Caerhays Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for the next couple weeks.

Honestly, it’s a rough stretch ahead. The surf is tiny, the wind is mostly messy, and there’s not a single session I’d get excited about paddling out for. We’ve got a solid gap of poor conditions right from the start, all the way through to the very end of the month. The only real spike in energy doesn’t come with decent winds, so it’s a frustrating wait.

We kick off Tuesday the 18th of August with some tiny 1ft SW swell, but a moderate cross-off breeze has it looking pretty average. Wednesday and Thursday stay small, with periods around 6–7 seconds and the same messy wind. The combined energy is weak, sitting around 10–30 for most of that time. Friday the 21st offers a bit of a reprieve with a light offshore wind from the N, but the swell is barely there at less than 1ft and 8-second period, so it’s a glassy lake more than anything.

Saturday the 22nd has a brief moment of calm, with a glassy morning and a less than 1ft SSW groundswell, but the energy is basically nothing. Sunday and Monday have some offshore or glassy moments, but again, the swell is next to zero.

The real shift comes later. By Friday the 28th of August, we finally see a jump in swell: 4ft from the S, with a moderate cross-shore wind. The combined energy hits 111, which is a moderate pulse, but the wind is cross and lumpy, so it won’t be clean. Saturday the 29th has some light rain and onshore wind, with 3ft swell and energy up to 127, but the wind is straight onshore from the SSE at 18 mph – that’s a messy, choppy mess. The biggest event is Monday the 31st of August, when a 6ft SSW swell arrives with strong energy (443), but the wind is onshore and the conditions are poor. That’s a solid, powerful swell but only for experienced surfers if you can find a sheltered bank, and with the onshore wind, it’s going to be blown out. It might actually be more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing that afternoon.

Into September, Tuesday the 1st has 3ft and moderate cross-onshore winds, and Wednesday the 2nd sees a little 3ft with a clean cross-off breeze from the NW, but the energy is weak. Still, nothing stands out as a true go.

Best of a bad bunch: The only window that holds any real promise is the afternoon of Monday the 31st of August. That 6ft SSW swell with strong energy (443) is the biggest of the period, but the onshore wind is a killer. If the wind eases, it could offer a few powerful, lumpy waves for experts only. Otherwise, it’s a frustrating 16 days with nothing to write home about.

Rusty.

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