Mawgan Porth Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab a coffee and settle in, because this 16-day window for Mawgan Porth is a real mixed bag. We’ve got a long stretch of small, messy, or just plain blown-out surf ahead, with one big, late-play that could be a gem if you’re an experienced surfer. Let’s break it down.

Right now, through the first week and a bit, it’s pretty grim. The water’s a touch warmer than normal for this time of year at 64°, but that’s about the only highlight. We’ve got a real dry spell starting off. The first few days from Friday the 17th through to the 20th are all tiny, weak waves – we’re talking 1 ft to 4 ft of choppy, short-period windswell. The combined energy is pitiful, barely cracking 18 to 91 (weak energy). Winds are mostly cross or cross-shore, gusty, and just making a mess of things. This is a river break, so it needs love, but it ain’t getting any.

We get a slight lift on the morning of Sunday the 19th with a bit of offshore wind from the east, but the swell is still tiny at 2 ft and from the north. It’s clean, but pretty ordinary. The next few days, Monday the 20th through to Tuesday the 22nd, are just more of the same: small, weak, and mostly cross-shore. The morning of Tuesday the 21st sees a brief moment of clean, surfable waves with a light offshore from the ESE, but the swell is only 1 ft from the WNW with a combined energy of 63 (weak). It’s a paddling session, not a surfing one.

We have a little window of glassy conditions on the morning of Thursday the 23rd, but again, the swell is tiny at 3 ft from the north. It’s surfable but very ordinary. The same goes for the morning of Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th. Sunday the 26th actually looks like the best of a bad bunch early on – the morning brings a clean 3 ft from the west with an offshore easterly breeze, and the afternoon goes glassy with a 4 ft west swell. The combined energy gets up to 82 (weak). It’s still small, but it’s the first real chance of a fun little wave.

Then things get weird. From Monday the 27th through to Wednesday the 30th, the swell pumps up, but the wind is a disaster. Monday afternoon sees 6 ft from the west with onshore winds, jumping to 7 ft on Wednesday morning and then a massive 13 ft from the west-northwest on Wednesday afternoon. The combined energy explodes, hitting 439 (moderate) and then a whopping 2754 (very strong). But it’s all cross-shore or onshore, making for a complete washing machine. Honestly, for a river break with that much wind and size, it looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Here’s the standout. Keep an eye on Thursday the 30th. The morning is calling for a clean 13 ft groundswell from the west-northwest with a period of 10 seconds and a light cross-offshore breeze from the north-northeast. The combined energy is a massive 3288 (very strong). The forecast notes say the swell is predicted to be too big for this break. This is expert-only territory. That’s a beast of a wave, and with offshore winds, it could be a heavy, powerful, and dangerous wave. The afternoon is similar, with an 12 ft swell. If you’re a seasoned charger, this is the moment. But for everyone else, stay well clear.

After that, Friday the 31st of July morning offers a glimmer of hope for the rest of us. The swell has dropped to 8 ft from the west-northwest with a light offshore from the east, and the combined energy is 629 (moderate). It’s clean and should be good surf for stronger intermediates. The wind turns onshore again in the afternoon, so make the most of that morning session.

The final day, Saturday the 1st of August, sees the swell drop back to 4 ft from the west with strong onshore winds. It’s back to the poor conditions we started with.

So, to sum it up: the first week and a half is a write-off. The best on offer is a window for experienced surfers on Thursday the 30th of July, with a massive, clean, but dangerous swell. The second best is the morning of the 31st of July, which is a solid, clean day for intermediates. Everything else is small, weak, or blown out.

Rusty.

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