Surf Forecasts:
Harlyn surf forecast from 28 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 29 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 6s period, WSW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 31 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 10s period, W swell with 2,053 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 29 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 6s period with WSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Harlyn this week:
The surf forecast for Harlyn over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 29) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 8s. Another secondary swell of 0.1m and 11s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Harlyn in the next 16 days are 3.5m 10s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 31) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 6s period and expected on Friday (Aug 28) at 4PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Sat 29th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Sat 29th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 6s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Mon 31st Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Harlyn over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let me look at what we've got here for Harlyn. Pull up a seat.
Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you: the whole 16-day window is a bit of a downer for surfers. There’s not a single day that really gets the green light for a proper paddle. The scores are all zero, which tells you everything you need to know. The swell energy is weak to moderate at best, with values like 21 (weak) up to 1872 (strong wave energy), but it’s all tied to "poor surf conditions". A lot of the time, the wind is just too strong or from the wrong direction, messing up what little shape the swell has.
Friday, August 28 we're looking at a tiny 1 ft swell from the WNW with a period of 9 seconds, but a fresh breeze at 19 mph is making a mess of it. Not worth getting wet for.
Saturday, August 29 gets a bit more size but it’s ugly. The morning has 5 ft from the SW with a short, weak period of 7 seconds and a near gale wind. That afternoon, it jumps to 11 ft from the WSW, but it’s a strong cross-shore with messy chop. That’s heavy energy (1872), but it’s just a washing machine. That kind of size over 8 ft is expert-only territory anyway, and with the wind, it’s a no-go.
Sunday, August 30 is a little cleaner with cross-off winds, but 5 ft to 7 ft from the west with a 9-second period and moderate energy (473 to 633) just isn’t doing it for me. It’s all "poor surf conditions".
Monday, August 31 we get 10 ft from the west with a 10-second period and strong wave energy (1476), but it’s a fresh cross-onshore wind making it lumpy. Another one for experts only if they’re desperate, but it won’t be good.
We see a bit of a lull in size from Tuesday, September 1 through Wednesday, September 2, with small 3 ft swells and light breezes, but still nothing clean enough.
Thursday, September 3 and Friday, September 4 look like the most interesting swell pulses, but the quality just isn't there. Thursday has 6 ft from the west with an 8-second period and moderate energy (442), and Friday morning even shows a 6 ft west swell with a very long period of 13 seconds and strong energy (1123)! That’s a proper groundswell. But both days are let down by fresh to strong breezes that keep the conditions “poor.” A long-period swell like that, over 11 seconds, would normally be a highlight at a point break or reef, but Harlyn is sheltered and doesn't have the setup to make the most of it, especially with that wind.
The rest of the run into mid-September drops off into small, weak, onshore junk. Swell energy plummets into the double digits (54 to 94), and when it finally builds again on September 9 with 8 ft from the WSW and moderate energy (850), the wind is a fresh breeze. The final kick on September 10 has 10 ft from the WNW with a near gale wind of 31 mph. That’s just dangerous and blown out.
Honestly, for surfers, this is a write-off. The conditions never align. The one potential standout was Friday, September 4th, with that long-period groundswell, but the wind killed it. For the rest, with the combination of significant swell and poor quality, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than for a paddle session.
Keep your hopes on the next swell train. Sometimes it stays poor, but forecasts change.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 32mm), heaviest during Fri night. Very mild (max 19°C on Fri afternoon, min 17°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (light winds from the WSW on Thu night, near gales from the WSW by Sat morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Very mild (max 17°C on Sun night, min 15°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the WNW on Sun night, light winds from the WNW by Wed morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | |||||||||||||||
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 9 | WNW 8 | WSW 6 | SW 7 | WSW 9 | W 9 | W 9 | WSW 9 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 6 | W 8 | WNW 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
16 | 7 | 87 | 248 | 1872 | 921 | 473 | 631 | 2053 | 1476 | 854 | 356 | 194 | 146 | 157 | 78 | 90 | 19 | 421 | 422 | 507 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 6:17AM6.17m | 6:32PM6.55m | 6:49AM6.44m | 7:04PM6.77m | 7:21AM6.61m | 7:37PM6.86m | 7:54AM6.65m | 8:11PM6.80m | 8:29AM6.56m | 8:48PM6.59m | 9:07AM6.32m | 9:28PM6.23m | 9:50AM5.96m | 10:16PM5.77m | |||||||
Low Tide | 12:30PM0.58m | 00:50AM0.40m | 1:01PM0.36m | 1:21AM0.24m | 1:33PM0.25m | 1:53AM0.21m | 2:05PM0.27m | 2:26AM0.31m | 2:40PM0.43m | 3:01AM0.55m | 3:18PM0.71m | 3:40AM0.92m | 4:02PM1.10m | ||||||||
6:26 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | |
— | 8:14 | — | — | 8:12 | — | — | 8:09 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:06 | — | — | 8:04 | — | — | 8:00 | — | |
mm | — | — | 12 | 8 | 1 | — | 1 | 8 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 |
Feels °C | 14 | 14 | 16 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 15 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | — | — | W 9 | W 9 | N 5 | — | — | W 9 | W 10 | W 9 | SW 17 | SW 16 | W 6 | WSW 16 | WNW 8 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WNW 14 |
16 | 7 | 6 | — | — | 921 | 473 | 2 | — | — | 854 | 356 | 194 | 12 | 10 | 78 | 24 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 105 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 11 | — | SW 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 5 | N 5 | — | — | WNW 8 | — | SW 15 | — | — | WSW 15 |
5 | — | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 2 | — | — | 22 | — | 8 | — | — | 23 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 18 | — | — | SW 16 | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 5 | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | SW 7 | WSW 9 | — | — | WSW 9 | W 10 | W 10 | — | — | — | W 9 | W 8 | — | W 8 | W 6 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 |
53 | 131 | 87 | 248 | 1872 | — | — | 631 | 2053 | 1476 | — | — | — | 146 | 157 | — | 90 | 62 | 421 | 422 | 507 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 281 | 222 | 519 | 249 | 227 | 45 | 68 | 481 | 552 | 245 | 149 | 1 | 1 | 227 | 123 | 57 | 49 | 226 | 15 | 227 | 253 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Cornwall | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)
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.










