swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Southerndown this week:
The surf forecast for Southerndown over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Southerndown in the next 16 days are 1.5m 7s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 4s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 20) at 10PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Thu 20th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Thu 20th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 6s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Southerndown over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what Southerndown has got cooking for us over the next couple of weeks.
Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – it’s a tough stretch. There’s no surf worth paddling out for right now, and that dry spell runs all the way through the first week and into the next. The south-westerly swell that does show is small and weak, mostly under 3 ft and the energy readings are laughable, often dipping into the 20s or 30s. On top of that, the wind is almost always cross-onshore, making things choppy and messy. The water temperature is sitting at 70°F with a whopping 8°F anomaly – that’s much warmer than usual for this time of year, so you won't need the thickest wetsuit, but it’s not going to save the surf.
The first glimmer of anything even close to decent pops up on Friday the 21st in the morning. For a couple of hours we get a glassy window with the wind swinging light SSW at 3 mph. But the swell is tiny – just 2 ft from the west with a short period of 7 seconds and a combined energy of only 22. It’s sad to say, but that’s the cleanest it gets all week. By afternoon, it’s back to cross-onshore chop. There’s literally not a single day in this whole 16-day window that I’d call good, let alone a standout.
Even the last few days, when the swell gets a bit bigger – like Saturday the 29th afternoon with 7 ft from the SW and a big energy spike of 650 – the wind is howling from the west at 19 mph, cross-onshore and lumpy. That’s kite-surfing territory, not clean paddle surfing. The swell direction is SW, which is Southerndown's optimum, but with that wind, it’s ugly. And into the 30th and 31st, it stays strong and messy. The period stays short, mostly 6-8 seconds, so there’s no real groundswell shape.
Honestly, this is a blank run. I can’t pick a single session worth driving for. The consistency is "fairly consistent" at Southerndown, so it usually delivers something, but the forecasts are just not playing ball this time. We’ll have to wait and see if things shift. Keep an eye on it.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Mon night. Very mild (max 19°C on Mon morning, min 14°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the WNW on Sun night, fresh winds from the W by Tue afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Warm (max 20°C on Thu afternoon, min 13°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WSW on Wed night, calm by Sat afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | |||||||||||||||
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) | W 5 | W 6 | W 4 | W 6 | W 6 | WSW 6 | W 7 | WSW 6 | WSW 7 | WSW 8 | W 7 | W 6 | WSW 8 | WSW 6 | WSW 8 | WSW 11 | WSW 10 | WSW 10 | WSW 9 | WSW 9 | WSW 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 21 | 39 | 14 | 84 | 78 | 51 | 130 | 134 | 228 | 169 | 135 | 38 | 22 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 19 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | off | glassy | cross-on | off |
High Tide | 10:07AM8.48m | 10:25PM8.43m | 10:44AM7.95m | 11:03PM7.76m | 11:22AM7.34m | 11:42PM7.06m | 12:04PM6.72m | 00:30AM6.40m | 1:00PM6.16m | 1:39AM5.89m | 2:24PM5.84m | 3:16AM5.76m | 4:00PM5.98m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 4:07PM0.80m | 4:29AM1.07m | 4:44PM1.34m | 5:05AM1.67m | 5:23PM1.95m | 5:45AM2.30m | 6:09PM2.56m | 6:37AM2.88m | 7:14PM3.08m | 7:53AM3.28m | 8:46PM3.31m | 9:31AM3.29m | 10:20PM3.09m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | |  | |  | | | | | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | 6:01 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — |
 | — | 8:32 | — | — | 8:30 | — | — | 8:29 | — | — | 8:27 | — | — | 8:24 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:21 | — |
mm | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 4 | — | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 20 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 17 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 16 |
Feels °C | 18 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 15 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 12 | 13 | 19 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 5 | — | WSW 7 | W 6 | W 17 | WSW 6 | SW 16 | — | SW 16 | W 15 | SW 14 | W 6 | WSW 8 | WSW 6 | W 5 | W 8 | WSW 10 | WSW 10 | WSW 9 | WSW 9 | WNW 3 |
| kJ | 21 | — | 10 | 84 | 6 | 51 | 11 | — | 10 | 4 | 8 | 38 | 22 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 19 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 1 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | — | — | — | — | W 17 | — | — | W 16 | — | — | WSW 9 | NW 4 | SW 13 | WSW 8 | WSW 11 | SW 15 | WNW 3 | SW 14 | SW 14 | WSW 9 |
| kJ | 2 | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | 5 | — | — | 15 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 14 | — | — | SW 16 | SW 15 | — | SW 15 | — | — | SW 14 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | — | — | 10 | 9 | — | 8 | — | — | 8 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 6 | W 4 | W 6 | W 6 | — | W 7 | WSW 6 | WSW 7 | WSW 8 | W 7 | — | — | — | — | — | ENE 2 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | 39 | 14 | 81 | 78 | — | 130 | 134 | 228 | 169 | 135 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 347 | 389 | 401 | 165 | 306 | 196 | 460 | 306 | 302 | 79 | 138 | 9 | 43 | 195 | 265 | 92 | 56 | 81 | 195 | 196 | 103 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Wales - South East | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Southerndown Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Southerndown provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Southerndown can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Southerndown 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 (Southerndown) 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 Southerndown 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.
Are you planning a holiday in Wales - South East? If you are looking for accommodation near Southerndown, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Wales - South East, consider staying in Porthcawl which is 6 km (4 miles) away. Other places in and around Wales - South East where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Nash Point which is 8 km (5 miles) away, Coity, Maesteg and Barry.
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