Fistral-South Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks. I’ll be honest with you, it’s a bit of a mixed bag for Fistral-South, and we’ve got a fair bit of waiting to do before anything really gets going.

The Long Wait for a Cleaner Wave

The immediate outlook is pretty grim, I’m afraid. The next few days are dominated by a fresh onshore breeze, and the surf is poor. Thursday the 20th and Friday the 21st are a write-off, with strong, onshore winds and small to moderate, messy swell. The water is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, sitting at 66°.

We then hit a real flat spell. From Saturday the 22nd right through to the middle of the following week, the swell drops away to almost nothing. You’ll see a tiny 2ft swell on Saturday morning with a light easterly breeze, but it’s not worth paddling out for. There’s a gap of about four days here where there’s just no real surf to speak of, with energy levels dropping to as low as 22 (weak energy). The wind does turn offshore on Tuesday the 25th, but with only 1ft on offer, it’s still a complete non-starter.

The Build-Up and a Big, Wild Weekend

Things start to look a little more interesting around the 26th, with a small pulse of 4ft from the SW, but the wind is still not ideal. By Friday the 28th, we see a bit more size, with 6ft coming in from the west, but that cross-onshore wind is going to chop it up.

Then we get to the weekend of the 29th and 30th of August. This is where the ocean loses its mind a bit. The swell jumps up to 12ft on Saturday afternoon from the west, with a period of 10 seconds. The combined energy is a massive 2290 (strong wave energy). But here’s the bad news: the wind is howling from the west and cross-onshore at 19 mph. That’s a big, lumpy, dangerous mess. This is one for the experts only, and even then, it’s going to be a battle. On Sunday, it’s still a big 10ft from the west, but the wind drops a little, making it more of a marginal, cross-shore chop. Still, it’s a lot of water moving around.

The Only Real Standout

If you’re looking for the best bet in this whole 16-day window, you have to look at the very end of the forecast. It’s the first week of September, and we have a glimmer of hope. On Wednesday the 2nd of September, the morning sees a solid 10ft swell from the WNW, with a period of 10 seconds. The combined energy is 1535 (strong). The wind is strong from the WNW at 19 mph, and it’s onshore, so it’s not perfect. But keep an eye on the afternoon of the 2nd. The wind drops to a moderate 12 mph, still onshore, but the swell is a much more manageable 6ft from the west, with a period of 10 seconds. It’s a long way off, so we can’t be certain, but it’s the best-looking window in the whole forecast. The other noteworthy day is Saturday the 29th of August, but that’s a kite-surfing day, not a paddle-surfing one, with those strong cross-onshore winds and that big, raw swell.

So, in short: be patient, give the next week a miss, and keep your fingers crossed for that first week of September. It’s a long-range promise, so don’t book the time off just yet, but it’s the only one worth watching.

Rusty.

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