Swanage Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(South Coast of England, UK)

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- Hourly Forecast
- 16 Day Forecast
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Spot Information

Swanage Surf Guide

Swanage on the South Coast is a very sheltered beach break. Winter is the favoured time of year for surfing here. Works best in offshore winds from the west. Tends to receive a mix of groundswells and windswells and the best swell direction is from the southwest. Waves at the beach break both left and right. Best around low tide. Sometimes crowded. Submerged rocks are a hazard.

Swanage Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach	2	rarely breaks	12.1°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Swanage:

The best conditions reported for surf at Swanage occur when a Southwest swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the West.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Swanage (for consistent clean waves)?

decemberBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing Swanage with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of December. Clean surfable waves are typically found 6% of the time in December while 0% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 94% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

94%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Swanage Location Map

Interactive Swanage surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Swanage is Bournemouth Airport (BOH) in England, 20 km (12 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Swanage is Southampton Airport (SOU), also in England, 56 km (35 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Swanage Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Monday, 4 May 2026, 19:37 Local Time

m, °C	Monday 04			Tue
ft, °F	4PM	7PM	10PM	1AM
Wave (m)	SW	SW	SW	SW
Period (s)	7	7	7	7
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	glass	cross- off	cross- on	cross- on

What does Swanage look like?

Latest photos from Swanage. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: Fred Preston Credit: dave

Tides at Swanage

Current tide and informaton

For Swanage, 1 km from Swanage.

Next High Water: 10:07pm | 1.39m

Next Low Water: 06:17am | 0.2m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Swanage Sea Temperature

The Swanage water temperature is rather cold (12.1 °C). Although it will be cloudy today, air temperatures will be relatively mild, feeling like 13.0 °C, so feeling about the same in the water as out of it. A winter steamer or even a good quality spring wetsuit and neoprene boots should suffice. Wear a hood and gloves if you have not been surfing for a while.

Today, many surfers would wear a winter wetsuit and neoprene boots.