
Surf Forecasts:
Caerhays surf forecast from 7 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 12 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 7s period, ESE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 11 Aug, 7PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 5s period, ESE swell with 78 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 12 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 7s period with ESE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Caerhays this week:
The surf forecast for Caerhays over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 12) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 11s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Caerhays in the next 16 days are 1.2m 5s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 11) at 7PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 7s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 12) at 1PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Wed 12th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Wed 12th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 7PM (Tue 11th Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 5s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Caerhays over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Gap at the start, folks. We’re talking four days of nothing but flat, ankle-high slop through the 10th. Clean but useless.
The first real pulse of energy shows up on Tuesday, August 11th. It’s a short-period, cross-shore wind swell from the ESE. It’s lumpy and cross-chop, and while the size bumps up to around 3ft, the quality is poor. The energy is weak, and it just won’t have any push. It’s messy, choppy, and not worth your time. The wind stays cross-shore on Wednesday, with a similar story, though the swell drops off.
From Thursday, August 13th, things clean right up. We get a shift to a cross-offshore wind from the NW, and the sea glasses off. But the swell drops back to under a foot. It’s clean, but it’s tiny.
The next bump comes on Tuesday, August 18th. Swell height climbs back to around 3ft, with a longer period from the SSW. But again, it’s cross-shore and a bit lumpy. Energy is still pretty weak. Cleaner conditions return by Wednesday, but the size fades again.
Now, for the real standout. It’s the Friday, August 21st pulse. We’ve got a sharp jump in energy, from moderate up to strong by the afternoon. The swell comes up from the SSW, hitting 8ft. This is proper size, but here’s the catch – the wind is howling from the SW at 25 mph, and it’s cross-onshore. The surf will be lumpy, messy, and hard to handle. This is a big, raw, windy swell. For Caerhays, a fairly exposed beach and reef setup, this is looking more like a kite-surfing day than a paddle-surfing day. The water’s also going to be churned up.
Honestly, with the first week mostly flat and the only real size arriving with strong onshore winds, it’s a bleak forecast. Caerhays is inconsistent at the best of times, and with the lack of any quality swell and poor wind alignment for the opener, a blank run like this is more normal for the area than a rare event. The longer period swells we see early on are too small, and the bigger one is too windy. Keep your board in the car, but don’t hold your breath.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Sun morning, min 15°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Mon morning, min 17°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (calm on Mon afternoon, fresh winds from the ESE by Tue morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 15 | S 12 | S 12 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 8 | S 13 | S 13 | ESE 4 | ESE 5 | ESE 6 | ESE 7 | WSW 10 | WSW 9 | WSW 8 | WSW 8 | WSW 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
4 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 24 | 73 | 45 | 42 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 10 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 12:04PM3.78m | 00:40AM3.74m | 1:23PM3.72m | 2:02AM3.68m | 2:42PM3.82m | 3:20AM3.79m | 3:54PM4.05m | 4:29AM3.99m | 4:56PM4.35m | 5:27AM4.23m | 5:49PM4.64m | 6:17AM4.43m | 6:36PM4.84m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:09AM0.96m | 6:43PM1.13m | 7:23AM1.17m | 8:10PM1.21m | 8:52AM1.15m | 9:38PM1.01m | 10:10AM0.89m | 10:47PM0.63m | 11:10AM0.52m | 11:41PM0.22m | 12:01PM0.17m | 00:29AM-0.11m | 12:46PM-0.08m | 1:13AM-0.31m | |||||||
5:54 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | |
— | 8:52 | — | — | 8:52 | — | — | 8:50 | — | — | 8:47 | — | — | 8:45 | — | — | 8:45 | — | — | 8:43 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 19 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 18 | 24 | 23 | 18 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 19 | 24 | 24 | 19 |
Feels °C | 16 | 18 | 14 | 15 | 18 | 17 | 22 | 19 | 17 | 22 | 23 | 20 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 22 | 18 | 24 | 23 | 19 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 5 | S 12 | S 12 | S 13 | W 6 | SE 4 | ESE 4 | ESE 4 | SW 6 | SW 6 | SW 7 | SW 7 | SW 6 | SW 6 | ESE 6 | ESE 7 | ESE 6 | WSW 9 | WSW 8 | WSW 8 | WSW 10 |
1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 45 | 42 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 10 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 12 | W 5 | — | — | S 13 | W 7 | SW 6 | SW 6 | — | S 8 | S 13 | — | W 10 | — | SW 11 | WSW 10 | WSW 10 | E 5 | — | SW 11 | — |
3 | 1 | — | — | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | 1 | 3 | — | 2 | — | 5 | 10 | 9 | 1 | — | 5 | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 15 | SW 12 | W 5 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | — | W 11 | S 13 | S 11 | S 11 | W 6 | S 12 | S 12 | — | E 5 | — | — |
4 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | — | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | — | 2 | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | ESE 3 | SE 3 | — | — | — | NNW 2 | — | — | — | ESE 4 | ESE 5 | ESE 4 | — | NW 3 | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 24 | 73 | 8 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 428 | 418 | 211 | 188 | 62 | 41 | 41 | 62 | 41 | 41 | 41 | 41 | 414 | 180 | 25 | 25 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 37 | 37 |
Best forecast wave conditions in South Cornwall | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Caerhays Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Caerhays provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Caerhays can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Caerhays surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Caerhays) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Caerhays may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Caerhays is 13 km (8 miles) from Saint Austell. If you plan a holiday in South Cornwall, look for hotels and other accommodation in Saint Austell. Saint Austell has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











