Surf Forecasts:
Fistral-South surf forecast from 25 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 30 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 10s period, WSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 30 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 9s period, WSW swell with 778 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 26 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 9s period with W swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Fistral-South this week:
The surf forecast for Fistral-South over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Fistral-South in the next 16 days are 2.1m 9s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 30) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 6s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 29) at 4AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Wed 26th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Sun 30th Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Sun 30th Aug) | 7ft (2.1m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Fistral-South over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, this is Rusty. Gotta be straight with you: this is a rough outlook for Fistral-South. We've got a solid 16-day window ahead, but it’s mostly a write-off for decent paddle surfing. The first real chance doesn't even show up until Tuesday the 25th, and even then, it’s a tough start.
On that Tuesday morning (25th August), we’re looking at tiny 2ft waves from the west. The energy is weak at 63. It’s clean, with a light cross-off breeze, but there’s just nothing to work with. Tuesday afternoon sees a bit more size at 2ft, and the wind goes offshore, but it’s surfable at best. The water temperature is a touch warmer than normal at 65°, which is a small comfort.
Wednesday the 26th and Thursday the 27th are worse, with waist-high slop and messy winds. The swell period drops to a junky 7-8 seconds, so no shape at all. The combined energy is pathetic, bottoming out at 30.
We get a bump in size on Friday the 28th, with 5ft swell, but the wind goes cross and cross-on, making it a choppy mess. Saturday the 29th gets bigger, with 8ft to 8ft from the WSW, but that's paired with a fresh cross-onshore wind. The combined energy hits 867, but it's lumpy and ugly. Not for the faint-hearted, and even then, it’s not good.
Sunday the 30th is the best of a bad bunch. We get a 5ft west swell with a 9-second period, and the wind goes cross-off in the morning. It’s clean, and the energy is a more respectable 348. This is your best bet for the near-term, but it’s only one session before it turns to garbage again in the afternoon.
From there, we hit a long stretch of poor conditions. The whole of the first week of September is a write-off, with strong onshore winds, lumpy cross-chop, and wind speeds often over 18 mph. The size fluctuates between 6ft and 8ft, but it’s all messy.
We get a bit of a tease around the 6th of September (Sunday). We’re looking at a 10ft west swell with a long 10-11 second period. The combined energy is huge at 1768 and 2195, but the wind is mostly cross or cross-on, and the wave comment just calls it "marginal." It’s big, but it’s going to be a battle.
The real standout is the morning of the 6th (Sunday). There’s a moderate cross-shore wind, which might line up the 10ft groundswell (10-second period) into something rideable if you know what you're doing. That’s a lot of water moving around though, with 1768 energy, so only for the experienced.
The afternoon session on the 7th (Monday) sees the size drop to a cleaner 5ft, but the cross-onshore wind makes it lumpy again. Not worth the paddle.
Looking way out, Tuesday the 8th of September has some serious energy with 8ft swell and a very long 12-second period. The energy values are huge (over 2400), but the wind is fresh cross-shore, making it lumpy. That long-period west swell is prone to breaking straight at a beach break like Fistral, so it’s going to be a walled-up closeout for most. It’s promising but less certain this far out.
The final check on the 9th (Wednesday) shows a drop back to 6ft from the NW, with a light onshore breeze. Not a good note to end on.
Honestly, if you have to surf, aim for the morning of Sunday the 30th of August for the cleanest 5ft waves. For the brave, maybe the morning of Sunday the 6th of September for a big, powerful 10ft swell. But don’t expect much else. This is a lean run.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Tue afternoon. Warm (max 21°C on Wed morning, min 16°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 18mm), heaviest on Sun morning. Very mild (max 19°C on Fri afternoon, min 15°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the WSW on Sat afternoon, light winds from the S by Sat night). | |||||||||||||||||||
Tue 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | ||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 10 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | SW 7 | SW 8 | SW 8 | SW 7 | W 6 | WSW 7 | WSW 8 | WSW 9 | W 10 | W 9 | WSW 8 | WSW 8 | WSW 8 | W 10 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
70 | 59 | 50 | 31 | 28 | 18 | 65 | 109 | 113 | 64 | 135 | 325 | 619 | 778 | 469 | 230 | 115 | 113 | 116 | 186 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 4:44PM5.27m | 5:04AM5.32m | 5:21PM5.72m | 5:40AM5.72m | 5:55PM6.12m | 6:12AM6.07m | 6:27PM6.44m | 6:44AM6.33m | 7:00PM6.66m | 7:17AM6.50m | 7:32PM6.75m | 7:50AM6.54m | 8:07PM6.69m | |||||||
Low Tide | 11:07PM1.44m | 11:20AM1.28m | 11:43PM1.03m | 11:54AM0.90m | 00:16AM0.67m | 12:27PM0.58m | 00:48AM0.40m | 12:59PM0.37m | 1:19AM0.25m | 1:30PM0.26m | 1:50AM0.22m | 2:03PM0.29m | 2:23AM0.32m | |||||||
— | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | |
8:21 | — | — | 8:17 | — | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:14 | — | — | 8:12 | — | — | 8:09 | — | — | 8:07 | — | |
mm | 2 | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 1 | — | — | 7 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 17 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 |
Feels °C | 17 | 15 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 10 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | SW 7 | SW 8 | WNW 9 | SW 7 | W 6 | — | — | WSW 9 | W 10 | W 9 | WSW 8 | WSW 8 | WSW 8 | W 10 |
70 | 59 | 50 | 31 | 28 | 18 | 65 | 109 | 26 | 64 | 135 | — | — | 778 | 469 | 230 | 115 | 113 | 116 | 186 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 8 | SW 8 | SSW 8 | SSW 7 | SSW 7 | SSW 6 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | — | WNW 8 | — | — | — | — | NNW 4 | N 4 | — | W 11 | W 10 | W 18 |
18 | 17 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 26 | 27 | — | 13 | — | — | — | — | 7 | 3 | — | 10 | 50 | 6 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 5 | SW 13 | SW 12 | — | SW 12 | WNW 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
4 | 7 | 6 | — | 6 | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SSE 2 | — | — | — | SSW 2 | SW 3 | — | SW 8 | WNW 5 | SSW 6 | WSW 7 | WSW 8 | — | — | — | SE 2 | NNE 4 | — | — |
— | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 113 | 31 | 17 | 325 | 619 | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 14 | 0 | 4 | 399 | 207 | 262 | 35 | 0 | 1 | 243 | 1 | 315 | 217 | 47 | 24 | 207 | 231 | 231 | 217 | 1 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Cornwall | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)
Information about the Fistral-South Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Fistral-South provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Fistral-South can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Fistral-South surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Fistral-South) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Fistral-South may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Fistral-South is 1 km (1 miles) from Newquay. If you plan a holiday in North Cornwall, look for hotels and other accommodation in Newquay. Newquay has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











