Surf Forecasts:
Harlyn surf forecast from 17 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 20 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 8s period, W swell with 545 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Harlyn this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Harlyn in the next 16 days are 2.1m 8s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 7ft (2.1m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Harlyn over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, grab your stick and listen up. It’s Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for Harlyn. Gotta be straight with you – it’s a tough stretch ahead. The water is sitting at a balmy 66°F, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s about the only thing that’s firing right now.
We’re looking at a long, dry spell for proper waves. From now through most of the forecast, the conditions are just plain average to poor. The energy in the water is weak to moderate at best, with combined swell energy readings barely getting into triple digits for days – around 106 on Monday morning, and struggling to 133 that afternoon. It’s small, it’s choppy, and the wind is mostly cross or cross-on, which isn’t doing us any favours. This stretch looks pretty grim through the 17th of August until the 25th. There will be a noticeable gap in worthwhile surf from the start right up until later in the month.
Now, the first real glimmer of hope shows up on Wednesday, the 26th of August morning. It’s not a world-beater, but we get a clean window. The wind goes light from the southwest, cross-off, and the swell is 5ft from the west with a 8-second period. The combined energy bumps up to a solid moderate 317. It’ll be surfable and clean, but nothing that’ll send you running for the phone.
The two standouts in this whole 16-day outlook come late in the run. First up, the afternoon of Friday, the 28th of August. We see a solid 7ft of swell from the WSW with a 9-second period, and the wind swings around to a gentle cross-off from the southwest. That’s clean surf, and the combined energy is a beefy 838 – that’s proper moderate to strong power. This is the best combination of size and clean conditions on offer, and it’s a real highlight for the period. Remember though, 7ft is getting into the range that might be too much for beginners.
Then, on Sunday, the 30th of August afternoon, we get another crack. The swell pushes up to 8ft from the west with a 9-second period, and again the wind is light and cross-off from the southwest. The combined energy jumps to a very strong 908. The sets will be powerful. This one is for the experienced crew, as it’s solidly in expert-only territory size-wise.
The whole period is a watch-and-wait game, but those two afternoons on the 28th and 30th are your best bets for a proper, clean paddle at Harlyn.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Warm (max 20°C on Mon morning, min 17°C on Mon afternoon). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Fri morning. Very mild (max 19°C on Sat afternoon, min 15°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | |||||||||||||||
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 6 | W 8 | W 6 | WNW 6 | W 6 | WNW 7 | W 6 | W 7 | W 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 9 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | N 5 | N 5 | N 5 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 60 | 118 | 72 | 139 | 130 | 175 | 94 | 212 | 545 | 245 | 506 | 246 | 108 | 80 | 37 | 45 | 40 | 25 | 33 | 28 | 33 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 9:19PM6.35m | 9:38AM5.98m | 9:57PM5.84m | 10:17AM5.52m | 10:38PM5.30m | 11:01AM5.06m | 11:28PM4.80m | 11:59AM4.65m | 00:39AM4.43m | 1:23PM4.42m | 2:13AM4.35m | 2:55PM4.54m | 3:34AM4.59m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 3:13PM0.60m | 3:35AM0.82m | 3:50PM1.03m | 4:11AM1.29m | 4:29PM1.50m | 4:51AM1.77m | 5:16PM1.96m | 5:43AM2.20m | 6:22PM2.34m | 7:02AM2.49m | 7:57PM2.48m | 8:40AM2.46m | 9:27PM2.28m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | |  | | | | | | |  | | | | |  | | | | |
 | 6:09 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — |
 | — | 8:37 | — | — | 8:35 | — | — | 8:32 | — | — | 8:30 | — | — | 8:29 | — | — | 8:27 | — | — | 8:24 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 17 |
Feels °C | 19 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 10 | 12 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | SW 18 | W 16 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 17 | W 8 | SW 16 | WSW 15 | W 9 | WNW 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 9 | W 10 | NNW 5 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 |
| kJ | 40 | 12 | 5 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 78 | 10 | 23 | 169 | 506 | 246 | 108 | 80 | 37 | 45 | 16 | 25 | 14 | 14 | 6 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 18 | — | — | — | — | — | SW 16 | — | — | SW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | N 5 | SW 13 | SW 16 | N 4 | W 9 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 |
| kJ | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | 10 | — | — | 8 | 20 | 19 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 40 | 21 | 19 | 19 | 20 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 13 | SW 16 | SW 13 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 10 | 7 | 21 | 21 | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 6 | W 8 | W 6 | WNW 6 | W 6 | WNW 7 | W 6 | W 7 | W 8 | WNW 7 | — | N 4 | — | NNW 5 | NNW 5 | — | — | N 5 | N 5 | N 5 | N 5 |
| kJ | 60 | 118 | 72 | 139 | 130 | 175 | 94 | 212 | 545 | 245 | — | 6 | — | 22 | 23 | — | — | 11 | 33 | 28 | 33 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 403 | 245 | 305 | 256 | 227 | 216 | 222 | 227 | 335 | 127 | 227 | 44 | 2 | 57 | 42 | 2 | 7 | 56 | 302 | 56 | 48 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Cornwall | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Harlyn Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Harlyn provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Harlyn can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Harlyn 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 (Harlyn) 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 Harlyn 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.
Harlyn is 6 km (4 miles) from Padstow. If you plan a holiday in North Cornwall, look for hotels and other accommodation in Padstow. Padstow has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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