Surf Forecasts:
Swanage surf forecast from 15 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Friday 21 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 5s period, WSW swell with 32 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Swanage this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Swanage in the next 16 days are 0.8m 5s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 21) at 4AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 5s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 20) at 4PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 4AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 5s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Swanage over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, mate, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you. I’ve looked over the next couple of weeks and it’s a tough one for anyone wanting to get wet around Swanage. There’s no sugar-coating it: we’re looking at a whole lot of nothing for the foreseeable future.
The first real chance of any kind of wave doesn't show up until Saturday the 15th, and even that’s a whisper. We’re talking ankle-biters, not surf. For the entire 16-day run, the energy in the water is weak, with most readings coming in under the 100 mark for combined energy. We are looking at a long, dry spell here.
The first few days, the 15th and 16th, are pretty much flat with poor conditions. There’s a light cross-chop on Saturday morning, but it does clean up a touch in the afternoon. Sunday is worse, with a gentle cross-onshore breeze making things messy. It’s not worth the hassle of lugging your board down for this.
We stay flat through Monday and Tuesday the 17th and 18th. The wind is offshore, which is pretty, but there’s simply no swell to push it. It’s a lake out there. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so it'll be comfortable just floating around, but that’s about all you’ll be doing.
Midweek, around Wednesday the 19th, there’s a tiny bump in the water, maybe 2ft at 4 seconds from the WSW, but the energy is still weak and the period is too short to do anything with. A couple of days later, Friday the 21st, sees a similar small pulse, again nothing to get excited about. These are barely moving ripples.
The rest of the run to the end of the month is much the same story. We get a few periods of clean, offshore wind, which is always nice, but there’s just no swell to work with. The energy levels stay weak, and the wave heights are consistently under a foot and a half. This is a period of frustration for a surfer. The setup at Swanage, being very sheltered, is just not showing us any love.
Honestly, if you have to be in the water, this is looking more like a kite-surfing forecast than a paddle-surfing one during any of the stronger breezes, but for a surfer, you’re better off finding something else to do for the next couple of weeks. The forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a blank run.
Keep the faith, but not your hopes up. This is one for the scrapbook.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Sat afternoon, min 16°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Warm (max 21°C on Tue morning, min 14°C on Thu night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | |||||||||||||||
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) | N 4 | WSW 7 | WSW 4 | WSW 8 | SW 7 | W 7 | W 7 | WSW 4 | WSW 5 | W 9 | WSW 5 | WSW 5 | W 7 | WSW 4 | S 15 | WSW 5 | WSW 5 | WSW 9 | WSW 6 | WSW 4 | WSW 5 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 7 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 19 | 0 | 22 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 10:05AM1.39m | 10:12PM1.60m | 10:42AM1.36m | 10:49PM1.49m | 11:18AM1.30m | 11:26PM1.35m | 11:55AM1.22m | 00:03AM1.19m | 12:32PM1.11m | 00:41AM1.03m | 1:16PM0.98m | 1:28AM0.87m | 5:02PM0.89m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:57PM0.08m | 6:20AM-0.18m | 6:37PM0.16m | 6:58AM-0.01m | 7:17PM0.28m | 7:35AM0.17m | 7:56PM0.40m | 8:12AM0.36m | 8:37PM0.52m | 8:50AM0.52m | 9:27PM0.63m | 9:38AM0.65m | 11:44PM0.68m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | | | | |  | | |  | | |  |  | | | | | | |
 | 5:54 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — |
 | — | 8:28 | — | — | 8:25 | — | — | 8:24 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:21 | — | — | 8:19 | — | — | 8:16 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 23 | 27 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 19 | 22 | 23 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 17 | 19 | 20 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 19 |
Feels °C | 20 | 25 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 15 | 20 | 20 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 5 | — | WSW 4 | WSW 8 | E 4 | W 7 | W 7 | — | WSW 5 | W 9 | — | WSW 5 | W 7 | — | W 9 | — | — | WSW 9 | WSW 6 | — | WSW 5 |
| kJ | 2 | — | 5 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 14 | 2 | — | 19 | 4 | — | 2 | — | — | 9 | 19 | — | 22 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 8 | — | WSW 8 | E 5 | SW 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 8 | — | — | S 15 | — | — | — | WSW 10 | — | SW 9 |
| kJ | 6 | — | 6 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 5 | — | — | — | 9 | — | 3 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 4 | WSW 7 | NNE 3 | N 3 | — | WNW 3 | W 5 | WSW 4 | — | WSW 3 | WSW 5 | NNW 3 | W 4 | WSW 4 | WSW 5 | WSW 5 | WSW 5 | WSW 5 | NNW 3 | WSW 4 | NNW 3 |
| kJ | 7 | 11 | 2 | 1 | — | 2 | 4 | 18 | — | 6 | 54 | 1 | 8 | 21 | 51 | 56 | 83 | 55 | 2 | 23 | 1 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 337 | 467 | 108 | 108 | 592 | 441 | 347 | 607 | 246 | 299 | 784 | 252 | 344 | 412 | 340 | 224 | 511 | 12 | 137 | 142 | 112 |
Best forecast wave conditions in South Coast of England | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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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