SEA-CRAG RESEARCH PREVIEW

Dancing Ledge

Dorset · Limestone · Coast-scale guidance, not individual routes

Inputs retrieved 8 Oct 2026, 17:00 BST. Updated each morning and evening, scheduled for 07:00 and 17:00 UK time. Forecasts cover today and the next four days.

Raised sea-state signal

Waves and spray may affect lower rock and ledges. Higher modelled water around 07:00 and 19:00 coincides with a raised sea-state signal. Check official tide times.

Saturday 10 October · 08:00 to 18:27 local time

From 08:00 or sunrise, whichever is later, until sunset. Tide-related turns below cover the full calendar day.

Offshore waves

1.3 to 1.4 m

Significant wave height, not the largest individual wave.

Swell

0.4 to 0.8 m

Period 5 to 5.7 seconds. Longer-period swell can matter even in light wind.

Coastal wind

13 to 16.1 mph

Gusts 21.9 to 28.5 mph. Model 10 m open-ground wind, not face or belay wind.

Rain and temperature

0.1 mm

11.9 to 13.9°C. Rain covers source hours overlapping the daytime window.

Coast and spray

Spray possible

  • A notable offshore sea state is forecast.
  • The offshore direction is oblique or away from the coast, but local wave shelter is not established.
  • Swell approaches the broad coast-facing direction.

Broad southerly coast exposure for testing. Quarry walls, caves and ledges have differing local aspects, which are not surveyed here.

Spray is an uncalibrated indication, not a probability or a height prediction. A lee wind does not establish shelter from swell.

Predicted astronomical tides

Calculated every five minutes from harmonic constants fitted to the nearby tide gauge's measured record. Some locations can have genuine secondary highs and lows.

  • High tide00:11
  • Low tide03:33
  • High tide08:51
  • Low tide11:30
  • High tide12:39
  • Low tide15:53
  • High tide21:01

Swanage Pier tide gauge, about 4 km from the crag. Dancing Ledge access height is not calibrated to the gauge datum. Times are predictions, not observations at the crag. Heights are deliberately omitted because they are not tied to a climbing ledge or chart datum here.

Total water-level model

Approximate peaks and dips in total sea level, including tide and weather effects. Source resolution is hourly, not a guarantee of timing accuracy.

  • Model level dipAbout 02:00
  • Model level peakAbout 07:00
  • Model level dipAbout 15:00
  • Model level peakAbout 19:00 to 20:00

The total-water heights use mean sea level, not chart datum. Do not compare them directly with guidebook tidal-access heights.

Different parts of the crag

Lower ledge and sea-level rock

The lower ledge and caves are distinct from the upper quarry. No tidal access or deep-water-soloing assessment is provided.

Upper quarry

Treat the upper quarry separately from sea-level rock. This pilot does not estimate how high spray reaches or confirm access.

How conditions change through the day

Directions show where wind and waves approach from, relative to the provisional broad coast aspect, not a surveyed climbing face.

Local time. Water heights are relative to mean sea level (MSL).
TimeModel waterWavesSwellWind
08:000.8 m MSL
Falling
1.4 m
Along coast
0.8 m, 5.7 s
Towards coast
15.9 mph
Along coast
09:000.3 m MSL
Falling
1.4 m
Along coast
0.8 m, 5.6 s
Towards coast
14.8 mph
Along coast
10:00-0.3 m MSL
Falling
1.3 m
Along coast
0.7 m, 5.4 s
Towards coast
13.6 mph
Along coast
11:00-0.7 m MSL
Falling
1.3 m
Along coast
0.6 m, 5.3 s
Towards coast
15.4 mph
Along coast
12:00-0.8 m MSL
Falling
1.3 m
Along coast
0.5 m, 5.1 s
Towards coast
15.9 mph
Along coast
13:00-1 m MSL
Falling
1.3 m
Along coast
0.4 m, 5 s
Towards coast
13 mph
Along coast
14:00-1.2 m MSL
Falling
1.4 m
Along coast
0.4 m, 5 s
Towards coast
16.1 mph
Along coast
15:00-1.3 m MSL
Rising
1.4 m
Along coast
0.4 m, 5.1 s
Towards coast
15.7 mph
Along coast
16:00-0.8 m MSL
Rising
1.4 m
Along coast
0.4 m, 5.1 s
Towards coast
15.2 mph
Along coast
17:00-0.1 m MSL
Rising
1.4 m
Along coast
0.5 m, 5.2 s
Towards coast
14.3 mph
Along coast
18:000.5 m MSL
Rising
1.4 m
Along coast
0.6 m, 5.2 s
Towards coast
13 mph
Along coast
How this preview works and what is missing

Astronomical tides use 50 harmonic constituents from TICON-4, fitted to many years of measured tide-gauge data. The Moon and Sun are represented through these astronomical constituents, while local coastal shape is learned from the gauge record. Wind and pressure are not added to that curve.

Separately, we combine Open-Meteo waves, swell and total sea-level forecasts with local weather and a provisional coast-facing direction. Larger waves, longer periods and waves approaching the coast strengthen the sea-state signal. Onshore wind strengthens the spray signal. These are transparent research rules, not calibrated predictions of wave reach.

We do not add swell to total wave height because total waves already include swell. We also keep the astronomical tide and weather-affected total-water model separate to avoid counting surge twice.

  • Offshore model guidance, not conditions at a particular ledge. Individual waves can exceed the quoted significant height. Check official tide tables, route access and the sea on arrival; no safe-access window is calculated.
  • Spray signals are provisional rules, not calibrated probabilities or spray-height predictions.
  • The pilot does not resolve bathymetry, wave refraction, reflected waves, surge residuals separately or salt deposits on holds.
  • A sheltered wind direction does not establish shelter from swell. Offshore direction never establishes safe access.

No climbing score, safe-access interval or notification is produced. These crags are excluded from live rankings. Rock type is descriptive here; salt, seepage and drying are not yet modelled for this pilot.

Returned marine grid centre: 50.5, -2. Small coves, headlands and ledges are not resolved.

Inspect the research JSON contract