Falmouth - Swanpool Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the menu for Falmouth – Swanpool over the next couple of weeks.

First off, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it: the first week is a proper struggle. We’re looking at a long, frustrating stretch where the conditions just aren't cooperating. From Monday the 24th of August right through to Sunday the 6th of September, the surf is poor. The only real energy comes in the first few days – Monday sees a lumpy 6ft to 7ft cross-onshore wind swell (combined energy 334 and 516) but it’s messy and blown out by a stiff 22 mph easterly. Tuesday and Wednesday drop off quickly, and by Thursday and Friday, it’s small and just not worth paddling out.

The water temperature is sitting at 65°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so the spring suit is fine.

There is a glimmer on Friday the 28th afternoon: a clean 2ft swell from the SSW with a light offshore NW breeze at only 12 mph, but it’s tiny, period is short at 7 seconds, and the energy is only 40 – not enough to get excited over.

After that, the surf flatlines. From Saturday the 29th all the way through to Saturday the 5th of September, it’s close to zero. There are some long-period groundswell pulses coming in (periods up to 18 seconds) but they’re barely registering – we’re talking 0.3ft to 1ft at best. Clean offshore winds are there, but with no swell to push, it’s just a glassy lake.

Now, I’ve held back the good news for last. On Sunday the 6th of September afternoon, things change in a big way. A strong SW groundswell arrives, pushing 12ft at 8 seconds, but the combined energy is huge at 1819 – that’s proper power. Winds are clean and cross-offshore at 22 mph, conditions look good, but the problem is the size: over 8ft, this is strictly for experts only. It’s too big for beginners for sure.

Then Monday the 7th of September sees the peak: a massive 15ft WSW groundswell with a very long 17-second period. Combined energy is a staggering 12390 – that’s an enormous amount of energy heading this way. Winds are clean NW at 16 mph. Again, this is expert territory only. At Swanpool, a beach break, that long period groundswell might make waves break a bit straight, but with that much size and clean wind, if you’ve got the experience, it’ll be a day to remember.

Into Tuesday the 8th, the swell drops to a still-chunky 10ft from the WSW at 10 seconds (combined energy 1561), with a moderate offshore NW breeze. Excellent for experienced surfers once again, but the afternoon sees it fade to 7ft and the score drops off.

If I had to call one standout? It’s the Monday the 7th of September morning. That’s the biggest, cleanest, most powerful swell of the entire 16-day window. But it’s for experts only, and it’s over a week away, so keep an eye on the long-range forecasts. For everyone else, the wait is long.

Rusty.

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