Fistral-North Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is a tough one to write. I’m looking at the next sixteen days and, honestly, for Fistral-North, the surf is pretty much a no-go for a long, long stretch. We’ve got a real dry spell on our hands.

Starting from now, you’re looking at a blank run of nearly two weeks. There’s simply nothing worth paddling out for. From this Sunday afternoon (12th July) right through to late July, it’s flat or tiny, and the wind is just a mess. You get days with light breezes and small waves, but the energy is pathetic, and the quality is summed up as “poor surf conditions” for nearly every single session. Monday morning (13th) sees a tiny 2ft swell, but it’s short-period junk at 6 seconds with cross-off wind. Not worth getting wet for. Tuesday (14th) has a super long-period 18-second swell, but it’s only 0.7ft, so it’s just a gentle bump with no push.

The only glimmer of something decent happens well into the second week, on Thursday the 23rd of July. The afternoon finally shows a clean window: 4ft of swell from the W, with an 8-second period and a light cross-off breeze from the ENE. The combined energy is moderate at 173, and the wind is clean. It’s not a standout by any means, but it’s the first time the models show surfable waves with decent conditions out of this entire run. It’s still very ordinary, but for this stretch, it’s the best you’re gonna get.

Then, hold onto your board, because things get wild on Monday the 27th of July. The morning shows a massive 10ft swell from the W, with a 10-second period. The combined energy is a colossal 1446—that’s very strong wave energy. But here’s the catch: the models are saying this is too big for Fistral-North. The wind is light and onshore, which is a shame because the swell has proper grunt. For beginners, that’s a hard pass—over 8ft is expert territory only. For the crew riding big boards, it might be a spectacle, but for a normal paddle session, it’s not the one. The afternoon drops to 8ft but the wind switches onshore, so it’s still messy.

Water temperature is sitting at 64°F, which is 4°F warmer than usual for this time of year. That’s noticeably warm for a July in Cornwall. You won’t need a thick suit.

So, to wrap it up: the first two weeks are a write-off. Don’t waste the energy. The only half-decent window is the afternoon of Thursday 23rd July for some small, clean waves. The big swell on the 27th is for watching, not paddling. It’s a grim outlook, but the forecast can always shift in the next week.

Rusty.

Read more