Fistral-North Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a long, hard look at what Fistral-North has in store for us over the next couple of weeks. I’m gonna be straight with you – this is a challenging stretch. The overall pattern is one of persistent onshore and cross-off winds, and while there are pulses of swell, the conditions rarely line up to give us a clean, workable wave.

The outlook starts with a long gap of poor surf. From Monday the 24th of August right through to Tuesday afternoon the 25th, it’s a write-off. We’re looking at tiny 0.7ft to 1.6ft swells from the WSW and W with fresh easterly winds making everything messy. The combined wave energy is weak, sitting between 14 and 88. Not worth paddling out for.

We get a tiny glimmer on Tuesday afternoon the 25th, with a 2ft W groundswell (10-second period) and offshore SE winds at 15 mph. The energy is still low at 88, but that offshore wind will make for a clean, glassy surface. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. Don’t get your hopes up.

The rest of the first week is a real struggle. Wednesday the 26th sees small 1.6ft to 2ft swell and poor cross-off winds. Thursday the 27th brings a bigger pulse – a 2.6ft SW groundswell in the morning jumps to 5.6ft by the afternoon – but the wind swings onshore from the WSW, making it choppy and ugly. The afternoon energy hits 702, which is moderate, but the wind ruins it.

Friday the 28th of August is a cruel tease. We get a clean 4.3ft to 4.9ft W/WSW swell with light cross-shore winds. The morning is particularly interesting: 4.3ft of WSW swell (8-second period) with almost no wind, just a slight air. The energy is 209 – solidly moderate. The water temp is about average for the time of year. It’s clean, but it’s a beach break setup with short period swell, so the shape could be a little fat and wonky. It’s the best we’ve seen, but still, poor surf conditions are noted. The afternoon gets a bit lumpier with a gentle cross-onshore.

The weekend gets wiped out by strong winds. Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th are dominated by fresh to strong cross-shore and cross-onshore breezes (12-25 mph) and lumpy, messy conditions. Swell size sits around 3.9ft to 4.3ft, but the energy is moderate (144-189). Forget it.

Monday the 31st of August sees a jump in size – a 6.6ft to 7.2ft W/WNW swell – but the wind is howling cross-onshore at 22 mph. The energy is high (594-678), but the surface is a lumpy, choppy mess. This setup looks far more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Tuesday the 1st of September is a washout with onshore NW winds.

Now here’s the one true standout in the whole forecast. On Wednesday the 2nd of September, we get the best conditions of the run. The morning starts with a modest 4.3ft W swell and a light SSW cross-off wind (12 mph), giving clean conditions. The energy is 132 – moderate. But the real gold is the afternoon: a solid 9.8ft WSW swell with a cross-off wind, clean faces. The energy jumps massively to 952 – strong wave energy. The wind and tide are favorable. BUT – and this is a big but – that 9.8ft is too big for this break. The guidance warns it’s predicted to be too big for Fistral-North. This is for experienced surfers only, and even then, it’s going to be heavy. If you’re a confident, strong paddler, this is your window. For everyone else, it’s a spectator sport.

After that, things get ugly again. Thursday the 3rd of September has a massive 9.8ft W groundswell, but the wind is cross to cross-onshore and the energy is through the roof (1245-1256). The conditions are chaotic and messy.

The second week is a low-confidence long-range promise. Friday the 4th and Saturday the 5th of September see consistent 5.9ft to 8.2ft WNW and NW swell, but with strong onshore and cross-onshore winds. It’s bump

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