Fistral-South Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let's get this out there. I’ve been staring at the charts for Fistral South, and if I’m being brutally honest, these next 16 days look like a proper fight. The water’s warm for sure—sitting at 66°F—and it’s a touch warmer than what we’d usually expect for this slice of August, but that’s where the good news ends for a while.

The first real chance to get wet isn't until the 19th, and even then, it's grim. We’ve got a moderate breeze out of the WNW at 16 mph, whipping up a lumpy 4ft of junky Westerly swell. The energy in the water is weak at 258, and it’s just messy. Wednesday afternoon doesn’t get any better—the wind swings onshore, the swell drops to 4ft, and the period collapses to a jumbly 6 seconds. This is not a time to be on a board; you’d be fighting for scraps.

Thursday the 20th sees a pulse of energy arrive, with combined energy jumping to 767. The swell builds to 7ft out of the W, but the period is a short 9 seconds and that fresh cross-onshore wind at 19 mph is going to have it all over the shop. It’s big-ish, but it will be a washing machine. The afternoon settles a touch with 7ft, but it’s still messy.

Friday and Saturday are more of the same struggle—waist-high slop at best. The waves are in the 3ft to 4ft range with short, weak periods. The winds aren’t doing us any favors, either. The energy levels are weak, sitting in the low 90s to low 200s. This is not surf to plan your day around.

Then it just dies. Sunday the 23rd through Tuesday the 26th is a major lull. The swell flatlines to 0.7ft. There is literally nothing to ride. The only thing of note is a clean window on Monday with an offshore cross-off breeze, but there’s no wave to surf. You’d have more fun lying on the board in the car park. This is a proper dry spell, so for a stretch of about five or six days, the longboard stays in the van.

We do get a bump around Wednesday the 26th—7ft out of the W—but the onshore wind at 12 mph and an 8-second period will make it a close-out mess at Fistral. The energy jumps to 487, but it’s not the kind of power you want. It’s just chaotic. The next few days keep that cross-onshore chop, with waves in the 4ft to 5ft range, but nothing clean.

Now, I’m looking at the back half of the run—that’s where things get interesting. Thursday the 28th and Friday the 29th are the standouts of the entire stretch. We get a shift to a cross-off breeze out of the S, and the surf cleans right up. On the 28th, we’re looking at 3ft to 5ft with a clean face and a slight S/SSE flow. The period isn’t long, but at least it’s groomed. Friday sees similar conditions with 4ft on the morning push. This is your window if you want a few fun little runners without the wind chop. The swell direction is straight out of the W, which is solid for the bank, and the water is calm. It’s not massive, but it’s surfable and clean. These two days are better than anything we’ve had all week.

The run finishes with a roar. Monday the 31st of August and Tuesday the 1st of September bring a serious swell. Combined energy spikes to 1277, and we’ve got 8ft to 8ft out of the W. This is proper. But—and it’s a big but—the wind is forecast to be on it. A fresh 22 to 22 mph onshore wind is going to shred it. At this size with that wind, Fistral South is going to be a full-on close-out. This isn’t for the fainthearted, and the beginners should give it a wide berth. It’s a raw, powerful beast, and honestly, you might be better off watching this one from the beach. It’s too big and blown out for good waves, but it’s a hell of a sight.

Into the first days of September it backs down a touch, but there’s still size. The 2nd of September has a clean morning with 7ft from the WNW, but the period is a short 8 seconds. It could be shifty, and the afternoon gets blown out again. The 3rd drops to waist-high leftovers.

So, bottom line: Don’t get your hopes up for the next week. The middle part is a washout. The true windows to look at are the mornings of the 28th and 29th—they’re clean and offer the best chance of a proper, fun surf. The big swell at the end of the month is for the experts only, and even then, the wind is going to make it a battle.

Rusty

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