Cable Bay (Porth Trecastell) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for Cable Bay (Porth Trecastell). I’ll be straight with you—this is a tough stretch. The next week and a half is a write-off for any decent paddle surfing. We’ve got a long, dry spell from now until the 6th of August.

From Wednesday the 29th of July right through to the 6th of August, the swell is tiny, the period is short, and the wind is all over the shop. The combined swell energy is weak, barely cracking 30 or 40 (29 on the 29th, 16 on the 30th, 11 on the 31st, and so on). It’s just not happening. The water temperature is sitting at 62°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s small comfort when you’re looking at flat, choppy seas.

Then we get a flicker of hope. On the 7th of August, the swell fires up. The Friday morning shows a solid 10 ft swell from the SW with a period of 8 seconds and a massive combined energy of 1082. That’s a lot of water moving. But here’s the heartbreaker: the wind is a moderate cross-onshore at 12 mph, and the wave comment says it’s predicted to be too big for this break. For a spot like Cable Bay, an exposed SW-facing bay, that much swell with a cross-onshore wind is going to be a messy, thumping closeout. It’s not for the faint-hearted—10 ft is expert territory. The Friday afternoon drops to 6 ft, but the wind is lighter, and the energy is still hefty at 413. Things get a bit cleaner on Saturday the 8th of August, with 4 ft dropping to 4 ft, and the wind goes glassy in the afternoon. The energy sits at 188 and 164, so there’s some push. Still, the wave comment calls it marginal or just ordinary. The SW swell direction is what this break is exposed to, so the setup is right, but the quality is lacking.

If I had to pick a standout, it’s that Saturday afternoon, the 8th of August. Glassy conditions, 4 ft of SW swell at 8 seconds. It’s not going to be epic, but it’s the cleanest window we get. The crowds are listed as “sometimes,” so you might have company, but it won’t be a circus. For the rest of the run, from the 9th onward, it drops back to tiny, weak swells and clean but flat conditions. A couple of days in the second week, like the 11th and 12th, have clean cross-offshore winds and 3 ft to 4 ft swell, but the energy is still low (79 to 98), and the period is short at 5 seconds. It’s small, weak, and not worth the drive.

So, bottom line: there’s a fleeting window on the 7th and 8th of August, but the 7th is too big and messy, and the 8th is your best bet for a few glassy, manageable waves. The rest is a long, flat slog. Don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

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