Caerhays Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here.

Well, I’ll be honest with you—it’s a pretty flat stretch coming up for Caerhays. The next couple of weeks are looking mighty lean, with almost nothing surfable on the horizon. You’re looking at a solid run of poor surf conditions, with the swell struggling to get above 1ft on most days.

The first week is a real struggle. From Friday the 14th right through to the 26th of August, we’ve got no surf on offer at all. Swell heights are mostly below 0.6ft, and when there is a little pulse, it’s let down by the direction or just too weak to do anything. The wave energy is weak, with values in the low teens and twenties for most of that period. There are a couple of mornings with glassy conditions, like the 22nd with a light easterly, but with 0.3ft on the face, it’s not worth getting wet for.

Now, there is a glimmer of something at the very tail end of the window. Keep your eyes on Friday the 28th of August. The models are showing a strong pulse of south-west groundswell starting to roll in. By the morning we’re looking at 6ft of swell from the south-west, with a solid 13-second period. That’s a proper groundswell, the kind that gets the heart pumping. The wrap is coming from the optimum SSW direction for Caerhays, so it should have some push. The combined energy leaps to 1092, which is a very strong signal. The wind is cross-off from the north-east at 22 mph, which will be blowing right across the face, keeping it clean but with a bit of texture. This is the standout of the window.

It builds a touch more into the afternoon, with 7ft and the energy hitting 1438, but the wind jumps to a strong 28 mph. At that size, with that wind, it could get a bit wild, and it’ll be one for the experienced crew only. It’s over 5ft, so definitely not for the beginners.

Saturday the 29th still has some pretty solid waves – 3ft in the morning with a fresh offshore north wind, and then 4ft in the afternoon as it eases. The period drops slightly to 11-12 seconds, but the energy is still moderate at 351-423. It’s nothing like Friday’s peak, but it would still be a fun, clean option.

So, for the long-range outlook, that Friday the 28th is the one to circle on the calendar. It’s a long way out, so I’d say it’s promising, but we’ll have to see how it firms up. The water temp at the start of the spell is 66°, which is about 3° warmer than average for this time of year – that’s a touch warmer than normal, so the rubber might not be as thick.

It’s been a lean couple of weeks, but that last swell is worth waiting for.

Rusty

Read more