Falmouth - Swanpool Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it. We’ve got a strange one on our hands for the next couple of weeks. I’ll be honest with you, the surf forecast is looking pretty grim for the most part. We’ve got a 16-day window, but the opening days are a complete washout for riding waves. It’s a tough stretch, but there might be a couple of windows where things line up, especially if you’re willing to wait.

Right out of the gate, for the 26th, don’t even bother. We’ve got tiny, weak swell at 1ft and a moderate onshore breeze. It’s flat, choppy, and just not worth getting wet for. The 27th is a little better but still poor, with some cross-shore wind and only about 2-3ft of weak, short-period swell. Just a messy, frustrating couple of days.

We do get our first significant pulse of energy on the 28th, with the swell jumping to 7ft, but it's short-period and the wind is howling. Despite the clean look, the surf quality is still rated as poor. It’s a stormy, jumbled mess, not the clean lines you want to see.

The 29th is when things get serious. The swell stacks up to a thumping 12ft in the afternoon with a strong energy reading (2019). But, hold on, this is a 9-second period and the wind is blowing near-gale force. For a beginner spot like Falmouth - Swanpool, this is way too big and dangerous. This is for experienced watermen only, and even then, it’s going to be a battle. It’s a wall of whitewater, not a surfable wave.

After that, the swell backs off but the wind stays messy. The 30th and 31st are a mix of cleaner conditions but mushy, inconsistent swell, with the forecast still calling it poor. The 31st morning is a bit interesting with 8ft and a 9-second period, but the conditions are still marginal. The morning of the 1st of September is also marginal, but nothing that would get you excited.

Then we hit a proper flat spell. From the 1st of September in the afternoon, through the 6th, it’s tiny, with swell dropping to 0.3ft and 0.7ft. The period is long, but there’s just no energy in the water. This is a dead stretch, a real lull, and for a few days there, there isn't a single thing to surf. This is the kind of blank run that can really test your patience.

We start to see some life again on the 7th of September. The morning is rough, but the afternoon shows 5ft of swell on a 8-second period with a gentle offshore wind and clean conditions. It only warrants a score of 1/10, so it’s still pretty ordinary, but at least it’s surfable. But by the 8th, we’re back to onshore winds and small, poor surf.

Our best chance in this whole window looks like it’s on the 9th of September. The Wednesday afternoon forecast shows a moderate offshore wind, clean conditions, and 6ft of swell. It’s the only time in the entire period that the forecast says "expect good surf conditions". It’s not huge, but a clean, offshore 6ft wave is a far cry from the stormy chaos we’ve been looking at. For a beginner beach break, this could be your window. But the energy is still moderate (294) and the period is short, so don't expect anything epic. It’s just clean and rideable.

The 10th of September brings a lot of size again, with 10ft, but the period is a long 11 seconds and the wind is onshore. That combo is going to make it lumpy and nearly impossible to paddle into. This is another one that’s only for the experts, and even then, it's not going to be fun.

Look, the water temp is sitting around 65°, which is a touch warmer than average for the time of year, so that’s a little bonus. But overall, this is a rough outlook. The first few days are a write-off, and there’s a huge flat gap in the middle of the period. The one beacon of hope is that Wednesday the 9th. It’s not a standout of the year, but comparatively, it is the best on offer. Keep your eyes on that, and hope the long-range forecasts hold up. The short period swell means it’ll be a bit crumbly, but clean and rideable beats the alternative. The rest of the time? It might be better to check the wind for kiting, because paddling out is going to be a waste of energy.

Rusty, signing off.

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