Surf Forecasts:
Swanage surf forecast from 20 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 26 Jul, 10AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 6s period, WSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 26 Jul, 4PM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 7s period, SW swell with 400 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 26 Jul, 10AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 6s period with WSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Swanage this week:
The surf forecast for Swanage over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 26) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.8m and 6s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Swanage in the next 16 days are 2.2m 7s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 26) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.7m 6s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 26) at 7AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10AM (Sun 26th Jul) | 6ft (1.8m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 10AM (Sun 26th Jul) | 6ft (1.8m) 6s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Sun 26th Jul) | 7ft (2.2m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Swanage over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. I’ve been staring at the charts for the Swanage area, and I gotta be straight with you – it’s a grim outlook. We’re looking at a 16-day window that’s basically a write-off for any decent surf.
Right off the bat, there’s no surf to speak of for the first few days. The whole period is a long, flat gap. The only break we’ve got to talk about is Swanage itself, and it’s a tough sell. It’s a very sheltered spot that rarely breaks, and that’s the story here. The water is about 67°F, which is a whopping 6°F warmer than normal for this time of year – that’s very unusual, but it won’t help the waves.
Starting on Sunday the 19th of July, we’ve got nothing but “poor surf conditions” stamped across every single entry. The swell is almost non-existent, with the combined energy of all swells barely registering (0 to 9). The few times we see a wave, it’s a pathetic 0.3ft to 1ft. The swell directions are all over the place – W, ESE, NNE – but none of them are the optimum SW direction for this spot.
Even when the wind goes glassy or offshore, like on Friday the 24th morning or Saturday the 25th morning, there’s no swell to clean up. It’s just flat calm. There’s a brief moment on Thursday the 30th with a 2ft swell from the NNE, but the period is a short 4 seconds and the energy is still weak (13), and the wind is cross-shore. It’s just not worth paddling out.
Honestly, throughout this whole 16-day run, there’s not a single standout. The best you could hope for is a tiny, knee-high ripple with clean conditions, but it’s not surf. The setup looks more interesting for a paddleboard or a long swim than a surfboard. It’s a blank run, but for a place like Swanage that’s “very sheltered” and “rarely breaks,” this is more normal than unusual. Don’t hold your breath.
Stay tuned, but don’t get your hopes up. This is Rusty, signing off.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Tue afternoon, min 14°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Sat afternoon. Warm (max 23°C on Fri morning, min 16°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ENE 3 | W 12 | W 8 | W 11 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | — | WSW 2 | NNE 2 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | WSW 5 | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | SW 7 | WSW 6 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 241 | 400 | 124 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | off | glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | off | cross |
High Tide | 12:38PM1.11m | 4:25PM0.97m | 00:38AM1.16m | 1:33PM1.03m | 1:32AM1.00m | 3:13PM0.98m | 3:19AM0.88m | 5:00PM1.00m | 5:14AM0.88m | 5:47PM1.05m | 6:09AM0.93m | 6:28PM1.11m | 6:52AM0.99m | 7:06PM1.19m | |||||||
Low Tide | 8:10AM0.09m | 3:23PM0.96m | 8:32PM0.44m | 8:52AM0.27m | 4:19PM0.95m | 9:22PM0.55m | 9:39AM0.44m | 10:34PM0.63m | 10:52AM0.57m | 00:41AM0.60m | 12:56PM0.59m | 1:51AM0.49m | 2:00PM0.52m | 2:34AM0.37m | 2:42PM0.43m | 3:10AM0.26m | |||||
 | |  | | | |  | | | | | | | |  | |  |  | |  | | |
 | 5:16 | — | — | 5:18 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — |
 | — | — | 9:08 | — | — | 9:07 | — | — | 9:07 | — | — | 9:06 | — | — | 9:04 | — | — | 9:02 | — | — | 9:01 |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 19 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 23 | 23 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 19 | 21 | 18 |
Feels °C | 15 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 18 | 18 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | ESE 4 | — | E 5 | E 4 | — | — | — | WSW 3 | — | — | WSW 2 | — | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | 3 | — | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 9 | — | W 8 | W 11 | W 10 | — | W 10 | W 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | 2 | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 12 | W 8 | W 11 | W 7 | — | W 10 | — | — | W 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | 2 | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 3 | — | — | — | — | WSW 3 | — | — | ESE 3 | ESE 3 | — | — | NNE 2 | WSW 4 | W 4 | W 4 | WSW 5 | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | SW 7 | WSW 6 |
| kJ | 1 | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 11 | 12 | 4 | 71 | 87 | 241 | 400 | 124 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 333 | 271 | 271 | 330 | 227 | 250 | 324 | 324 | 638 | 186 | 186 | 271 | 217 | 599 | 813 | 613 | 1030 | 340 | 838 | 613 | 271 |
Best forecast wave conditions in South Coast of England | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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