Fistral-South Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Fistral-South. To be straight with you, the next couple of weeks are a bit of a mixed bag and it’s not going to be easy. The water is sitting at 65°, which is a touch warmer than normal for the time of year, so at least you won’t be freezing your bits off.

We kick off on Saturday the 29th of August, and it’s not pretty. A solid 8ft swell from the WSW is pumping in, with a strong 28 mph cross-on wind from the west. The wave energy is significant (1076), but it’s a complete mess – strong cross-onshore and lumpy. Honestly, it’s a write-off.

Sunday the 30th doesn’t improve much. We’ve got a 5ft to 7ft swell coming in from the WSW, but the wind is still a fresh 19 mph cross-shore, creating lumpy cross-chop. The energy is moderate (366-575), but the quality is poor. Give it a miss.

Monday the 31st sees a bigger pulse of swell, with 10ft from the west in the morning and a solid 2ft of energy (1416). That’s getting into expert-only territory, and the wind is onshore at 19 mph. Messy.

Tuesday the 1st of September drops a little in size, with 4ft to 3ft from the west, but it’s still cross-shore with a slight chop. The energy is weak (160-194). Not worth paddling out for.

The pattern continues through the first week of September – Wednesday the 2nd and Thursday the 3rd have 5ft to 7ft of swell, cross-onshore winds, and lumpy conditions. The energy picks up a bit (216-647), but it’s all blown out.

Friday the 4th of September brings a big one: 10ft from the WNW with energy hitting 1700. That’s serious power, but the wind is onshore at 22 mph. It’s a brute, and it’s ugly. Only for the hardcore or the kamikaze.

Now, there is a glimmer. Saturday the 6th of September. Sunday morning. The wind swings around to the southeast, blowing offshore at 19 mph. The swell is a clean 4ft from the west with a period of 8 seconds and moderate energy (224). The wind is fresh offshore, and the conditions are clean. This is probably the best window in the whole 16 days. It’s a small, clean, fun-sized wave with offshore winds. The crowds will be a factor, as Fistral-South is often busy, so get out there early. It’s not a standout for size, but for quality, it’s the only real option.

After that, it turns messy again. Sunday the 7th of September has a 6ft cross-onshore mess, and the energy is 804. Monday the 8th is similar, with 4ft from the west and a cross-onshore wind.

We get another brief look on Thursday the 10th of September. The afternoon shows a 3ft swell from the west with a very long period of 14 seconds and clean offshore wind from the SSE. The energy is 625. This is a long-period groundswell, which can be a bit too straight for a beach break, but with offshore wind, it could produce some clean, lined-up waves. It’s a marginal call, but it’s the second best option.

The final week is a write-off. Friday the 11th and Saturday the 12th of September are huge and horrible. The 12th has a 12ft west swell with 34 mph cross-onshore winds and energy of 3266. That’s a massive, blown-out mess. Sunday the 13th is a bit smaller but still onshore and lumpy.

So, to be honest, there’s a big gap of poor surf from the 29th of August until the 6th of September, and then it goes bad again after the 7th. The standout is the 6th of September morning. Get it while you can.

Rusty.

Read more