Surf Forecasts:
Swanage surf forecast from 7 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 11 Aug, 7PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 6s period, E swell with 146 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Swanage this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Swanage in the next 16 days are 1.5m 6s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 11) at 7PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.9m 6s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 11) at 10PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 7PM (Tue 11th Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Swanage over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you about Swanage. The next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for a paddle, I’m not gonna lie. There’s a lot of flat spells, and when there is a pulse, it’s pretty weak.
The whole 16-day window is a tough one. We’ve got a massive gap from the start where there’s simply nothing to ride. The models are showing a few tiny bumps of energy, but the wave comment keeps calling it “poor surf conditions” right through the first week. The combined energy barely gets into double digits, mostly just single-digit values like 5 and 2. That’s basically flat. You’d be wasting your time.
Things try to perk up a bit mid-week. On Tuesday, the 11th of August, we get a bit of a pulse from the east, but it’s onshore wind at 16 mph, making it choppy and messy. The swell hits about 4 ft, but with a period of just 5 seconds, it’s weak and won’t hold shape. That’s a no-go.
The best chance in the whole outlook, and I’m saying this with a heavy heart, is the morning of Wednesday, the 19th of August. The morning sees a 3 ft swell from the west with a light offshore breeze from the west at 6 mph. The combined energy is a moderate 163, which is the most we see for a while. The wind is clean, but the swell period is a short 7 seconds, so it’ll be a bit crumbly on the takeoff. For a spot that “rarely breaks,” this is about as good as it’s going to get, but it’s still only a marginal session for the dedicated.
Later on, Friday the 21st of August afternoon, we see a spike in the data with an 12 ft swell from the southwest, but it’s accompanied by a strong 22 mph cross-offshore wind. The energy is a massive 1437, but that’s stormy, messy, and dangerous. That’s not a surf day, that’s a stay-on-the-beach-and-watch day. It’s way too big for beginners (over 8 ft) and only for experts, and even then, the wind makes it unappealing. For a sheltered spot like Swanage, that setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.
The water temperature anomaly is average for the time of year, nothing to write home about.
So, the honest truth is there’s no real standout. If you’re desperate, the 19th of August morning is the only window that might put a smile on your face, but I wouldn’t hold your breath. The rest is a write-off.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Sun afternoon, min 13°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Mon afternoon, min 17°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (calm on Mon morning, fresh winds from the ENE by Tue night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | |||||||||||||||
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) | WSW 5 | W 10 | WSW 3 | W 6 | W 8 | W 7 | SW 7 | W 9 | SW 7 | WSW 7 | WSW 7 | WSW 7 | E 5 | E 6 | W 12 | ESE 6 | WSW 10 | SW 9 | SW 9 | WSW 8 | SW 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 97 | 123 | 3 | 77 | 10 | 22 | 20 | 82 | 19 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off |
High Tide | 2:59PM1.07m | 3:40AM0.98m | 4:46PM1.10m | 5:27AM1.02m | 5:56PM1.21m | 6:32AM1.12m | 6:47PM1.35m | 7:21AM1.22m | 7:32PM1.48m | 8:05AM1.30m | 8:14PM1.59m | 8:47AM1.36m | 8:54PM1.65m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:07AM0.43m | 11:08PM0.53m | 11:44AM0.48m | 00:49AM0.41m | 1:16PM0.40m | 1:58AM0.20m | 2:18PM0.27m | 2:50AM-0.02m | 3:08PM0.15m | 3:36AM-0.19m | 3:53PM0.06m | 4:19AM-0.30m | 4:36PM0.02m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 5:41 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:48 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — |
 | — | 8:43 | — | — | 8:40 | — | — | 8:39 | — | — | 8:37 | — | — | 8:36 | — | — | 8:34 | — | — | 8:31 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 24 | 27 | 21 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 21 | 25 | 23 | 28 | 30 | 23 |
Feels °C | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 22 | 17 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 17 | 18 | 14 | 17 | 23 | 23 | 26 | 27 | 21 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 5 | W 10 | WSW 3 | — | W 8 | — | ESE 4 | ESE 4 | SW 7 | WSW 7 | WSW 7 | WSW 7 | WSW 7 | SW 7 | SW 6 | WSW 11 | ESE 5 | SW 4 | SW 9 | — | WSW 4 |
| kJ | 3 | 2 | 2 | — | 1 | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 20 | 9 | 20 | — | 6 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 10 | — | W 6 | — | — | W 7 | SW 7 | SW 7 | — | — | NE 4 | WSW 3 | W 10 | W 10 | W 12 | SW 6 | WSW 10 | SW 9 | WSW 4 | — | SW 9 |
| kJ | 2 | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 22 | 3 | — | 19 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | W 6 | W 7 | — | — | W 9 | — | W 8 | — | W 8 | — | — | W 9 | SW 6 | SW 6 | E 4 | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | WSW 3 | — | — | — | — | NNE 2 | — | NW 3 | NNE 3 | — | E 2 | E 5 | E 6 | E 7 | ESE 6 | SSW 3 | — | W 4 | WSW 8 | NNW 2 |
| kJ | — | 7 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 2 | 2 | — | 1 | 97 | 123 | 331 | 77 | 1 | — | 5 | 82 | 1 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 340 | 340 | 318 | 306 | 271 | 250 | 250 | 271 | 250 | 250 | 250 | 250 | 446 | 226 | 124 | 108 | 227 | 178 | 155 | 108 | 137 |
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)
Latest Updates
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