Swanage Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – the outlook for the next 16 days is a tough one for paddle surfers around Swanage. The swell is tiny for most of the run, and the wind is often on it or messy. The water is sitting at 65° right now, which is a good 5° warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s very unusual, so at least you won’t need a thick wetsuit when you’re sitting there waiting for a wave that never comes.

We kick off Wednesday afternoon (8th July) with a tiny 0.3 ft ripple from the west, but the wind is cross-off and the combined energy is a weak 3 – it’s not really surfable. Thursday morning (9th July) looks glassy with a 0.3 ft west swell, but again, no push. We’re basically in a flat spell until the weekend.

Friday morning (10th July) sees a slight bump up to 2 ft from the east, but the period is a short 4 seconds and the wind is onshore. The energy is only 11 – it’s crumbly and weak. Saturday morning (11th July) has the best height of the early run at 3 ft from the east, but the wind is onshore at 16 mph and the period is still short at 5 seconds. The energy is 56, which is still weak, and the waves will be a messy close-out. Not worth a paddle.

There’s a big gap of poor to no surf from Sunday (12th July) right through to the middle of the following week. Monday and Tuesday have zero combined energy, with strong winds making it look more like a kite session than a surf – especially with the onshore winds and choppy conditions.

The next real chance pops up on Wednesday morning (15th July) with 3 ft from the east and a 6-second period, but the wind is onshore. The energy is 62, still weak. Thursday morning (16th July) has a similar 3 ft east swell with a 6-second period, but the wind is light cross-shore, which might clean it up a little. The energy is 70, still weak, but it’s the best-looking size in the whole window.

By Saturday morning (18th July), we get another 3 ft east swell with a 6-second period, but the wind is onshore again. The energy is 66. The afternoon (18th July) sees a drop to 3 ft, but the wind goes cross-off and it’s clean – still tiny, but at least it’s not lumpy.

The very end of the run, Wednesday morning (22nd July), has offshore wind with a weak 2 ft northeast swell, period of 3 seconds – basically a wind swell, not a wave you’d drive for.

Overall, there’s a long flat spell with no standout quality. The entire 16-day period is a struggle for real surf. The best bet, if you’re desperate for a splash, is Saturday 18th July afternoon when it’s clean and small, or Thursday 16th July morning for the biggest size at 3 ft, but it’s not clean. For a dedicated surfer, this is a week to check the forecast again later.

Rusty.

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