Falmouth - Swanpool Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what this stretch of coast is serving up over the next couple of weeks.

Looking at the whole picture, it’s a bit of a rough start. We've got a long, flat and wind-affected run before things finally get interesting in the first week of September. For the first week, it's mostly small, onshore junk with a few moderate pulses of swell getting blown out by strong east winds. There’s no real clean surf to speak of for the first twelve days, which is a tough stretch. Hang in there, though – there’s a solid payoff waiting.

Falmouth - Swanpool is the only spot on the radar. It usually handles a south-west groundswell when the wind plays nice, but the water this Sunday the 23rd of August is sitting at 65°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for the time of year, so that’s a bit weird.

For the first week, it's grim. Sunday the 23rd has a tiny 0.7 ft to 1 ft swell from the south-west with a moderate east breeze making it choppy – not even worth a paddle. Monday the 24th jumps up to a windy 7 ft to 8 ft from the east, but with a short, weak period of 7 seconds and a strong east cross-onshore wind, it's a messy, blown-out mess. Tuesday the 25th is similar, with 6 ft east windswell, period still a miserable 7 seconds, and a fresh onshore breeze. Wednesday the 26th drops right back to almost nothing.

There’s a tiny glimmer on Friday the 28th afternoon. A 6 ft south-west swell with a moderate 9-second period and a light north-west offshore wind breaks through. The wave energy is moderate (529), and it’ll be clean. That’s your first real chance to get wet without battling whitecaps. But the swell fades fast after that.

Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th go flat – zero swell – but at least the wind is cross-offshore. Monday the 31st has a pathetic 0.3 ft to 1 ft dribble, offshore wind but no energy. Tuesday the 1st of September into Wednesday the 2nd is just tiny, weak leftovers.

This is where it gets good. Thursday the 3rd of September is still tiny with long-period remnants, but Friday the 4th of September is the standout. A solid 8 ft swell from the west-south-west rolls in for the morning, with a moderate 9-second period and moderate wave energy (1192). The wind is a cross-shore, so it'll be a bit lumpy, but the afternoon turns it on: a 7 ft swell from the same direction, still a 9-second period, but the wind switches to a light north-north-west offshore breeze. The energy is strong (815). The comment says "expect very good surf conditions" – and I agree. Get ready.

Sunday the 6th of September morning is tiny again, but the afternoon brings a big 10 ft west-south-west swell with a 9-second period and a fresh offshore wind. That’s heavy energy (1505). This is expert territory – way too big for beginners.

And then Monday the 7th of September morning looks like the biggest pulse of the whole window: an 12 ft west-south-west swell, 10-second period, and a strong offshore wind. The energy is massive (2679). The data itself says the swell is predicted to be too big for this break, so unless you’re a seasoned charger on a big wave gun, give this one a wide berth. The afternoon keeps the same size and wind but the rating plummets, so the morning is the only window.

The best on offer: Friday the 4th of September afternoon at Falmouth - Swanpool. A solid 7 ft groundswell from the west-south-west, clean with that light offshore wind, and very good surf conditions expected. That’s the one. The following Sunday afternoon's 10 ft pulse is also noteworthy but only for experienced surfers.

Right, I'm off. Keep your wax warm and your eyes peeled for that Friday.

- Rusty

Read more