Caerhays Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be real about this one – it’s going to be a long, flat wait.

We’re looking at a stretch of days where the ocean just isn’t going to give us a proper wave. The entire 16-day window is basically a write-off for decent surf. From the start of the forecast on Wednesday, July 29th, right through until the end on Thursday, August 13th, every single report is marked as “poor surf conditions.” That’s a solid run of nothing.

The water is weirdly warm, about 66°F, which is a solid 4°F above what we’d normally expect for this time of year. That’s a strange feeling, paddling around in a bath while the waves are just a flat, glassy nothing.

For the first few days, the swell is tiny – we’re talking 0.3ft waves with virtually no energy. The combined energy reading is in the single digits. That’s barely a ripple. The wind is mostly cross or cross-off, but it doesn’t matter because there’s nothing to ride.

We get a tiny blip on Monday, August 3rd, with a 2ft swell from the east, but the period is a shocking 3 seconds. That’s pure wind chop, not a wave you can paddle onto. The energy hits 16, but it’s still useless.

There’s a slight lift on the 4th of August, with a 2ft swell from the ESE and a combined energy of 54, but the period is still a short 7 seconds making it messy and cross-shore.

The cleanest conditions in the whole outlook actually come on the 5th of August, Wednesday morning, with a strong offshore NNW wind at 16 mph. But that 2ft swell at 6 seconds just doesn’t have the push to make it worthwhile. The energy is moderate at 40, but it’s a tease.

Later in the forecast, on the 11th, we get a fresh offshore wind from the NNW at 19 mph, but the swell is a pathetic 1ft. It’s clean, but there’s simply nothing to surf.

The closest we get to anything surfable is a 3ft swell on Thursday, August 13th, from the ESE with a 5-second period, and it’s getting hammered by a 19 mph cross-shore wind. The energy is 27, and the comment says “fresh cross-shore with lumpy cross-chop.” That’s a mess.

Honestly, this is a classic case of a long dry spell. For a spot like Caerhays that’s “inconsistent” at the best of times, this kind of flat run is more the norm than a surprise. There’s no standout session, no secret window to chase. The best advice is to wax the board, check the forecasts daily, and wait for the next system to breathe some life back into the ocean. Stay patient, crew.

Rusty.

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