Conditions guidance only. Cliffs are dangerous — never dig in or stand near them.
Check tide times locally and tell someone where you're going.
Safety page
Leave beach by5:14pmthe tide will cut off your route back
Safe window2:14pm – 5:14pm
Weather19° · overcast · 2mm rain
Tide nowFalling ↓ until 4:14pm
Low tide4:14pm (1.3 m)
Wind & sea38 km/h · 1.5 m waves
Daylight5:54am – 8:36pm
Big tide today (spring tide) — more beach exposed, but it comes back in fast.
Why: A recent south-westerly blow should have brought fresh cliff material onto the beach. An early-autumn blow like this restocks beaches after the quiet summer. A big 1.3 m low tide falls mid-afternoon.
Today's tide at Southerndown / Dunraven Bay — heights in metres above chart datum. Guidance only: check the official tide table locally.
Leave the beach by 5:14pm — the tide will cut off your route back.
Big tide today (spring tide) — more beach exposed, but it comes back in fast.
Why: A recent south-westerly blow should have brought fresh cliff material onto the beach. An early-autumn blow like this restocks beaches after the quiet summer. A big 1.3 m low tide falls mid-afternoon.
19° · overcast · 2mm rain · Low tide: 4:14pm (1.3 m) · Wind up to 38 km/h · Waves 1.5 m
Thursday 3 September
Fair
Safe window: 2:55pm – 5:55pm
Leave the beach by 5:55pm — the tide will cut off your route back.
Why: A recent south-westerly blow should have brought fresh cliff material onto the beach. An early-autumn blow like this restocks beaches after the quiet summer. Low tide falls mid-afternoon, though it is not an especially big one.
20° · overcast · Low tide: 4:35am (1.5 m), 4:55pm (1.9 m) · Wind up to 35 km/h · Waves 1.5 m
Friday 4 September
Not safe
No safe daylight window
Why: Winds gusting around 77 km/h forecast — not a day to be under cliffs.
20° · overcast · Low tide: 5:19am (2.1 m), 5:46pm (2.6 m) · Wind up to 47 km/h · Waves 2.3 m
Saturday 5 September
Good day to hunt
Safe window: 6:00am – 7:16am
Leave the beach by 7:16am — the tide will cut off your route back.
Why: A recent south-westerly blow should have brought fresh cliff material onto the beach. An early-autumn blow like this restocks beaches after the quiet summer. Low tide falls first thing, though it is not an especially big one.
18° · mostly clear · Low tide: 6:16am (2.8 m), 6:57pm (3.2 m) · Wind up to 12 km/h · Waves 1.2 m
Sunday 6 September
Good day to hunt
Safe window: 6:01am – 8:41am
Leave the beach by 8:41am — the tide will cut off your route back.
Why: A recent south-westerly blow should have brought fresh cliff material onto the beach. An early-autumn blow like this restocks beaches after the quiet summer. Low tide falls first thing, though it is not an especially big one.
23° · mostly clear · 2mm rain · Low tide: 7:41am (3.4 m), 8:44pm (3.5 m) · Wind up to 23 km/h · Waves 0.9 m
Monday 7 September
Fair
Safe window: 7:34am – 10:34am
Leave the beach by 10:34am — the tide will cut off your route back.
Why: A recent south-westerly blow should have brought fresh cliff material onto the beach. An early-autumn blow like this restocks beaches after the quiet summer. Low tide falls mid-morning, though it is not an especially big one.
19° · overcast · Low tide: 9:34am (3.4 m), 10:29pm (3.1 m) · Wind up to 26 km/h · Waves 1.0 m
Tuesday 8 September
Not safe
No safe daylight window
Why: Rough seas with big waves forecast — stay off the beach today.
18° · drizzle · 17mm rain · Low tide: 11:02am (2.9 m), 11:37pm (2.4 m) · Wind up to 43 km/h · Waves 4.1 m
Where to look
Search the rock pools and loose slabs across Dunraven Bay at low water — Gryphaea oysters lie loose in the gravel and ammonite sections show on the wave-cut platform. After winter storms the fresh block falls (viewed from a distance) feed the beach for weeks.
What fossils look like here
Ammonite impressions here can be dinner-plate size, showing as coiled ridges on fallen grey-blue slabs. 'Devil's toenails' (Gryphaea) are thick, curved oyster shells lying loose in the gravel. Free identification: photograph your find for the enquiry service at Amgueddfa Cymru — National Museum Cardiff.
Fossil Forecast