
Surf Forecasts:
Kennack Sands surf forecast from 11 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 12 Aug, 1PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 5s period, E swell with 52 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Kennack Sands this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Kennack Sands in the next 16 days are 1.0m 5s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 12) at 1PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.8m 7s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 18) at 1PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 1PM (Wed 12th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 5s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Kennack Sands over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, it’s Rusty here. I’ve had a look at the charts for Kennack Sands, and I’ll be honest with you—it’s a tough stretch. The good news is we’ve got a long window, and there’s a little glimmer of something at the end, but you’re going to need a lot of patience for this one.
The overall pattern for the next couple of weeks is pretty weak. We’re looking at a whole lot of tiny, short-period swell, and the wind is just not playing ball for most of it. The first week, especially, is a write-off.
We start off on Tuesday, the 11th, with barely a ripple. A 1 ft ESE windswell with a 3-second period, but a cross-onshore breeze has it chopped up. The combined energy is a very weak 1. Not worth getting wet.
Wednesday the 12th is a little bigger, pushing to 3 ft, but it’s still short-period windswell from the east. The morning is cross-onshore, the afternoon goes more onshore, so it’s not going to be pretty. Still, the energy creeps up to 29 in the morning and 43 in the afternoon, but size and period just aren’t there.
Thursday the 13th sees a drop in size and the wind switches offshore. It’s clean but tiny – 1 ft at most with energy around 8-11. A few little dribblers for a longboard, but that’s about it.
The weekend is very poor. Friday the 14th has a hint of a longer-period south swell, 13 seconds, but it’s only 0.3 ft. Energy is in single digits. Saturday and Sunday are nearly flat, maybe a 0.3 ft blip, but nothing worth planning a session around.
The start of the next week, the 17th and 18th, is more of the same. Tiny south swells with hopeless energy. The wind is fresh, and it’s not doing us any favors. You’d be better off finding something else to do.
Now, here’s the one thing that catches my eye. We get a new, slightly better SW groundswell arriving on the 19th. It’s still small, only 0.7 ft, but the period is a proper 16 seconds. That’s a long-period groundswell, which means real energy for the size. The energy readings for the 19th are 24, which is still weak, but it’s the best we’ve seen. The wind is offshore or cross-offshore, so it will be clean.
The standout moment is the morning of Thursday, the 20th. It’s still just 0.7 ft, but look at that wind—it’s glassy. A complete glass-off with a 14-second SSW groundswell. This is your only real chance for a clean wave, but you’re going to need a big board and a lot of patience. The energy is at 21, which for this size is about as good as it gets. This is the one to keep an eye on if you’re desperate.
After that, we see another weak SSW pulse roll through from the 21st to the 23rd, with periods up to 15 seconds. Still only 0.7 ft, but the winds are mostly offshore or clean. A couple of those morning sessions on the 22nd could be worth a paddle on a longboard if you manage expectations.
The final few days of the window, from the 24th onward, are just bad. The swell goes back to tiny east windswill, and then the wind picks up big time. We’re looking at strong breeze to near-gale conditions, and the surf just fades away to zero.
So here’s the deal. Kennack Sands is a sheltered spot, and it’s inconsistent at the best of times. For the next two weeks, it’s going to be a battle. The water temp is 66°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, but you won't be feeling it if you're just bobbing around. My one pick, and I use that term loosely, is the glassy morning of Thursday the 20th. It won’t be big, but it might be your only clean, rideable wave of the fortnight. Beyond that, it’s one for the kite surfers, not the paddle surfers.
Rusty out.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Thu morning, min 19°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Fri afternoon, min 15°C on Sat night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ESE 3 | ESE 4 | E 5 | E 5 | E 5 | E 5 | E 5 | E 5 | S 11 | S 13 | S 13 | S 13 | W 8 | S 12 | S 20 | WNW 7 | S 18 | S 18 | S 18 | S 18 | S 19 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
1 | 11 | 32 | 29 | 43 | 12 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-off | off | off | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | off |
High Tide | 4:29PM4.57m | 4:56AM4.47m | 5:19PM4.87m | 5:44AM4.68m | 6:04PM5.07m | 6:27AM4.80m | 6:46PM5.14m | 7:08AM4.81m | 7:27PM5.07m | 7:48AM4.72m | 8:06PM4.88m | 8:26AM4.54m | 8:45PM4.58m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:50AM0.55m | 11:22PM0.27m | 11:41AM0.23m | 00:10AM-0.02m | 12:27PM0.00m | 00:54AM-0.19m | 1:09PM-0.10m | 1:35AM-0.21m | 1:49PM-0.07m | 2:14AM-0.09m | 2:28PM0.09m | 2:52AM0.15m | 3:06PM0.34m | 3:28AM0.47m | |||||||
6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | |
— | 8:46 | — | — | 8:45 | — | — | 8:43 | — | — | 8:40 | — | — | 8:39 | — | — | 8:37 | — | — | 8:36 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 17 | 20 | 19 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 19 |
Feels °C | 18 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 15 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | W 11 | WSW 10 | WSW 9 | WSW 9 | WSW 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | S 13 | W 8 | W 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 7 | W 9 | W 8 |
20 | 18 | 119 | 131 | 144 | 185 | 343 | 290 | 220 | 130 | 3 | 108 | 168 | 159 | 107 | 28 | 37 | 24 | 15 | 15 | 256 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 6 | W 9 | SW 6 | SW 12 | E 5 | E 5 | E 5 | E 5 | E 5 | — | S 13 | S 13 | — | S 12 | S 12 | WSW 8 | E 5 | E 5 | W 10 | W 7 | S 16 |
6 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 43 | 12 | 8 | 9 | 2 | — | 3 | 3 | — | 3 | 3 | 19 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 5 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 10 | SW 6 | SW 12 | SW 6 | SW 5 | — | — | S 11 | S 11 | S 13 | — | — | — | — | S 20 | — | S 18 | S 18 | S 18 | S 18 | S 19 |
8 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 2 | 2 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 7 | — | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 3 | ESE 4 | E 5 | E 5 | — | — | NW 2 | WNW 3 | WNW 3 | W 4 | W 9 | WNW 6 | NNE 2 | NNW 3 | NE 5 | NNE 3 | — | — | — | SW 3 | — |
1 | 11 | 32 | 29 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 258 | 55 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 5 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 410 | 165 | 30 | 30 | 15 | 8 | 16 | 186 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 194 | 19 | 226 | 425 | 449 | 529 | 286 |
Best forecast wave conditions in South Cornwall | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Kennack Sands Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Kennack Sands provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Kennack Sands can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Kennack Sands 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 (Kennack Sands) 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 Kennack Sands 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.
Kennack Sands is 9 km (6 miles) from The Lizard. If you plan a holiday in South Cornwall, look for hotels and other accommodation in The Lizard. The Lizard has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











