Maenporth Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. I’m looking at the next 16 days for Maenporth, and honestly, it’s a pretty grim run for the most part. We’ve got a long stretch of nothing, then a flash of something big and dangerous right at the end.

Right now, the surf is a write-off. Monday the 24th through to the end of August is just poor. We’ve got a fresh cross-onshore wind from the East at 22 mph, blowing straight into the swell, making it lumpy and messy. Swell heights hang around 5 ft to 7 ft, but it’s all short-period windswell at 7 seconds, with moderate to strong combined energy (334 to 516). It’s just not surfable with that wind. The water temperature is running at 65°, which is a touch warmer than normal for the time of year.

The pattern doesn’t shift much. Tuesday the 25th stays cross-on, Wednesday the 26th drops to tiny 1 ft leftovers, and even the few moments of offshore wind, like Friday afternoon the 28th with a light 12 mph offshore from the NW, only give us a tiny 2 ft wave. That’s barely a ripple. From then on, it’s a dead zone. Saturday the 29th through to Saturday the 6th of September is mostly flat, with swell heights under 1 ft and combined energy barely reaching double digits. Long-period groundswells try to show up (16 to 18 seconds), but there’s no height to back them.

Then, on Sunday the 6th of September, things start to change. The afternoon sees a sudden jump to 12 ft from the SW, but with a short 8-second period, and a fresh cross-offshore wind. The combined energy hits 1819. The setup is big, but it’s a messy, marginal proposition. The real standout, and the only thing worth talking about here, is Monday the 7th of September. We’ve got a massive 15 ft swell from the WSW, with a very long 17-second period, and a clean, moderate offshore wind from the WNW. The combined energy is a whopping 12390. This is expert territory – over 8 ft, it’s only for the very experienced. This is a huge, powerful groundswell, and on a beach break like Maenporth, it might break too straight and be a handful. It’s a massive, powerful, and dangerous day. The forecast is for “very good surf conditions” but it’s a week away, so keep an eye on it. After that, Tuesday the 8th drops to a still solid 10 ft, but with a shorter 10-second period, and a clean offshore wind from the NW.

So, the honest truth? There’s a long, flat, and choppy run from now until the 6th of September. The only real highlight is that one day on Monday the 7th, but it’s a serious, expert-only swell. If you’re not ready for that, there’s nothing here.

- Rusty

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