Fistral-North Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Howdy, Rusty here. I’ll be honest – this stretch is a tough one for decent surf. Over the next 16 days, we’ve got waves coming, but the quality is just not there. Let me walk you through it.

The whole forecast period is a rough ride. The water temp is about 65°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s not helping much.

Right now and through the first week, we’re looking at tiny, weak surf. This Friday and Saturday (7th & 8th August), the swell is just 1 foot – barely a ripple. The energy is puny, with combined readings around 20. Sunday and Monday aren’t any better, with the swell barely hitting 2 feet, and most of the wind is onshore or cross-onshore. Tuesday 11th has a good offshore breeze from the ESE at 19 mph, but the swell is still a tiny 1 feet – clean but not worth paddling out.

Wednesday 12th sees a small bump – 3 feet of swell from the west, but the wind is messy. The energy climbs to moderate levels (158), but it’s onshore or cross-onshore with no shape. Thursday 13th is the best of a bad lot in the first week: swell hits 3 feet to 4 feet from the west, with a period of 11 seconds – actual groundswell. The combined energy is 388 (moderate). But the wind is onshore from the NW at 12 mph, so it’s lumpy and blown out. Might work for a kite surfer, but for a paddle surfer it’s a letdown.

The second week continues the trend. From the 14th to the 18th, we’ve got swell between 2 feet and 4 feet, cross-onshore winds, short periods, and low energy. Fistral-North just can’t find a clean window. A standout? Nope. The only thing worth mentioning is Wednesday 19th August, when the swell jumps to 6 feet in the morning from the west, period 8 seconds, energy 422 (moderate to strong). But it’s raining with cross-onshore winds – still messy. That afternoon the swell hits 7 feet with 566 energy, but the wind is onshore at 19 mph. That’s expert-only in rough conditions, and it’s not good for paddle surfing. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing.

Thursday 20th has 6 feet of onshore slop, and the final weekend (22nd) pumps out 6 feet to 7 feet of swell from the west with strong wind. Energy readings hit 567 to 658 – that’s strong – but the cross-onshore wind at 16 mph means it’s choppy and raw. Only for the hardcore, not for the average surfer.

So, plain and simple: there’s nothing worth chasing in this 16-day run at Fistral-North. The swell direction is mostly from the west to WNW, which matches the preferred WSW fairly well, but the wind and consistency are duds. Stay patient – forecasts can change, and it doesn’t stay poor for long around here.

Rusty.

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