Surf Forecasts:
Fistral-South surf forecast from 16 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 20 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 8s period, W swell with 701 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Fistral-South this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Fistral-South in the next 16 days are 2.3m 8s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) 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 0.7m 5s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 23) at 4AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Fistral-South over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Grab a coffee and listen up. Rusty here.
Look, I’m not gonna lie to you – the next week and a half at Fistral-South is a write-off. We’ve got a proper dry spell on our hands. The ocean is looking as flat as a pancake, with weak, short-period junk coming from the west and northwest. The wind is all over the shop, mostly onshore or cross-onshore, making for choppy, lumpy, and generally terrible conditions. Keep the board in the car, mate. The water temp is sitting around 67°F, which is *much* warmer than normal for this time of year – over four degrees above average, so it’s a weird one.
This quiet patch runs all the way from now, August 16th, right through until Thursday, August 28th. That’s almost two weeks of doing something else.
Then, right at the tail end of the outlook, we finally get a glimpse of something real. The morning of Friday, August 28, is our standout. The wind swings light offshore from the SSW, cleaning things right up. We’re looking at a chest-to-head high swell from the WSW, pushing 6ft, with a moderate combined wave energy of 453. The wind will be clean and the period is solid at 9 seconds, so it should have a bit of punch.
But hold on – the wave comment for that session says “expect good surf conditions.” That’s the only one in the whole 16-day window that gets a nod. The rest of that Friday afternoon looks like it gets messy again, and Saturday morning, August 29, sees the swell bump up to 6ft and the period stretching to 11 seconds, but the wind swings onshore from the NW, wrecking the shape. That bigger swell would have been special if the wind had played ball.
So, your window is narrow. Point your rig at Friday morning, August 28. It’s the only game in town. The rest? Go for a hike.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Tue night. Very mild (max 19°C on Sun night, min 16°C on Mon night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Wed afternoon. Very mild (max 17°C on Wed morning, min 14°C on Fri night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | |||||||||||||||
AM | 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 7 | W 7 | W 7 | WNW 6 | WNW 8 | W 7 | WNW 6 | W 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | W 7 | W 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 10 | W 10 | NNW 5 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 17 | 25 | 8 | 55 | 127 | 77 | 134 | 104 | 160 | 176 | 320 | 701 | 662 | 603 | 230 | 117 | 76 | 49 | 35 | 48 | 39 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 8:37PM6.67m | 8:56AM6.26m | 9:15PM6.25m | 9:33AM5.88m | 9:53PM5.75m | 10:13AM5.43m | 10:34PM5.22m | 10:57AM4.97m | 11:25PM4.73m | 11:55AM4.57m | 00:36AM4.36m | 1:20PM4.36m | 2:10AM4.29m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 2:35PM0.27m | 2:58AM0.40m | 3:11PM0.60m | 3:33AM0.81m | 3:48PM1.02m | 4:08AM1.28m | 4:27PM1.49m | 4:48AM1.75m | 5:13PM1.94m | 5:40AM2.17m | 6:19PM2.31m | 6:58AM2.45m | 7:54PM2.45m | ||||||||
 | |  | | | | |  |  | |  | | | |  |  | | | | | | |
 | 6:09 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — |
 | — | 8:38 | — | — | 8:37 | — | — | 8:35 | — | — | 8:32 | — | — | 8:30 | — | — | 8:29 | — | — | 8:27 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
Feels °C | 14 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | WNW 6 | WNW 8 | N 3 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 17 | WNW 9 | SW 16 | WSW 15 | SW 14 | WSW 14 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | NNW 5 | W 10 | NNW 5 |
| kJ | 17 | 25 | 8 | 55 | 127 | 1 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 49 | 10 | 23 | 8 | 20 | 230 | 117 | 76 | 49 | 21 | 48 | 39 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 8 | W 18 | — | WNW 9 | SW 18 | W 16 | — | — | — | SW 16 | — | — | — | — | N 6 | SW 13 | SW 13 | W 11 | W 8 | WSW 15 | W 9 |
| kJ | 6 | 7 | — | 26 | 12 | 5 | — | — | — | 10 | — | — | — | — | 21 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 20 | 21 | 26 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | W 18 | W 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 14 | SW 16 | W 12 | SW 16 | W 10 | SW 12 | WSW 15 |
| kJ | — | — | 6 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 19 | 10 | 3 | 10 | 35 | 6 | 21 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 4 | N 4 | W 4 | — | — | W 7 | WNW 6 | W 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | W 7 | W 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | — | N 5 | N 5 | N 5 | — | N 5 | — |
| kJ | 9 | 2 | 7 | — | — | 77 | 134 | 104 | 160 | 176 | 320 | 701 | 662 | 603 | — | 43 | 34 | 12 | — | 34 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 244 | 338 | 243 | 231 | 217 | 293 | 246 | 1145 | 298 | 543 | 217 | 592 | 142 | 231 | 41 | 231 | 231 | 40 | 264 | 274 | 233 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Cornwall | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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