Fistral-North Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, surfers, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it. The next couple of weeks are a proper mixed bag, and I gotta be honest with you, it’s not looking like a classic stretch for Fistral. We’ve got a lot of lumpy, cross-onshore junk to wade through before we see anything with real potential. The good news? There are a couple of windows where it might just come together, but you’re gonna have to be patient and pick your moments.

Right off the bat, the surf is pretty sad. We’re looking at small, poor surf with weak energy (129) on Friday morning, and it doesn’t get much better through the weekend. Saturday gets blown out by a fresh N wind, turning the place into a choppy mess. Sunday drops off further, with tiny waves. This first stretch is really a write-off for a proper surf. You’d be better off finding something else to do.

Things stay pretty grim through the early part of next week. Monday sees a little bump in the afternoon, pushing 3ft, but it’s still cross-onshore and messy. Tuesday picks up a little more size to 5ft, but the wind is howling cross-onshore, making it lumpy and tough to ride. The combined energy picks up a bit into the 200s, but it’s not serving up any quality. This is a period where the paddle-out might be more of a workout than the rides are worth.

By Wednesday the 19th, the swell bumps up to 5ft, but it's still got a cross-onshore wind, and with a short 6-second period, it’s going to be quick and crumbly. Not inspiring stuff. We go through a couple more days of onshore slop before things start to change.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. On Saturday the 22nd, the wind swings around to the east and dies completely. It’s glassy, but the swell is tiny – just 1ft. It’s surfable, but you’ll be fighting for anything with real push. We call this a knee-high day. Then on Sunday the 23rd, a new N swell shows up with a cross-offshore ENE wind. It’s still small at 3ft, but the clean conditions are a welcome change. This is a glimmer of hope, but not the main event.

That main event looks like it could be cooking for the 27th. The forecast shows a solid push of WSW swell, hitting 7ft. Period is short at 8 seconds, but the wind is due to swing light and offshore, which is a huge plus. The combined energy jumps way up to 522, so there’s some proper power in the water. This is the standout of the whole window, a real chance for some clean, punchy waves at Fistral. This is the one to circle. It's a bit of a ways out, so we'll see if it holds, but right now, it’s looking promising. The water temp is 66°, which is a couple of degrees warmer than usual for this time of year – noticeably nice on the skin.

After that, it gets wild, but not in a good way. The 28th sees a monster swell arrive, forecast to be 16ft to 18ft, with a massive energy reading (over 9000!). But the wind is going to be screaming cross-shore at 28-31 mph. This is a full-on storm surf situation. Way, way too big and messy for anyone but the most seasoned pros, and honestly, it’s just going to be a messy, dangerous mess. The next day, the 29th, is still huge at 13ft, but with a cross-onshore wind, it'll be wild and lumpy. That’s a setup that looks way more interesting for the kite crew than for paddle surfing. It’s a proper beast of a swell, but not one we want to be in the water for.

So, in short: the next week is mostly a grind. There’s a tiny window of glassy conditions around the 22nd and 23rd, but the surf is small. The real standout is Thursday the 27th – that’s your day to make a plan. The end of the window gets blown out by a massive, stormy swell. Pick your moments, stay safe, and keep an eye on that 27th.

Rusty.

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