Kennack Sands Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get this straight. I’m looking at the forecast for Kennack Sands, and honestly, it’s a tough one. There’s a massive gap at the start here – from Sunday, the 19th of July, right through to the morning of Monday, the 3rd of August, there is basically nothing worth paddling out for. We’re talking well over a week of flat, weak, or just plain poor conditions. The water temperature is sitting at 67°, which is *much warmer than normal* for this time of year – about 6° above average, so that’s very unusual.

For the entire first week, the swell is barely a whisper. You’ll see tiny waves around 0.7ft to 1ft with periods of 3 to 4 seconds – that’s just wind chop. The combined energy is almost non-existent, with values like 1, 3, or 5 (weak energy). The wind is all over the place, mostly onshore or cross-onshore, so it’s messy. Even when the wind goes offshore or glassy, like on Thursday the 23rd afternoon or Saturday the 25th morning, there’s simply no swell to work with.

Now, looking into the second week, it’s still very quiet. From the 26th of July through to the end of the month, we get occasional pulses of very long-period swell from the south – periods of 11 to 16 seconds – but the height is only 0.3ft. That’s like a ghost swell. The combined energy stays low, between 2 and 10 (weak). The offshore winds on the 26th, 27th, and 29th are clean, but there’s nothing to ride.

The real change, if you can call it that, comes on the 2nd of August. Sunday afternoon, the 2nd, we finally see a tiny bump: 2ft from the east, period 4 seconds, with a gentle offshore wind from the northwest. The combined energy is still only 9 (weak). Then on Monday the 3rd of August, we get the best of the entire forecast. Morning: 3ft from the east-southeast, period 4 seconds, with a light cross-shore breeze. The energy is 27 (weak). By the afternoon, it’s 3ft from the east, period 5 seconds, and the wind goes cross-offshore from the southwest. The energy climbs to 57 (still weak). The water is clean.

The standout: If you had to pick one, it’s the afternoon of Monday, the 3rd of August. That’s the only time the swell gets to 3ft, and with light cross-offshore wind, it’ll be the cleanest you’ll see. But keep in mind, Kennack Sands is a *sheltered*, *inconsistent* spot that *rarely breaks* well. The swell direction from the east is not ideal – it’s not the optimum south-southwest. For a beginner, the 3ft is fine, but don’t expect much power. The rest of the window is a write-off.

This is a normal blank run for this area. It tends to stay poor for a while, but forecasts can change. For now, I’d say leave the board in the car.

Rusty.

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