Surf Forecasts:
Gwithian surf forecast from 20 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 21 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 9s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 20 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 9s period, WNW swell with 958 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 21 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 9s period with W swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Gwithian this week:
The surf forecast for Gwithian over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 21) at 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 13s. Another secondary swell of 0.7m and 6s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Gwithian in the next 16 days are 2.4m 9s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 7s period and expected on Monday (Aug 24) at 1PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Thu 20th Aug) | 8ft (2.4m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Gwithian over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, listen up. I’ve been staring at the charts for the next couple of weeks, and I gotta tell you, it’s a real mixed bag out at Gwithian. Honestly, it’s more of a "check the cams before you drive" type stretch.
Right off the bat, Thursday the 20th and Friday the 21st are write-offs. The wind is howling from the west and northwest, whipping up a ton of chop and making a mess of any swell that’s out there. We’re talking 2.3m to 2.4m of churning ocean, with the energy reading up around 1696, but it’s all for nothing because the surface is a disaster.
The weekend settles down a bit, but the swell just isn’t there. Saturday the 22nd, the wind turns off-shore and it’s glassy, but the surf is tiny – maybe ankle to knee-high at 0.6m to 0.8m. You’ll need a big board and a lot of patience. Sunday the 23rd is even flatter. We’re talking 0.4m. Not worth the wetsuit hassle.
Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th, the wind goes offshore, which cleans it up, but it’s completely flat. The swell drops to almost nothing. There’s just no energy to push a wave.
Now, here’s the one ray of hope for the first week: Wednesday the 26th. A new southwest swell fills in, and while it’s short-period, it bumps the size up to around 1.9m. The wind is cross-offshore and it’s clean. This is your best chance to get a few fun ones. The energy is moderate (472), so it should have a bit of push. Thursday the 27th is a smaller leftover, but the wind goes cross-shore and makes it bumpy.
Then it’s back to the grind. Friday the 28th through Sunday the 30th, we get strong cross-on/onshore winds with building swell. It’s messy, lumpy, and choppy. This is more like a washing machine. If the wind’s blowing strong enough, might be a day for the kites, but not for a surfboard.
Looking into the long range, Monday the 31st brings a big, powerful west swell, with 3.0m faces and a period of 11 seconds. The energy is strong (2472). But the wind is onshore and it’s going to be a beast. This is for experts only, and even then, it could be totally out of control.
The first few days of September don't offer much relief. There’s some size around on the 1st, but the wind is on it. The rest is a mix of small swell and tricky winds. Nothing clean, nothing consistent.
So, what’s the verdict? There are no real standout days. If you’re flexible, Wednesday the 26th in the morning is your best bet for a clean-ish surf. Otherwise, it’s a waiting game for something better. For Gwithian, a run like this can happen, but the long-range stuff hasn’t been dialed in yet. Keep your fingers crossed and check back in a few days.
Rusty out.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 15mm), heaviest on Fri morning. Very mild (max 19°C on Sat afternoon, min 14°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NW on Thu morning, light winds from the NE by Fri night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Tue afternoon. Warm (max 21°C on Mon morning, min 16°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NE on Sun afternoon, strong winds from the ESE by Mon night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | |||||||||||||||
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) | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | W 10 | W 8 | WNW 8 | W 9 | W 10 | N 6 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | WNW 10 | SW 9 | SSW 8 | SW 8 | SSW 8 | W 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
808 | 958 | 354 | 169 | 112 | 53 | 67 | 40 | 54 | 51 | 51 | 51 | 31 | 28 | 27 | 20 | 41 | 62 | 467 | 217 | 367 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on |
High Tide | 10:55AM4.73m | 11:23PM4.49m | 11:54AM4.34m | 00:34AM4.14m | 1:19PM4.14m | 2:09AM4.07m | 2:51PM4.25m | 3:28AM4.30m | 3:56PM4.59m | 4:22AM4.66m | 4:42PM5.02m | 5:03AM5.05m | 5:20PM5.44m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 4:48AM1.66m | 5:13PM1.84m | 5:40AM2.06m | 6:18PM2.19m | 6:57AM2.32m | 7:53PM2.32m | 8:35AM2.30m | 9:23PM2.13m | 9:50AM2.01m | 10:22PM1.77m | 10:40AM1.61m | 11:05PM1.36m | 11:19AM1.21m | 11:42PM0.97m | |||||||
6:16 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | |
— | 8:30 | — | — | 8:29 | — | — | 8:27 | — | — | 8:24 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:21 | — | — | 8:19 | — | |
mm | 1 | — | 1 | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 17 |
Feels °C | 11 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | WNW 9 | W 10 | W 8 | WNW 8 | W 9 | N 6 | WNW 6 | N 5 | N 4 | SE 5 | WSW 9 | SW 9 | SW 13 | SW 13 | WNW 10 | SW 9 | SSW 8 | N 5 | W 7 | W 10 |
21 | 705 | 354 | 169 | 112 | 53 | 40 | 12 | 16 | 3 | 10 | 34 | 13 | 28 | 27 | 20 | 41 | 62 | 2 | 212 | 367 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | WNW 8 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | SW 14 | WSW 10 | SE 5 | SW 14 | WSW 9 | WSW 8 | SW 8 | WNW 10 | W 9 | W 13 | SSW 8 | SSW 7 |
— | 33 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 11 | 67 | 25 | 24 | 51 | 19 | 4 | 31 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 32 | 42 | 3 | 217 | 68 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SW 15 | W 9 | SW 14 | SW 14 | N 4 | W 9 | NNE 5 | SSW 13 | NNE 5 | SW 13 | E 5 | WNW 12 | SW 12 |
— | — | — | 25 | 25 | 39 | 21 | 21 | 54 | 13 | 51 | 51 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 17 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 46 | 6 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | N 5 | N 5 | N 6 | N 5 | — | N 6 | E 4 | SE 4 | ESE 5 | NNE 3 | ESE 6 | ESE 7 | SE 4 | E 5 | — | WSW 5 | SW 8 | WSW 7 | — |
808 | 958 | 18 | 57 | 49 | 29 | — | 40 | 6 | 1 | 51 | 4 | 64 | 117 | 17 | 21 | — | 41 | 467 | 53 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 553 | 211 | 14 | 94 | 235 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 359 | 182 | 189 | 262 | 16 | 0 | 211 | 4 | 4 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Cornwall | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Gwithian Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Gwithian provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Gwithian can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Gwithian 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 (Gwithian) 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 Gwithian 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.
Gwithian is 6 km (4 miles) from Camborne. If you plan a holiday in North Cornwall, look for hotels and other accommodation in Camborne. Camborne has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











