Swanage Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look what’s on the cards for Swanage. I’ll be straight with you—this stretch of the coast is lookin’ pretty quiet over the next 16 days.

The first bit of surf that’s even worth a mention arrives Friday the 4th of September, with a bit of a pulse. We’ve got a 7ft swell rollin’ in from the WSW, but the period’s a short 7 seconds. That’s weak-to-moderate energy at 393 (combined energy), and while the wind’s blowin’ offshore and the waves are clean, it’s still just a “surfable but ordinary” sort of zone. Not a standout by any stretch. That afternoon the swell drops off, and the wind picks up into a fresh offshore breeze but the wave height goes down to 4ft. The swell period that afternoon is even shorter at 6 seconds.

By Saturday the 5th, it fades out fast. Sunday the 6th is a no-go with cross-onshore junk. Through the whole first week, there are a few mornings with clean offshore breezes—like Monday the 7th morning with moderate offshore and a 1ft, 13-second period swell, but the energy’s only 46 (weak). Then Tuesday the 8th holds a bit more: both morning and afternoon bring 6ft WSW swell with a 7-second period in the morning and 6 seconds afternoon, with fresh offshore winds—energy sits at 286 and 213, which is moderate, but the scores are still poor. The water temp’s about average for the time of year, no big anomaly to speak of.

The rest of the second week is a dead loss for surf. From the 9th through the 18th, we’re mostly lookin’ at knee-high dribble—0.7ft to 2ft—with poor conditions. The only slight flicker is the morning of the 15th, when the swell is tiny at 0.7ft but the wind’s glassy offshore from WSW and it’s clean, but there’s just no energy in the water, only 24 (next to nothing). Overall, it’s a long, flat run. There’s no strong swell, no good quality, and nothing that’d get a surfer out of bed.

Swanage is a very sheltered spot and rarely breaks, so a blank run like this isn’t unusual. With the wind and swell alignments we’ve got, there’s no kite surfing interest either—just flat, light airs and cross-chop. I’d say keep an eye on forecasts, but don’t hold your breath for the next couple weeks.

Stay patient,
Rusty.

Read more