The Knap Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Wales – South East, UK)

Forecast
- Hourly Forecast
- 12 Day Forecast
Maps
Live
Weather State
Spot Information

Photo by: kelvin

The Knap Surf Guide

The Knap in The Vale of Glamorgan is a very sheltered beach break. Autumn and winter are the optimum times of year for waves. The best wind direction is from the north northeast and there is no shelter here from cross shore breezes. Usually gets local windswells, but groundswells do happen and the ideal wave angle is from the southwest. The beach break provides left and right handers. Even when there are waves, it's not likley to be crowded. Water quality is rather poor here.

The Knap Spot Info

Type:	Rating:
Beach	1
Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
rarely breaks	52°F*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing The Knap:

The best conditions reported for surf at The Knap occur when a Southwest swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the North-northeast.

Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

12 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf The Knap (for consistent clean waves)?

januaryBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing The Knap with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of January. Clean surfable waves are typically found 0% of the time in January while 8% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 92% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

92%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore The Knap Location Map

Interactive The Knap surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to The Knap is Cardiff Airport (CWL) in Wales, 3 km (2 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to The Knap is Bristol Airport (BRS) in England, 40 km (25 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (ft)
Live Wind Speed (mph)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (ft)
Wind Speed (mph)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

The Knap Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

12 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Sunday, 27 April 2025, 11:20 Local Time

m, °C	Sunday 27
ft, °F	10AM	1PM	4PM	7PM
Wave (ft)	W	W	W	W
Period (s)	11	11	11	11
Wind (mph)
Wind State	glass	cross- on	cross	cross

What does The Knap look like?

Latest photos from The Knap. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: Nick Russill Credit: Nick Russill Credit: kitto Credit: kelvin Credit: kelvin

Tides at The Knap

Current tide and informaton

For Barry, Wales, 2 miles from The Knap.

Next High Water: 07:29pm | 39ft

Next Low Water: 01:18pm | 2ft

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

The Knap Sea Temperature

The water temperature (11.2 °C) at The Knap is quite cold. If the sun shines as forecast, it should feel warm enough to get away with a good sealed spring wetsuit but you won't overheat in a winter wetsuit, gloves boots and a hood. Effective windchill factor of (14.0 °C).

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit, a neoprene hood, gloves and boots.