Fistral-North Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's take a long, hard look at what we've got, and I gotta be straight with you – it's a tough one. This whole sixteen-day window for Fistral-North is looking pretty grim. We've got a solid run of "poor surf conditions" reports, so if you're desperate for a paddle, you'll be doing it for the exercise, not the ride.

The first week is a real write-off. From Friday the 17th right through to the end of July, it's a messy picture. We're seeing small, weak swell with the combined wave energy mostly sitting below 100 (like 18 and 25), which is barely a ripple. The wind is almost always cross-onshore, from the north or northwest, which is just putting a nasty chop on everything. Even when it goes "on" shore, the quality isn't there. The swell period is short, mostly 4 to 8 seconds – that's just wind slop. You'll be bobbing around on lumpy, bumpy, blown-out waves. Swell heights are tiny, mostly 1 to 3 feet.

There's a brief change in the breeze on Thursday the 23rd afternoon and into the Friday the 24th, where we get an "on" shore wind, but the swell is still a pathetic 2 feet. Not worth suiting up for, honestly.

Now, there is a tiny glimmer on the horizon, but it's a long way off. On Saturday the 25th of July, we finally see some pulse. The swell pushes up to about 6 feet from the WNW, and the combined energy jumps into the moderate range at 213. The period stretches to 6-7 seconds, so it's still not a pure groundswell but has a bit more push. The wind stays "on" from the NNW, which at least isn't side-shore, but the reports still call it "poor surf conditions." That size for Fistral in an onshore wind is going to be a lumpy, foamy mess that only someone with a big paddle and a bigger heart would love.

That pulse hangs around for Sunday the 26th with about 5 feet of swell and moderate energy (218) before slowly fading into the next week. Monday the 27th sees it drop back to 3 feet, and the wind goes cross-on again.

So, here's the bottom line: there are no true standouts. Nothing in this forecast gets the blood pumping. The only period with any significant size is the last weekend of July (25th/26th), but with the onshore winds, it's more of a "look at the ocean from the car park" situation than a surf session. It might offer a few short, punchy walls if you find a bank, but you'll be sharing the mess with the wind. After that, we're back to tiny dribble.

Forget the board for a while. If the forecast holds, the wind and swell combo we see – particularly on the bigger days with 6 feet and strong cross-onshore wind – will be more interesting for the kite surfers than us paddlers.

It's a blank run, plain and simple. This area can dish out long flat spells, and this looks like one of them. Forecasts can change, but right now, I'd hang up the wetsuit for a bit.

Rusty

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