Falmouth - Swanpool Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s happening at Falmouth – Swanpool over the next couple of weeks.

First thing, it’s going to be a slow start. The water is running about 65°, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year – nice for a long session.

From now through the end of August, don’t expect much. Day after day of poor surf – messy cross-onshore winds, lumpy, choppy, and tiny waves. The combined energy is barely above 100 (17-81) most days. Not worth getting wet.

The first real chance comes on Friday the 28th of August in the morning. Swell from the WSW at about 6ft, period around 7 seconds, and the wind is light and cross-offshore out of the WNW. That’s clean. The combined energy hits 314 (moderate), and the forecast says “expect good surf conditions”. This break is beginner-friendly and fairly consistent, but the optimum swell direction is SW, so this WSW swell isn’t perfect. Still, it’s the best we’ve seen in days.

Next up is Tuesday the 1st of September morning. Offshore wind from the WNW, swell from the WSW at 5ft, period 9 seconds, combined energy 380. Clean. The afternoon is more marginal, so get out early.

Wednesday the 2nd of September morning brings a bigger pulse – 8ft swell from the WSW, period 9 seconds, combined energy 864. That’s solid moderate energy. The wind is a strong breeze from the W, cross-offshore, so it’s clean but the bigger size might be too much for beginners. Afternoon gets even bigger at 8ft, 973 energy, but the wind hits 45 km/h – too strong for comfortable surfing.

After that, things go quiet again for a few days – small, weak, and messy.

Now, the real standout is Monday the 7th of September. We’ve got a serious swell coming. Morning shows 13ft from the WSW, period 10 seconds, combined energy 3644. Afternoon is huge – 23ft swell, period 17 seconds, with an insane 28917 combined energy. The wind is offshore from the NW. But here’s the catch – this is way too big for this break. The report says the swell is too big for this spot. This is strictly for experts, and the long 17-second period means the waves will be heavy, with long gaps between sets. Hard paddling, and the waves might break too straight. Only for the brave.

Tuesday the 8th of September is still big but more manageable – 10ft in the morning, 8ft in the afternoon, with periods of 12-13 seconds. Combined energy is still strong (3293 and 1706). Wind is light to moderate, cross-offshore or cross-shore. This is still advanced territory, but more doable than the day before.

So, to sum it up: the best bets for clean, rideable waves for most surfers are Friday the 28th of August morning and Tuesday the 1st of September morning. The big stuff on the 7th and 8th is impressive but heavy. Keep an eye on the forecasts as we get closer.

Rusty.

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