Mawgan Porth Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you – it’s a tough watch out there at Mawgan Porth for the next couple of weeks. We’re looking at a long stretch of poor conditions, so let’s get into it.

Right off the bat, there’s nothing worth paddling out for. The wind is howling from the WNW at 16 mph on Tuesday the 18th, with a weak 4 ft swell that’s only got a short period of 6 seconds. The water temperature is 66°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s not gonna help the surf. The combined swell energy is weak at just 154, and the report doesn’t lie – it’s poor. We stay in the doldrums through Wednesday the 19th and into Thursday the 20th, where the swell bumps up to 8 ft with moderate energy (799) but the cross-onshore wind is lumpy and fresh. That’s a no-go.

There’s a tiny glimmer on Friday morning the 21st. We get a brief window of clean conditions with a light offshore breeze from the ENE. The waves are tiny at 3 ft, period a short 8 seconds, and the energy is weak at just 195. The rating says it’s surfable but very ordinary – and I’d agree. It’s a beginner-level day for a longboard if you’re desperate, but don’t expect much.

After that, the bottom drops out. From Friday afternoon all the way through to the end of the month, it’s a desert. We’re talking day after day of weak swells, onshore or cross winds, and poor surf conditions. The swell period drops to a pathetic 5 seconds on the 22nd, and the energy dips below 100. There’s nothing to get excited about until the very end of the run.

The best we see in the whole 16 days is late in the forecast, around Saturday the 29th of August into Sunday the 30th. The swell picks back up to 6 ft from a W direction, with period stretching to 9 seconds, giving us a moderate combined energy of 550. But – and it’s a big but – the wind is still cross-on from the WNW. It’s messy, lumpy, and choppy. For a river break like Mawgan Porth, a long-period swell like that (9-10 seconds) can actually make the shape worse, and with that cross-on breeze it’s just not clean. It’s onshore, so you’re fighting it.

Honestly, if I were you, I’d look for something else to do for the next fortnight. The consistency here is poor, and the forecasts haven’t turned in our favour. Conditions look more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing on those bigger, windier days. It’s a blank run, and for this area, that’s just how it goes sometimes. Stay hopeful, forecasts can change, but right now? Not one standout day.

Rusty.

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