
Surf Forecasts:
Gwithian surf forecast from 5 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 5 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 10s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 7 Sep, 7AM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 14s period, W swell with 2,066 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 5 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 10s 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 Saturday (Sep 05) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 13s. 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 2.3m 14s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 07) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 4s period and expected on Sunday (Sep 06) at 1PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Sat 5th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Sat 5th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Mon 7th Sep) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Gwithian over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Gwithian’s been getting hit by a messy stretch of wind and swell. We’ve got some real punchy energy in the water early on, but the direction is all wrong. Through the first week, it’s mostly onshore or cross-onshore breezes, which is going to make things choppy and blown out. The raw power is there – Monday morning sees a solid 8ft WNW groundswell with a period of 13 seconds, and the combined energy is a powerful 1783 – but that onshore wind from the west is just going to wreck the surface. That’s a real shame. There are a few smaller windows, like Sunday morning with a clean wind, but the swell has dropped right off to 3ft. It’s a pretty bleak couple of weeks overall, with very few real opportunities.
The best bet in this whole outlook is Saturday morning, September 5th. It’s not perfect, but it’s the closest we get to a go. We’ve got a 5ft swell from the WNW with a period of 12 seconds – that’s a nice, solid groundswell. The combined energy is a moderate 748, so there’s some weight in the water. The wind is a light onshore breeze from the WNW, which is 6 mph. It’s not glassy, but with such a light breeze and a break as exposed as Gwithian, the surface will be rideable and not too choppy. The waves will be holding up okay for a beginner-friendly spot, but just be aware that with the swell direction coming straight out of the optimum WNW, it’ll be pumping right in. The water temp is 63°, which is about average for this time of year.
After that, the outlook goes pretty quiet for a solid two weeks. The surf quality is consistently poor, with onshore winds and a dropping swell. The waves get smaller and smaller, with most days showing waist-high or smaller, and it’s not until the very end of the window, around September 19th and 20th, that we see a tiny glimmer. On Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th, we’ve got clean cross-offshore winds from the northeast, but the swell is struggling to get above 2ft. The period picks up well, hitting 10 to 12 seconds, so there’ll be some long, clean lines, but it’s going to be small and weak. For a learner on a longboard, it might be a nice, gentle session. For anyone else, it’s a long way to paddle for not much. Gwithian is a consistent break, so this blank run is a bit out of the ordinary, but these are the cards we’ve been dealt. Forecasts can always change.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Mon night. Warm (max 20°C on Sun morning, min 15°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Thu night. Very mild (max 18°C on Thu night, min 14°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (calm on Wed night, fresh winds from the SSW by Thu night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | |||||||||||||||
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 12 | WNW 11 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 16 | W 13 | W 12 | W 11 | W 9 | W 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | W 8 | WSW 6 | WSW 7 | WSW 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
730 | 415 | 190 | 106 | 74 | 417 | 1783 | 1292 | 1069 | 625 | 436 | 391 | 246 | 193 | 111 | 117 | 302 | 333 | 500 | 277 | 191 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross | cross | on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 11:46AM4.80m | 00:33AM4.60m | 1:19PM4.67m | 2:11AM4.62m | 2:50PM4.93m | 3:30AM4.98m | 3:58PM5.42m | 4:29AM5.45m | 4:50PM5.93m | 5:16AM5.88m | 5:34PM6.33m | 5:57AM6.21m | 6:14PM6.58m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:21PM1.77m | 7:08AM1.90m | 8:05PM1.76m | 8:46AM1.73m | 9:30PM1.39m | 9:58AM1.29m | 10:32PM0.90m | 10:52AM0.81m | 11:20PM0.44m | 11:36AM0.40m | 00:02AM0.12m | 12:16PM0.13m | 00:39AM-0.05m | ||||||||
6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | |
— | 7:58 | — | — | 7:55 | — | — | 7:53 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:49 | — | — | 7:46 | — | — | 7:45 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 17 | 16 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 16 |
Feels °C | 16 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 13 | W 12 | SW 12 | W 9 | W 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | W 9 | W 8 | WSW 6 | WSW 7 | WSW 9 | S 6 | W 8 | W 8 |
730 | 415 | 190 | 106 | 74 | 199 | 1783 | 1292 | 5 | 625 | 436 | 391 | 246 | 154 | 111 | 117 | 302 | 333 | 19 | 277 | 191 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 12 | W 16 | — | SW 12 | — | WSW 10 | SW 11 | SW 11 | — | WSW 8 | WSW 7 | — | W 11 | SSW 7 | — | S 6 | N 5 |
18 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 6 | 417 | — | 5 | — | 205 | 5 | 4 | — | 32 | 17 | — | 2 | 173 | — | 6 | 26 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | N 4 | — | W 20 | SW 12 | — | — | — | SW 11 | S 11 | S 11 | — | N 5 | N 5 | W 12 | — | — | — | S 16 | — |
— | — | 1 | — | 8 | 6 | — | — | — | 5 | 2 | 2 | — | 11 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | 5 | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | S 4 | S 4 | — | — | — | W 11 | — | — | — | N 5 | WNW 9 | — | — | — | — | W 8 | NNW 6 | — |
— | — | — | 17 | 14 | — | — | — | 1069 | — | — | — | 11 | 193 | — | — | — | — | 500 | 85 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 5 | 4 | 0 | 190 | 5 | 5 | 214 | 214 | 173 | 69 | 214 | 168 | 115 | 211 | 211 | 257 | 211 | 316 | 214 | 214 | 94 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Cornwall | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)
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.










