Surf Forecasts:
Swanage surf forecast from 18 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 20 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 6s period, WSW swell with 107 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Swanage this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Swanage in the next 16 days are 1.3m 6s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 10PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.5m 6s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 18) at 10PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 10PM (Thu 20th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Swanage over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on offer for Swanage over the next couple of weeks.
To be straight with you, it’s a pretty quiet stretch for surf. The waves are mostly small, weak, or just not cooperating. The wind is often too strong, blowing offshore or cross-off, but that doesn’t help when there’s no real swell. We’ve got a long gap of days where the swell is basically non-existent or too small to bother with. The water is running at 70°F here, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year—a real anomaly, over 7°F warmer than average.
The first real chance of anything rideable pops up on the morning of Wednesday the 26th of August. There’s a pulse of swell from the SE at 5ft, with a period of 6 seconds, which is short and weak. The combined energy is moderate (157). It’s very sheltered here, so the wind is cross-off and clean. It’s not going to be great, but it’s something. That afternoon the swell drops straight back down.
The next small window is on Friday the 28th of August afternoon. The swell picks up a bit from the ESE at 5ft, but the period is only 5 seconds—short and choppy. The wind is cross-off and strong, at 28 mph. The combined energy is moderate (181). Honestly, it’s more of a wind-swell situation, and with that much wind, it’s going to be a battle.
Then, the most interesting period comes at the start of September. On Tuesday the 1st of September, we’ve got the biggest swell of the whole outlook. The morning sees a 7ft swell from the SW, with a 7-second period, and a strong combined energy of 449. The wind is cross-off from the NW, and it’s clean. By the afternoon, it’s 8ft from the SW, 8 seconds, with a very strong combined energy of 582. This is only for experienced surfers—over 8ft is expert territory—and the wind is strong, making it a tough paddle. The swell direction is from the SW, which is the optimum for this spot. It’s the standout, but it’s a long way off, so treat it as promising but not locked in.
The rest of the time is just flat or rubbish. There’s a big gap of days with no real surf to recommend.
If you’re a kite surfer, the strong winds on the 28th and 29th of August, with the cleaner, cross-off conditions, might look more interesting than the tiny waves do for paddle surfing.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Warm (max 23°C on Tue afternoon, min 14°C on Thu night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 19°C on Sat morning, min 15°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Tue 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SW 5 | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | WSW 4 | S 15 | WSW 5 | WSW 5 | WSW 6 | SW 6 | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | ENE 4 | W 10 | W 10 | S 14 | S 14 | W 9 | S 14 | W 9 | W 9 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | off | off | cross-off | off | off | off | cross | cross-on | cross | on | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 00:03AM1.19m | 12:32PM1.11m | 00:41AM1.03m | 1:16PM0.98m | 1:28AM0.87m | 5:02PM0.89m | 5:56AM0.83m | 5:56PM0.96m | 6:31AM0.89m | 6:30PM1.05m | 7:00AM0.97m | 7:00PM1.16m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:56PM0.40m | 8:12AM0.36m | 8:37PM0.52m | 8:50AM0.52m | 9:27PM0.63m | 9:38AM0.65m | 11:44PM0.68m | 12:36PM0.69m | 1:41AM0.55m | 1:46PM0.58m | 2:17AM0.41m | 2:22PM0.48m | 2:47AM0.28m | |||||||
 |  |  | |  | | |  |  |  | |  | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — |
 | 8:22 | — | — | 8:21 | — | — | 8:19 | — | — | 8:16 | — | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:13 | — | — | 8:09 | — |
mm | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 23 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 19 | 20 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 18 |
Feels °C | 19 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 18 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | WSW 6 | — | W 10 | — | — | WSW 6 | SW 6 | WSW 6 | WNW 3 | WSW 5 | E 4 | E 4 | E 4 | ESE 4 | WSW 3 | W 8 | — | W 9 |
| kJ | — | — | 3 | — | 2 | — | — | 47 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | S 15 | — | — | WSW 9 | WSW 9 | ENE 4 | WSW 6 | W 10 | SW 5 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | — | — | W 9 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | 17 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 1 | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 9 | W 8 | S 15 | W 10 | — | S 14 | S 14 | W 9 | S 14 | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | — | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 5 | WSW 6 | WSW 4 | WSW 4 | WSW 6 | WSW 5 | WSW 5 | NW 4 | NE 4 | — | — | ENE 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ENE 3 | — | — |
| kJ | 60 | 55 | 12 | 38 | 77 | 77 | 120 | 3 | 8 | — | — | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 246 | 61 | 155 | 246 | 61 | 224 | 224 | 12 | 108 | 108 | 340 | 330 | 318 | 155 | 155 | 497 | 340 | 372 | 582 | 250 |
Best forecast wave conditions in South Coast of England | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Swanage surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the Swanage Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Swanage provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Swanage can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Swanage 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 (Swanage) 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 Swanage 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.
Swanage is 13 km (8 miles) from the city of Poole. If you plan a holiday in South Coast of England, look for hotels and other accommodation in Poole. Poole has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
Nearest