Caerhays Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for our local patch. I gotta be straight with you – it’s a tough outlook. We’re staring down a long, flat spell with next to nothing for the first several days and only a few opportunities that might just be worth a look later on.

We kick off on Tuesday the 7th of July and it’s pretty dismal. The swell is a tiny 0.3 ft with a long period from the south, but the energy reading is just 5 – that’s weak. Winds are cross-off from the northwest but there’s simply no wave to work with. This flat, clean theme carries right through Wednesday and Thursday with the swell barely registering.

By Friday the 10th, we do see a little bump – the swell climbs to 1 ft from the ESE. The period is a short 4 seconds though, and the combined energy is only 9, so it’s weak. The wind goes cross-shore from the east, but it’s still not enough to get excited about. Friday afternoon gets a touch bigger at 3 ft, but the east wind picks up to 20 km/h, making conditions a bit bumpy. Saturday the 11th keeps the 3 ft ESE swell with that energy just creeping into the 40s and 50s, but with cross and cross-on winds, the quality isn’t there.

Sunday the 12th is where things start to change, but only for the more experienced crew. The swell hits 5 ft from the ESE with a period of 7 seconds and the energy jumps to 290 (moderate). Here’s the problem: the wind is a fresh 30 km/h cross-shore from the east, making it lumpy and messy. This is more of a kite surfing situation than a clean paddle session.

The real standout, if we can call it that, arrives on Monday the 13th of July. The swell peaks at 7 ft from the ESE, period 8 seconds, and the combined energy hits 558 – that’s strong. This is size for experienced surfers only. The wind though, is a near gale from the east at 50 km/h, creating a total mess. This is what the data tells us: poor surf conditions.

Tuesday the 14th and Wednesday the 15th still have some size, around 5 ft to 6 ft, but the wind stays strong and messy, keeping the quality poor. By the end of the week, from Thursday the 16th onward, the swell fades back down to under 3 ft, and a couple of days into the second week we see new south swells, but all under 0.7 ft with very weak energy. It peters out again.

For the first break on the list, Caerhays, the water is sitting at 63°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year – a small comfort while you wait for waves.

Look, if you’re desperate, the best on offer in this whole stretch is probably Caerhays on Saturday the 12th or Monday the 13th of July. But don’t get your hopes up. The swell direction is ESE, which is not optimal for this spot (it prefers a SSW), and the wind is howling. It’s inconsistent here to begin with, and this run shows that clearly. Honestly, this is a big gap of very marginal surf. It tends not to stay this poor forever, but right now, there’s not much to chase.

Rusty.

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