Gwithian Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here again, now in feet and miles. Let's be straight – Gwithian is looking pretty grim for the next couple of weeks. This whole 16-day window is filled with "poor surf conditions," so don't get your hopes up. There are no standout days worth paddling out for. The best advice is to leave the board in the shed and wait for the next proper swell. A few days toward the end of the second week offer a glimmer of hope, but it’s a long way off.

Kicking off Sunday the 19th of July, it's flat out grim. We've got a tiny 2-3ft swell from the north with a short period of 6 seconds and weak energy (45). A light cross-offshore breeze will keep the surface clean, but there’s just no power behind it. This limp noodle pattern carries on right through the week. Monday the 20th offers a tiny 2ft north swell, with a light offshore in the morning, but the energy is still pathetic (41). Tuesday the 21st is a bit bigger at 2-3ft but the period is still a paltry 5 seconds, and the wind swings cross-shore.

By Wednesday the 22nd, the wind picks up to a moderate breeze at 15 mph, creating lumpy cross-chop on a 3ft north swell. Not pretty. Thursday the 23rd sees the combined energy finally tick into triple digits (104) with a 3-4ft north swell, but it’s accompanied by a moderate cross-shore breeze and that lumpy chop. The quality is still poor. Friday the 24th drops back to a tiny 1-2ft – not even worth looking at.

Moving into the second week, we get a bit more size but no quality. Saturday the 25th has a 3-4ft north-west swell, though it's onshore and choppy. Then Sunday the 26th brings the biggest swell of the entire forecast – a 5ft groundswell from the west-northwest with moderate wave energy (197) and a period of 7 seconds. However, it's accompanied by fresh onshore wind at 12 mph. This is onshore slop, not clean surf. For a beach break like Gwithian, that onshore wind and short period will just make for a lumpy, close-out mess. With those conditions and a strong wind, this setup honestly looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The wind stays onshore or cross-onshore all the way through to the end of July and the start of August. Monday the 27th is slightly cleaner with a lighter breeze but the swell drops to 3-4ft and the energy weakens. By Saturday the 1st of August, we finally see a subtle improvement. The swell holds at 3ft but the period stretches to 10 seconds, giving us a longer-period groundswell from the west-northwest. The combined energy is moderate (132). The catch? The morning has a light cross-onshore breeze, but it's still clean enough for the small waves. For a beach break like Gwithian, a longer-period groundswell can sometimes break a bit too straight in the shore dump, but the light wind is a positive.

Sunday the 2nd drops back to a 2ft west swell with a 9-second period and a light onshore wind in the morning. Not worth the effort. Monday the 3rd is the last day of the forecast with a tiny 2ft west swell, a long period of 11 seconds, and a moderate cross-shore wind. The energy is weak (85).

So, in summary, there are zero days in this entire 16-day window that I’d call good. The whole stretch is consistently poor. For Gwithian, a blank run like this isn't unusual – it’s part of the summer pattern. The forecasts can change though, so keep an eye out, but for now, give the water a miss. This is Rusty, signing off.

Read more