Gwithian Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, folks, Rusty here.

First up, the outlook for Gwithian is a bit of a tough one. The water temperature is sitting at 65°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. We’ve got some swell activity coming through, but it’s constantly let down by the wind. Most of the 16-day window is a write-off, with a long gap where nothing is worth getting wet for. Let's get into it.

We start off on Sunday the 16th with tiny, weak 1ft to 2ft WNW swells. The energy is weak (36), the period is short, and a cross-onshore breeze has it all choppy and messy. Monday the 17th and Tuesday the 18th see the swell building to around 3ft to 4ft, and the wind swings onshore for a bit, but the wave energy is still only moderate (115-135) and the short period (6 seconds) means it’s weak and crumbly. The forecast still calls it poor.

Wednesday the 19th through to Saturday the 22nd sees a bump in size but the quality is still shot. Swells hit 5ft to 7ft with moderate to strong wave energy (up to 783), but it’s all onshore or cross-onshore winds. A 7ft swell on a beach break with onshore wind is just a washing machine. Definitely not one for the log.

Then we hit a big quiet spell. From Sunday the 23rd of August all the way through to Thursday the 27th, the swell drops right off. We’re looking at tiny waves from 0.7ft to 2ft, with weak energy (17 to 123). The winds do go clean and cross-offshore for a couple of days, which would be nice if there was any wave to ride, but there isn’t. On Thursday the 27th morning we get a brief moment of glassy conditions, but the swell is only 1.0ft. It’s a flat spell, plain and simple.

The forecast finally gets interesting around Friday the 28th of August. That morning, a new 6ft swell from the WSW shows up with moderate energy (541) and light cross-shore winds. It’s described as “marginal” due to tides, but it’s the first real pulse we’ve seen in over a week. Saturday the 29th morning looks even bigger, with a 6ft W swell and a nice long period of 12 seconds. The wave energy is very strong (946), but the wind is a moderate cross-onshore, which will mess it up. It’s out of the west-northwest, which is the optimum direction, but the wind is a killer.

After that, it all goes downhill again into the first week of September, with strong winds and dropping swell.

The Standout: Honestly, the closest thing to a highlight is the morning of Friday the 28th of August. The 6ft swell from the west-southwest with clean, light cross-shore winds is the best combination of size and wind we get. It’s over a week away, so it’s promising but a long-range call. For the brave, Saturday the 29th morning will have size and power, but bring a kite if the wind is up, because a 6ft groundswell with a long period (12 seconds) and cross-onshore wind is going to be challenging but powerful for the experts.

Stay safe out there.

Rusty

Read more