SEA-CRAG RESEARCH PREVIEW

Three Cliffs Bay

Gower · 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 coincides with a raised sea-state signal. Check official tide times.

Monday 12 October · 08:00 to 18:30 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 1.6 m

Significant wave height, not the largest individual wave.

Swell

0.8 to 1.5 m

Period 7.5 to 9.3 seconds. Longer-period swell can matter even in light wind.

Coastal wind

9.8 to 13 mph

Gusts 17.7 to 23.5 mph. Model 10 m open-ground wind, not face or belay wind.

Rain and temperature

13.8 mm

14 to 17.3°C. Rain covers source hours overlapping the daytime window.

Coast and spray

Stronger spray signal

  • A notable offshore sea state is forecast.
  • Onshore wind may carry spray inland.
  • The offshore direction is oblique or away from the coast, but local wave shelter is not established.
  • Waves approach the broad coast-facing direction.

Broad southerly bay exposure inferred from the representative location. The four crags have differing faces; route-level wind shelter and wave protection are unresolved.

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.

  • Low tide01:43
  • High tide07:57
  • Low tide13:58
  • High tide20:14

Mumbles reference gauge, about 9 km east. Local beach flooding and escape routes are not calibrated to this gauge; check official local tide tables. 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 01:00
  • Model level peakAbout 07:00
  • Model level dipAbout 13:00
  • Model level peakAbout 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

Beach approaches and starts

Tides can cut off beach approaches. This preview does not calculate how long a route or escape remains accessible.

Upper rock and top-outs

An upper stance does not establish a safe return across the beach. Check the full approach and retreat independently.

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
08:003.7 m MSL
Falling
1.3 m
Towards coast
0.8 m, 9.3 s
Along coast
12.8 mph
Towards coast
09:002.4 m MSL
Falling
1.4 m
Towards coast
1.1 m, 8.3 s
Along coast
13 mph
Towards coast
10:000.4 m MSL
Falling
1.5 m
Towards coast
1.3 m, 7.6 s
Along coast
13 mph
Towards coast
11:00-1.6 m MSL
Falling
1.5 m
Towards coast
1.3 m, 7.5 s
Along coast
12.5 mph
Towards coast
12:00-3.1 m MSL
Falling
1.5 m
Along coast
1.4 m, 7.7 s
Along coast
12.1 mph
Towards coast
13:00-3.9 m MSL
Falling
1.6 m
Along coast
1.5 m, 7.8 s
Along coast
11.6 mph
Towards coast
14:00-3.8 m MSL
Rising
1.6 m
Along coast
1.5 m, 7.9 s
Along coast
11.4 mph
Towards coast
15:00-2.9 m MSL
Rising
1.6 m
Along coast
1.5 m, 8 s
Along coast
11.4 mph
Towards coast
16:00-1.4 m MSL
Rising
1.6 m
Along coast
1.5 m, 8.1 s
Along coast
11.2 mph
Towards coast
17:000.6 m MSL
Rising
1.6 m
Along coast
1.5 m, 8 s
Along coast
10.5 mph
Towards coast
18:002.4 m MSL
Rising
1.6 m
Along coast
1.5 m, 7.8 s
Along coast
9.8 mph
Towards 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: 51.5, -4.1. Small coves, headlands and ledges are not resolved.

Inspect the research JSON contract