Cable Bay (Porth Trecastell) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, I'm Rusty. Let's be straight with you about Cable Bay (Porth Trecastell) – it's a bit of a tough stretch ahead. The 16-day window is almost entirely dominated by "poor surf conditions" and the data makes it clear: there's hardly a session worth paddling out for. The water temperature is sitting at 64°F right now, which is 4°F warmer than usual for this time of year – that's much warmer than normal, so you might not need a thick wetsuit, but the waves just aren't showing up.

The first whole week is a write-off. From Wednesday the 26th of August right through to early September, every single window is a dud. Swell heights are tiny, often under 2 ft, and the combined wave energy is weak, like 19 (weak energy) or 13 (weak energy). Wind is a mess too – cross-off or onshore – and the wave comment is "poor surf conditions" across the board. There's a tiny glimmer of offshore wind on Thursday the 27th afternoon, but with only 0.7 ft swell and 7 seconds period, it's not worth the paddle.

The second week stays grim. Around Saturday the 5th of September, we see a bit more height – 4 ft to 5 ft – but the wind is onshore or cross-off, and the energy is still moderate at best (94 for the morning, 150 for the 6th morning). The 6th of September Sunday morning at least gets a "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions" tag with a 5 ft WNW swell at 6 seconds, cross-off wind from the SE at 15 km/h, and 150 (moderate energy). That's the first real chance, but it's far from epic.

And then the real standout, if you can call it that, appears on Thursday the 10th of September. The morning sees 6 ft swell from the SW at 6 seconds, winds from the N at 10 km/h (cross-off, clean), and 293 (moderate energy). The afternoon is even better: 8 ft swell from the SW at 7 seconds, NNW wind at 10 km/h (cross-off, glassy), and 606 (strong energy). The wave comment says "expect very good surf conditions." That's the one. This is a proper groundswell (7 seconds is still short, but it's better than the 5-6 seconds we've had), and the energy is solid. The optimum swell direction for Cable Bay is SW, so this is perfectly lined up. The water temperature anomaly is still much warmer than normal, so you'll be comfortable. The break is "fairly consistent" and exposed to SW swell, so it should handle this. The wind is light and offshore, which means clean, glassy conditions. This is a decent session, but remember it's a long-range call – promising but not locked in.

If you're a beginner, the 8 ft is getting a bit big, but it's manageable. The 6 ft morning is better for intermediates. The crowd situation at Cable Bay is "sometimes," so you might have company, but it's not a zoo.

To be honest, the first 9 days are a total blank. There's a gap from Wednesday the 26th of August all the way to Saturday the 6th of September with virtually no surfable options. Then the 6th is ordinary, and the 10th is the only real standout. If you're desperate, the 6th morning might give you a paddle, but don't expect much.

Rusty.

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