Surf Forecasts:
Falmouth - Swanpool surf forecast from 20 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 26 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 8s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 26 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 8s period, SW swell with 567 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 26 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 8s period with SSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Falmouth - Swanpool this week:
The surf forecast for Falmouth - Swanpool over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 8s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Falmouth - Swanpool in the next 16 days are 2.0m 8s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.0m 9s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 20) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Wed 26th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Wed 26th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Wed 26th Aug) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Falmouth - Swanpool over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's be straight with you – the next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for a proper surf. I've scanned the charts for our stretch of coast, mainly looking at Falmouth - Swanpool, and honestly, there's nothing that's going to get the heart racing. We're staring down a long, flat spell.
Looking at the big picture, we have a solid run of nothing but tiny, short-period swell for the next week or more. The first real sign of any size doesn't even show up until Monday the 24th, and even then, it's a mess. We're talking about a bump of energy, but it's all windswell, chopped up and coming from the wrong direction. The water's still mild for late August, right about average for the time of year, but that's about the only thing that's normal.
For the first stretch, from now through the weekend, forget it. We've got ankle-biters. The swell is hovering around 0.7 ft with a long period of 13 to 15 seconds, but that's not a good thing here. There's just no power behind it at all, with the combined swell energy down in the weak zone, barely registering above 20 or 30. The wind is mostly offshore or cross-offshore, which would be great if there were waves to clean up. There just aren't.
Then we hit Monday the 24th. The swell finally pushes up, but it's ugly. The morning sees 6 ft of short-period, 6-second windswell from the east, and the energy climbs to 245 – moderate but rough. The wind is howling onshore at 22 mph, so it's lumpy and unrideable. By the afternoon, it gets worse: 8 ft of 7-second slop, energy up to 531, and a strong 28 mph cross-onshore wind. That's a full-blown mess, more for the kite surfers than anyone with a paddle.
The rest of that week is more of the same – poor conditions. A quick spike on Wednesday the 26th brings some size again, around 7 ft, but it’s onshore and lumpy, with energy up at 568. Not for the faint of heart and definitely not for beginners.
We get a little respite towards the end of the week, but the size drops right back off. By Friday the 28th, we're back down to small, weak waves before bottoming out completely. The final weekend of August and the start of September look completely flat. The gap between any kind of rideable swell is huge – we're talking well over a week of nothing.
There is one thing on the far horizon. On Monday the 31st, there's a whisper of a very long-period groundswell showing up on the charts, but it's tiny, 0.3 ft. And it stays that way. The energy is almost nonexistent. It's a promise of something, maybe, but it’s a long way out and I wouldn't bank on it. We'll have to see if it fills in, but as of now, that’s a pipe dream. The long-range outlook is promising in that it's not just flat, but it's so small it's worthless.
Bottom line: there is nothing on the cards worth getting wet for. The first week is a total blank, and the second week doesn't offer any real hope. Don't bother checking the cam. This is a classic summer flat spell for us. Go do something else, because the surf is a no-go.
Later, Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Fri morning. Very mild (max 18°C on Thu morning, min 14°C on Thu night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Tue afternoon. Very mild (max 19°C on Sun afternoon, min 16°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (light winds from the ENE on Sun afternoon, strong winds from the E by Mon night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | ESE 5 | SW 9 | ESE 6 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | SW 8 | SSW 8 | SSW 7 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
21 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 24 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 39 | 24 | 215 | 502 | 306 | 107 | 54 | 67 | 567 | 348 | 84 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 11:15AM4.13m | 11:46PM3.99m | 12:20PM3.93m | 00:55AM3.75m | 1:34PM3.84m | 2:10AM3.66m | 2:46PM3.90m | 3:18AM3.74m | 3:48PM4.07m | 4:15AM3.93m | 4:39PM4.30m | 5:01AM4.18m | 5:20PM4.55m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:09AM1.70m | 5:29PM1.85m | 5:52AM2.03m | 6:26PM2.18m | 6:56AM2.28m | 8:10PM2.35m | 8:49AM2.33m | 9:53PM2.21m | 10:10AM2.12m | 10:48PM1.93m | 10:58AM1.82m | 11:27PM1.63m | 11:36AM1.51m | 00:00AM1.33m | |||||||
6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | |
— | 8:30 | — | — | 8:28 | — | — | 8:25 | — | — | 8:23 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:20 | — | — | 8:17 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 4 | 2 | 5 | 2 | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 17 |
Feels °C | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | W 9 | W 10 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | SSW 14 | WSW 10 | SW 9 | SW 9 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 8 | E 6 | SSW 9 | W 13 | SSW 8 | W 11 |
21 | 680 | 464 | 180 | 108 | 66 | 65 | 40 | 24 | 19 | 20 | 22 | 13 | 17 | 17 | 10 | 36 | 67 | 3 | 348 | 375 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | WNW 6 | SSW 15 | W 9 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SW 9 | SW 8 | WNW 10 | SSW 9 | W 9 | W 13 | W 8 | SSW 7 |
— | 20 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 24 | 21 | 8 | 21 | 13 | 38 | 19 | 17 | 12 | 11 | 20 | 54 | 44 | 3 | 103 | 84 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SSW 15 | W 7 | NW 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 9 | W 9 | W 12 | SSW 11 | WNW 10 | E 5 | E 5 | W 12 | SW 12 |
— | — | — | 10 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 21 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 33 | 5 | 1 | 25 | 6 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | — | N 3 | NNE 3 | NNW 3 | — | — | E 3 | E 4 | E 4 | ESE 5 | ESE 5 | ESE 6 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | — | SW 5 | SW 8 | — | — |
649 | — | 1 | 4 | 6 | — | — | 4 | 10 | 17 | 39 | 24 | 215 | 502 | 306 | 107 | — | 62 | 567 | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 532 | 190 | 18 | 73 | 219 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 19 | 341 | 191 | 172 | 237 | 23 | 20 | 189 | 26 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in South Cornwall | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Falmouth - Swanpool Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Falmouth - Swanpool provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Falmouth - Swanpool can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Falmouth - Swanpool 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 (Falmouth - Swanpool) 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 Falmouth - Swanpool 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.
Are you planning a holiday in South Cornwall? If you are looking for accommodation near Falmouth - Swanpool, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in South Cornwall, consider staying in Falmouth which is 1 km (1 miles) away. Other places in and around South Cornwall where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Penryn which is 2 km (1 miles) away, Truro, Camborne and The Lizard.











