Swanage Surf Break

Lat Long: 50.61° N 1.96° W

Swanage Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 12 am 27 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Swanage sea temperature is
20.5°C
3.7° 

Swanage surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Swanage surf forecast from 27 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Sunday 30 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 9s period, WSW swell with offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Saturday 29 Aug, 7PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 8s period, SW swell with 1,221 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 30 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 9s 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 (Aug 30) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.5m and 9s period. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Swanage in the next 16 days are 3.0m 8s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 29) at 7PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.9m 6s period and expected on Monday (Aug 31) at 4PM.

Wave TypeTime (BST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 7AM (Sun 30th Aug)5ft (1.5m) 9s
Best Surf 7AM (Sun 30th Aug)5ft (1.5m) 9s
Most Powerful 7PM (Sat 29th Aug)10ft (3.0m) 8s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Swanage over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright, I’ve looked over the charts for the next couple of weeks, and I gotta be straight with you—it’s a grim stretch for Swanage. This is one of those times where the ocean just isn’t playing ball. There’s a massive gap right at the start with nothing to ride, and honestly, the whole 16-day window is a struggle.

For the first few days, from Thursday the 27th of August right through to the end of the month, the swell is either tiny, messy, or the wind is howling. On Friday the 28th, the wind is a strong breeze from the WSW at 25 mph, and although there’s a 6 ft swell from the southwest with a short period of 6 seconds, the conditions are just poor. The combined energy is moderate at 275, but it’s not worth paddling out. Saturday the 29th is even worse—swell hits 8 ft to 10 ft from the southwest, period is a short 6-7 seconds, and with a near gale wind at 34 mph, the energy is strong (903) but it’s blown out. That’s kite-surfing territory, not for surfers.

The water temperature is about average for the time of year, so no surprises there, but it’s not gonna help the quality.

We see a little bit of a break on Monday the 31st of August. The morning shows a 4 ft swell from the southwest with an 8-second period, and the wind is offshore from the west at 16 mph. It’s a moderate breeze, so the waves could be clean, but the energy is only 192—moderate at best. The problem is Swanage is very sheltered and rarely breaks, and the optimum swell direction is from the southwest, but the swell is coming from the southwest, so it’s not lining up perfectly. The score is still a zero, so I’d call it a gamble.

There’s really nothing consistent until the 6th of September, Sunday morning. Finally, we get a 3 ft swell from the WSW with a 9-second period, a gentle offshore wind from the WSW at 9 mph, and the combined energy is 221—moderate. The description says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions,” and it’s a 1 out of 10. That’s the best we’ve got. For a spot that’s rarely breaking, seeing it come alive even a little is something, but it’s not a standout.

After that, it’s back to flat or poor conditions. The 11th of September, Friday morning, has a 6 ft swell from the WSW with an 8-second period, but the wind is a moderate cross-onshore from the north-northeast at 12 mph, making it choppy. Energy is 447—strong—but it’s not clean.

So, the honest truth: there’s no standout session here. The only faint glimmer is that Sunday morning on the 6th of September. But for a place like Swanage, it’s not unusual to have a blank run like this. Forecasts can change, but right now, I’d keep the board in the bag.

Rusty

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Sat morning. Warm (max 20°C on Wed night, min 16°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (light winds from the E on Wed night, near gales from the SW by Sat afternoon).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Moderate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Sun night. Warm (max 20°C on Mon afternoon, min 16°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the WSW on Sat night, light winds from the W by Mon night).

Thursday
27
Friday
28
Saturday
29
Sunday
30
Monday
31
Tuesday
1
Wednesday
2
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.8
SE
5
0.1
W
8
0.4
SW
7
0.9
WSW
4
1.9
SW
6
1.7
SW
7
2.4
SW
7
3
SW
7
2.3
WSW
8
0.9
SW
9
0.7
SW
8
1.1
SW
5
1.2
SW
8
1.9
SW
6
1
WSW
9
0.6
WSW
8
0.6
WSW
8
0.5
SW
4
0.4
WSW
3
1
WSW
5
1.4
WSW
5
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
30
1
12
0
275
268
563
903
700
112
72
0
192
0
165
44
53
9
0
0
0
Wind (km/h)
15
SW
20
SW
20
WSW
30
WSW
40
WSW
35
WSW
45
SSW
55
SW
40
W
20
WSW
30
SSW
25
WSW
25
W
30
SW
20
W
25
WSW
35
WSW
20
NW
5
WNW
25
SW
25
WSW
Wind State
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross-off
off
off
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross-off
off
High Tide
8:21AM1.22m
8:22PM1.46m
8:47AM1.30m
8:50PM1.53m
9:15AM1.38m
9:20PM1.59m
9:45AM1.43m
9:52PM1.60m
10:18AM1.46m
10:27PM1.58m
10:52AM1.45m
11:04PM1.51m
11:30AM1.40m
11:45PM1.39m
Low Tide
3:53PM0.23m
4:14AM-0.05m
4:25PM0.18m
4:46AM-0.10m
4:59PM0.16m
5:20AM-0.11m
5:35PM0.16m
5:55AM-0.07m
6:13PM0.18m
6:33AM0.01m
6:53PM0.24m
7:14AM0.12m
7:37PM0.31m
part cloud
part cloud
clear
part cloud
cloud
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
part cloud
part cloud
clear
thunderstorm
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
rain showers
clear
part cloud
clear
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:13
6:13
6:16
6:16
6:18
6:20
6:22
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
8:04
8:01
8:00
7:58
7:55
7:53
7:51
 mm
1
5
1
9
1
Temp °C
20
19
17
19
17
18
19
19
18
19
19
18
19
20
17
18
19
17
18
18
17
Feels °C
18
16
15
13
10
13
12
10
11
15
15
16
15
17
14
12
13
14
15
13
14
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Swanage:

join our community of surf reporters

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 locationNearest