Swanage Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab a coffee and a towel, because it's a bit of a quiet sit-and-watch kind of fortnight for us here at Swanage.

Honestly, the 16-day window is looking pretty grim. We’ve got a long stretch of nothing special to work with right through the end of August and into September. The first hint of anything surfable is a tiny pulse on Monday the 31st of August, with a 5ft swell from the WSW. That’s where the water temp is sitting at 69°, which is a whopping 7° warmer than normal for this time of year – that’s very unusual, feels more like a tropical holiday than a UK surf trip. But the energy is only moderate at 327 and the wind is a fresh 19 mph offshore, making it clean. Unfortunately, it’s still a "poor surf conditions" call, and the waves are just too small and weak to get excited about.

After that, the whole first week of September is a total write-off. We’re looking at days of flatness or tiny, messy junkyard surf. The swell heights barely register, and when they do, it’s short-period windswell that’s either cross-off or just plain messy. The wind stays up, often in the 15-22 mph range, which is no friend to a sheltered spot like this. There’s a day on the 6th of September with a 3ft swell from the ESE, but the period is a pathetic 4 seconds and it’s cross-onshore – that’s just chop, not surf.

The second week doesn’t offer much relief. There’s a moment on Saturday the 12th of September where things nearly get interesting. The afternoon shows a 5ft swell from the east with a short 6-second period, giving us moderate energy at 174. The wind drops to a glassy 3 mph offshore, which is a major positive for clean conditions. But the wave comment is still "poor surf conditions," and the short period means it’s going to be a bit fat and rolly, not the kind of wave that’s easy to get into. It’s the best on offer, but that’s a low bar.

The rest of the second week is a mix of onshore wind and tiny, weak swell. The moderate energy pulses on the 14th and 15th of September are all cross-onshore from the SE, blowing straight into the beach and making it lumpy and choppy. For a sheltered spot that needs a clean SW swell, this is just frustrating. There’s simply no standout session here. For the experienced surfer, maybe the glassy afternoon on the 12th might be worth a paddle for a few small, clean ones, but for everyone else, it’s a time to fix your dings and wait for the next real groundswell.

Rusty.

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