Swanage Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let me get straight into it. It’s Rusty here.

Right off the bat, this is a tough stretch. There’s hardly any surf on the cards for the next week and a half for Swanage. The first real sign of anything rideable doesn’t show up until the afternoon of Saturday the 18th of July, and even then, it’s a contest between getting something clean but small, or waiting for a bit more size that comes with some messy wind. Before that, we’re looking at days and days of flat to tiny conditions, with a lot of onshore breeze messing up what little there is. It’s honestly a pretty rough period.

That run of flatness kicks off from now until at least Thursday the 10th of July. There’s a tiny 0.3ft to 0.9ft bump from the west, but with cross-off winds, it’s just not enough to bother with. Even with clean conditions early Tuesday the 7th, the swell is basically nothing. The water temp is a very unusual 65° on Monday morning, which is much warmer than normal for the time of year – feels like a bath, but doesn’t help the waves. Things stay bleak, with onshore easterly wind building through Friday the 10th and into the weekend, bringing short-period, weak windswell that’s just blown out and messy. The combined energy stays very low, barely reaching 80.

Saturday the 11th and Sunday the 12th look poor. The easterly windswell tries to build a little, but it’s all onshore or cross-onshore, and the period is a weak 5 to 6 seconds. Not worth paddling out. Then we hit another flat spell from the 13th through the 16th.

Now, a glimmer. On the afternoon of Friday the 17th of July, we see the first change. A new south-west swell creeps in at 3ft with a 7-second period. The wind turns gentle offshore from the WSW, leaving the conditions clean. The combined energy is 71, so it’s weak, but at least it’s clean. That’s not the standout though.

The standout is the Saturday the 18th. The afternoon brings a jump to 6ft from the SW (6-second period), and the wind is a moderate offshore from the WSW. That’s clean, that’s ridable. The combined energy hits 216 – moderate but the best we’ve seen. This is the pick of the fortnight. Sunday the 19th offers a similar clean option, with a 4ft, WSW swell and offshore wind, but a bit smaller and a little weaker.

For that Saturday session, Swanage will be the spot. It’s a rare break, barely ever works, but when it lines up with a SW swell and offshore wind like that, it can produce a fun little bank. Just keep your expectations in check – the period is short, so it’ll be a bit crumbly. The crowds are sometimes an issue here, so you might see a few others who’ve been waiting just as long.

After that, Monday the 20th of July brings a bigger 7ft to 7ft swell, but with onshore or cross-shore winds, it’ll be a messy, lumpy wall of water. That’s one for the experts only, with the size and onshore chop making it tough. That big energy (406) is impressive, but not for a clean ride.

From Tuesday the 21st, it drops back into smaller, weaker, onshore conditions again. So the window is narrow: Saturday the 18th afternoon is the best you’ll get. Go for it if you can.

Rusty.

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