Gwithian Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a long, hard look at what Gwithian’s got cooking for the next couple of weeks. I gotta be straight with you – it’s a tough start. The first real sniff of anything worth paddling out for doesn’t show up until Friday the 24th. That’s a solid ten-day wait with nothing but tiny, junk waves and dodgy winds. Don’t get your hopes up before that.

Right, the early stuff: from Tuesday the 14th right through to Thursday the 23rd, we’re looking at ankle-snappers at best. Swell heights are barely scraping 2ft, periods are short, and the energy is weak. It's a write-off for proper surfing.

Now, things start to get interesting on Friday the 24th of July. The morning kicks off with a bit of a roar – a 2ft swell from the WNW, with a long period of 12 seconds, packing moderate energy (158). But that wind is a near-gale offshore at 31 mph. That’s a power kite day, not a paddle day. The afternoon cleans right up though. We get a glassy, gentle breeze, with the same 3ft swell holding and energy building to 178. Clean but a bit raw.

Saturday the 25th is where we get our first real standout. Afternoon session is the one. The wind goes glassy – dead calm – and we’ve got a 3ft groundswell from the west with a touch of energy (149). It’s surfable, but the conditions are described as “surfable but very ordinary”. Still, for the first time in a fortnight, you can actually sit out there and not get blown off your board. The water’s a touch warmer than normal for the season at 64°F, so that’s a nice bonus.

Sunday the 26th of July sees the swell start to pump up. Morning has 4ft from the west, period 9 seconds, and clean conditions with a moderate cross-off breeze. The energy is solid at 292. It's a bit stronger, but still manageable for most. The afternoon gets bigger – 5ft (372 energy) – but the wind picks up to 19 mph from the south, still cross-off but getting fresh. The westerly swell will be wrapping in nicely.

Then we hit Monday the 27th of July. This is the big one, but for experts only. We’ve got a 8ft swell from the west in the morning, and it’s packing some serious weight with energy at 716. Period drops to 8 seconds, so it’s windswell, not groundswell, but there’s a lot of water moving. Afternoon is 7ft (803 energy). This is proper, expert-level, hold-your-breath kind of stuff. It’s going to be a washing machine on the beach. This setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing unless you’re a seasoned local.

Tuesday the 28th is still big at 7ft, but the wind goes cross-shore and fresh, making it lumpy and choppy. Not great. Wednesday the 29th drops back to 4ft and cleaner cross-off winds, bringing the energy back down to 270. A much more manageable size for a wider range of surfers.

As for the break itself, Gwithian is a consistent, fairly exposed beginner-friendly beach, best on a WNW swell, which is what’s coming. It can get crowded here, especially on a decent day like Saturday the 25th. For the standouts, Saturday afternoon is your best bet if you want something clean and rideable without getting pounded. For the big-wave crew, Monday the 27th is the one to circle on the calendar, but that’s a promise that’s a week away and a lot can change.

Rusty, signing off.

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