Fistral-South Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking for Fistral-South over the next couple of weeks. I’ll be straight with you – it’s a frustrating stretch for the most part, with a lot of wind-ruined swell. The first real glimmer of hope isn’t until the middle of the second week.

We kick off the first few days of September with a decent amount of west swell pushing in, but a howling cross-onshore wind is ruining the party. Friday the 4th has 7 ft of swell at 8 seconds from the W, but with 16 mph cross-onshore wind, it’s just a messy, choppy closeout. The combined energy is moderate at 632, but the quality is poor. Saturday the 5th drops a touch to 5 ft with a longer 11-second period, but it’s still cross-on at 6 mph, so you’re looking at a marginal, bumpy surface. Not worth the paddle.

By Sunday the 6th, the wind finally turns offshore from the SE, which is exactly what Fistral-South likes. The problem is the swell has dropped right off to only 2 ft from the W with weak energy of just 85. It’s clean, but tiny. A wait-and-see session.

Then Monday the 7th brings a serious spike in energy. The combined energy hits 1912 (strong) with 8 ft of W swell at 13 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell. But the wind is back to a nasty 16 mph cross-onshore, making it a wild, messy paddle. That kind of size and period is better suited for a point break or reef, but with the wind on it, it’s a full-on battle. Not recommended for paddle surfing.

The rest of the first week and into the second is a similar story. Tuesday the 8th sees 8 ft of swell from the WNW, but the wind is a fresh 19 mph cross-on, making it lumpy and dangerous. The energy is still strong at 933. Honestly, a setup like that is more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. The conditions stay poor and choppy right through to the 12th of September.

We hit a long gap of poor surf. The wind stays onshore or cross-shore, and the swell is either too small, too messy, or both. It’s a bit of a blank run.

Now, the standout. The best session on offer is on Wednesday the 16th of September. The morning is a glassy dream. The wind is dead calm, and we’ve got a clean 4 ft of W swell with a lovely 11-second period. The combined energy is moderate at 326, but the quality is there. With the swell direction from the W matching the optimum for the break, and zero wind, the waves should be clean and shapely. This is the one to circle on the calendar. The afternoon gets a bit of a NW breeze on it, so the morning is the time.

Thursday the 17th and Friday the 18th are ordinary again with cross-onshore winds and small, weak swell. The 18th does have a glassy moment in the afternoon, but the swell is barely 3 ft at 9 seconds, so it’s just a fun, small wave session.

For the long-term, the 16th is the clear winner, but remember, it’s a week and a half away, so keep your fingers crossed for that forecast to hold. Everything else is a wind-affected write-off.

Stay patient, keep your wax on, and I’ll see you in the water when it cleans up.

Rusty.

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