
Surf Forecasts:
Gwithian surf forecast from 15 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 22 Sep, 4PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 16s period, WNW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 18 Sep, 4AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 12s period, WNW swell with 1,903 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 20 Sep, 10AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 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 Sunday (Sep 20) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.5m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 14s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Gwithian in the next 16 days are 2.5m 12s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 18) at 4AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 4s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 22) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10AM (Sun 20th Sep) | 5ft (1.5m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 4PM (Tue 22nd Sep) | 5ft (1.6m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 4AM (Fri 18th Sep) | 8ft (2.5m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Gwithian over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
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
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Wed night. Very mild (max 16°C on Tue morning, min 14°C on Wed morning). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 18°C on Sun afternoon, min 15°C on Fri morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SW on Fri afternoon, calm by Sun night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | Monday 21 | |||||||||||||||
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) | W 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | W 10 | W 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 10 | WNW 13 | W 12 | W 8 | W 8 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 12 | W 11 | W 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
407 | 437 | 740 | 1027 | 778 | 586 | 596 | 692 | 1111 | 1408 | 1190 | 378 | 337 | 766 | 578 | 443 | 339 | 255 | 284 | 242 | 208 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | glassy | on | on | glassy | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 8:36PM5.87m | 8:52AM5.66m | 9:11PM5.40m | 9:28AM5.22m | 9:49PM4.90m | 10:08AM4.76m | 10:34PM4.42m | 11:03AM4.32m | 11:44PM4.03m | 12:31PM4.06m | 1:32AM3.93m | 2:18PM4.17m | 3:00AM4.20m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 2:33PM0.56m | 2:49AM0.80m | 3:06PM0.95m | 3:22AM1.23m | 3:42PM1.40m | 3:59AM1.68m | 4:26PM1.85m | 4:48AM2.11m | 5:31PM2.25m | 6:09AM2.41m | 7:15PM2.41m | 7:59AM2.40m | 8:52PM2.19m | ||||||||
6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | |
— | 7:36 | — | — | 7:34 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:29 | — | — | 7:27 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:22 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 |
Feels °C | 11 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | N 5 | — | S 13 | S 13 | SW 12 | S 17 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | SW 15 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 12 | W 11 | W 10 |
2 | 2 | 2 | 1027 | 778 | 9 | — | 3 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 199 | 164 | 9 | 578 | 443 | 339 | 255 | 284 | 242 | 208 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | S 11 | S 11 | N 6 | S 13 | — | — | — | S 18 | S 12 | SW 16 | SW 16 | — | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 |
— | — | 2 | 2 | 29 | 4 | — | — | — | 6 | 3 | 10 | 10 | — | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 18 | S 15 | S 12 | S 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | N 6 | — | W 10 | W 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 10 | WNW 13 | W 12 | W 8 | W 8 | W 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | SE 6 |
407 | 437 | 740 | 29 | — | 586 | 596 | 692 | 1111 | 1408 | 1190 | 378 | 337 | 766 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 214 | 283 | 109 | 14 | 211 | 515 | 553 | 214 | 168 | 223 | 211 | 223 | 223 | 211 | 168 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
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.










