Kennack Sands Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Kennack Sands over the next couple of weeks. Straight up, I gotta be honest with you – this is a tough stretch. The outlook is quiet, and we’ve got a long, dry gap to start. There’s no surf worth paddling out for until late in the second week, and even then it’s tiny.

For the first ten days or so, from Thursday the 20th of August right through to the end of the month, the swell is basically a no-show. We’re looking at flat, low-energy conditions – we’re talking a combined swell energy barely cracking 20 or 30 (between 17 and 55 for the most part). The water temperature at the start is sitting at 66°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s about the only thing worth noting. The wind is often offshore or clean, but with next to no waves, that doesn't mean a thing. You’ll see a bit of a bump in size around Monday the 24th and Wednesday the 26th, with some cross-onshore wind and messy, lumpy conditions – the swell energy gets up to 377 or 394, but with periods around 6 to 8 seconds and onshore breeze, it’s just a choppy, blown-out mess. That Monday afternoon sees swell height up to 7 ft but with short period and strong cross-onshore wind, that’s one for the kites, not the paddle.

Things stay poor right through until the very end of the run. Finally, around Monday the 31st of August, we see a little glimmer. A small SSW swell bumps in at 3 ft with a 9-second period and moderate offshore wind from the NW, giving clean conditions. The energy is weak though, only 88. It’s not going to set the world on fire, but if you’re desperate, it’s the only halfway decent window in the whole outlook. That Tuesday morning the 1st of September is clean too, but the swell drops right back to 1 ft.

So the standout, if you can call it that, is Monday the 31st of August and Tuesday the 1st of September. Kennack Sands, being sheltered and inconsistent, just doesn’t have the exposure to pick up much from the SSW. The optimum swell direction is SSW, which matches what we get at the end, but the size is tiny and the energy is weak. Still, with clean offshore wind, a longboard session might be on the cards. Just don’t expect any power – this is a glassy, knee-high dribble.

Honestly, it’s a quiet period, and a blank run like this isn’t unusual for a sheltered spot. Forecasts can change, but right now, I’d save the wax for another week.

Rusty.

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