Llantwit Major Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s have a look at what’s on offer for Llantwit Major over the next couple of weeks.

Right now, the water is sitting at 70°F which is a solid 8°F warmer than usual for this time of year. That’s very unusual – the sea is like a bath for August, and that’s a nice bonus if you’re in the water.

The bad news is, there’s not much in the way of decent surf to go with it. The wind is gonna be a problem for the first few days. Monday the 17th kicks off with a cross-on breeze from the WNW, and the swell is tiny – 2 ft and 6 seconds, with weak energy (21). That’s just not going to give you anything rideable. It’s a write-off right through the week. The wind stays cross-on or cross-shore, and the swell tops out at a meagre 5 ft on Wednesday afternoon, but with fresh cross-onshore winds, it’s just lumpy and messy. Even the combined energy climbs to 173 for that session, but it’s all wind chop.

There’s a slight glimmer on Friday morning the 21st – the wind swings around to an ENE cross-off, light breeze, and the conditions clean up. Problem is, the swell is down to 1 ft from the west, with a period of 8 seconds. The energy is a paltry 22. It’s clean, but barely a ripple. That’s not gonna get you out of bed.

The weekend of the 22nd and 23rd sees some glassy conditions, especially Saturday afternoon with a light SE breeze and Sunday morning dead calm. But the swell is almost non-existent – 1 ft or 0.7 ft, with energy dropping to 7 on Sunday. You’d be floating. It’s flat, clean, and frustrating.

The next week doesn’t bring much hope either. Monday the 24th has a brief offshore breeze from the NNE, but again, only 0.7 ft of swell. The energy is still just 7. You could paddle but you’re not catching anything.

The only real blip of interest comes on Wednesday the 26th morning. The swell bumps up to 3 ft from the west, with a period of 9 seconds, and the combined energy hits 122 – that’s moderate. But the wind is a light cross-on from the west, so it’s not clean, just small wind ripples. Still, it’s the best of a bad bunch.

Then on Friday the 28th morning, the swell picks up to 4 ft from the SW with a 10-second period, and the energy jumps to 284 – that’s moderate energy. But the wind is onshore from the SW, and there’s light rain. The conditions are unknown, but onshore wind and rain don’t scream quality. The afternoon has a 3 ft swell with cross-on wind, so it’s still choppy.

The end of the window on the 31st and into September 1st sees the swell holding around 3 ft to 4 ft, and some of the energy readings are strong – 483 on the 31st morning. But the wind is fresh cross-onshore, and with risk of thunderstorms, it’s not a session you’d look forward to.

Honestly, looking at the whole 16-day stretch, it’s a pretty grim run at Llantwit Major. The wind is consistently onshore or cross-shore, and the swell is either too small or too messy. There’s no standout day. The best you can hope for is a clean-ish morning on the 21st or 22nd, but with barely any swell. If you’re desperate for a paddle, Friday morning the 21st with the cross-off breeze might be your only shot, but don’t expect waves.

For now, I’d leave the board in the van and wait for a change in the forecast. This patch of poor surf is more normal here than a run of good waves, so it’s not unexpected. But it’s still a bummer.

Rusty.

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