Llantwit Major Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, I’ve had a proper look at the charts for Llantwit Major and I’ll be straight with you—this is a tough stretch for a surfer. It’s a classic point break that gets a fair bit of south-west swell, but the next week and a half is almost entirely a write-off. You’re not going to want to get wet until the end of the forecast.

For the first week, from Monday the 10th through to Friday the 21st of August, it's grim. The swell is tiny, often below 2 ft, and the period is short and weak—mostly around 5 to 8 seconds. The combined wave energy is pathetic, barely getting into double figures early on (21, then 10). A few mornings start glassy, like Monday the 10th morning with a calm sea, but there’s simply no push. The water temperature is sitting at 69°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s not much comfort without waves. You get some clean, cross-offshore winds on Tuesday the 11th morning and Wednesday the 12th morning, but the swell is just a ripple. Thursday the 13th morning is the first time the guidance calls it “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions” with 2 ft of 11-second groundswell from the west and light east-south-east winds—clean enough, but the energy is only 83. It’s not worth paddling out for.

Then from Thursday afternoon through to Saturday the 22nd afternoon, it’s back to tiny surf and lumpy, cross-onshore winds. There’s no consistency, just blank days.

The only flicker of hope comes on Sunday the 23rd of August. The morning shows 6 ft of swell from the west with a 9-second period. The combined energy jumps to 459—that’s moderate, solid energy for this spot. The wind is light from the west-north-west, so it’s only a slight cross-onshore with a few ripples, which means it’ll be a bit bumpy but ridable. This is the standout of the whole 16-day window. For Llantwit Major, a point break, that west swell is right on the optimum direction. However, it’s a long way out, so treat this as promising but not locked in. The afternoon looks worse, with 5 ft and a fresh cross-onshore wind making it choppy, so the morning session on the 23rd is your only real go.

After that, Monday the 24th drops back to mush, and Tuesday the 25th is even worse with a raw 30 km/h onshore wind ruining the 3 ft swell.

So, the summary is: don’t bother until Sunday the 23rd morning. That’s your best bet, but it’s not clean perfection. If that west swell fills in with the light wind, you could get some fun, rippable waves on the inside. For beginners, 6 ft is getting a little big at low tide, so keep an eye on the tide tables. For the rest of the 16 days? Save your petrol.

Rusty.

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