Mawgan Porth Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve gotta be straight with you – the next couple of weeks at Mawgan Porth (river) look like a real struggle. The models are showing a pretty grim run overall, with no standout sessions that’ll have you paddling out with a grin. But let’s break it down properly.

We start with Wednesday morning, the 22nd of July. There’s a small 3ft swell running from the north, but it’s a short-period windswell at just 5 seconds, and the cross-off wind from the north at 16 mph is messy. The combined energy is weak (73), and it’s just poor surf conditions. That afternoon doesn’t improve – same 3ft north swell, but the wind swings cross, making it choppy. Nothing doing.

Thursday morning the 23rd offers a glimmer – a tiny 3ft swell from the NNW, but the period is still short at 6 seconds, and the energy is weak (76). The big positive is the wind: glassy calm from the SE. That’s rare and it’ll make the surface clean. But the waves are only surfable, very ordinary. Not worth rushing for. Thursday afternoon the wind gets messy again, and it’s poor.

From Friday the 24th right through the weekend and into the following week, it’s a desert. The swell drops to 1.0ft, then 0.3ft, and the wind is cross or onshore, blowing 12 to 19 mph. The combined energy falls to tiny numbers like 25 and 15. There’s a window on Sunday the 26th morning where the swell jumps to 7ft from the WNW with a moderate energy of 426, but the wind is a fresh cross-onshore at 19 mph, making it lumpy and poor. That’s not surfable for a river break – it’ll be a washing machine. Even the 6ft that afternoon is the same story. This stretch is more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Monday the 27th and Tuesday the 28th see a drop to 4ft and 2ft, but the wind is onshore from the WNW and west, and the periods stay short (8-9 seconds). The energy is low (179 dropping to 55). It’s all poor. Wednesday the 29th to Friday the 31st isn’t any better – 3ft to 4ft, onshore or cross-onshore winds, and combined energy only reaching 234. The water temperature is 64°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s the only nice thing I can say.

Looking further out, the first week of August doesn’t bring relief. The 1st of August has 5ft from the west with a 9-second period, but it’s onshore wind and energy is moderate (318-327). Still poor. Sunday the 2nd and Monday the 3rd see a bit of cross-shore wind from the south, but the swell is 4ft to 5ft with short periods (7-8 seconds), and the energy is moderate (157-264). The wind is strong, up to 19 mph, and it’s lumpy or choppy. Not worth it.

The best we get is on Tuesday the 4th of August: a 5ft swell from the west with a 9-second period, and the wind is cross-off from the SSE at 16-19 mph, keeping it clean. The combined energy is strong (380). That’s the closest thing to a highlight, but it’s still poor surf conditions according to the data. The 5ft that afternoon with cross-off wind is also clean but not good. Wednesday the 5th and Thursday the 6th fade back to small, weak swells with cross-winds.

Honestly, this is a blank run. For a river break like Mawgan Porth, it’s not unusual to see long stretches like this when the swell direction and wind don’t line up. The one session that might be worth a look is that Thursday morning the 23rd with the glassy calm, but it’s tiny. Otherwise, keep the board in the bag and wait for the next system. Forecasts can change, but right now, there’s nothing to get excited about.

Rusty.

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