Gwithian Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what the next couple of weeks have in store for us around Gwithian. It’s gonna be a tale of two halves, with a proper grind to start before we get any real reward.

We’re looking at a long, quiet start. The first few days, from Tuesday the 15th right through to the end of that week, are pretty much a write-off. There’s a lot of swell running, but it’s all blown out and messy. Onshore winds just kill it day after day, with waves in the 6ft to 7ft range but totally junky. The combined energy is moderate to strong, hitting up to 1414, but it doesn't matter when the wind's got it all chopped up. It’s a solid stretch of poor conditions.

The first real glimmer of hope comes on Sunday the 20th. We get a glassy morning with the wind dropping to basically nothing. Swell drops to 5ft from the west at 10 seconds. The energy is a modest 451, but with the clean surface, there are some real gems to be had if you’re patient. It’s not pumping, but it’s the best we’ve seen by a mile. That morning is a real standout for a sneaky, clean session.

Then we get a nice run of clean days. Monday the 21st morning is glassy again, though the swell is down to 3ft. It’s small, but clean as a whistle. The real highlight though, the one to circle on your calendar, is Tuesday the 22nd. That morning kicks off with clean 3ft surf and a super long 18-second period from the WNW – proper groundswell energy with that long wait between sets. The wind is offshore and light, the combined energy is a solid 797, and it’s looking clean. Then that afternoon? Magic. It goes glassy with the wind swinging, and the swell jumps to 5ft with a 16-second period, giving us a combined energy of 1482. The report says “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers”, and that’s no joke. That afternoon is the absolute peak of the whole forecast. For a spot like Gwithian, which is a fairly exposed beach setup, this kind of long-period, glassy, clean surf is the holy grail. The best on offer, no question.

Wednesday the 23rd morning keeps the good run going with clean offshore winds and 5ft swell, but the period drops back a bit. After that, the energy fades. We get a few days of clean but small surf through the 24th and 25th, nothing to get too excited about with the swell dipping below 3ft. Confidence is high for the near-term calls, but the long-range outlook gets messy again.

The weekend of the 27th and 28th looks big, but it’s not good. Sunday the 28th morning shows a massive 15ft swell from the west, with the combined energy hitting a whopping 3921 and the report even stating the swell is "predicted to be too big for this break". That is expert-only territory, and even then it’ll be a washing machine with onshore winds. That’s more of a kite-surfing day than a paddle-surfing day, if you ask me. The following days clean up a bit with offshore winds, but the swell is still large and the conditions are described as marginal.

So, in short: suffer through the first week, then lock in Sunday the 20th morning for a quiet one, and absolutely don’t miss Tuesday the 22nd afternoon for the best session of the fortnight.

- Rusty

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