Perranporth Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at the 16-day forecast for our local stretch. Straight up, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it – the outlook is a tough one. We’ve got a massive gap of surf that’s just not worth paddling out for, with very few windows that even look surfable. The first decent opportunity doesn’t show up until Thursday morning, the 23rd of July, and even then it’s pretty small.

The overall pattern is dominated by onshore and cross-onshore winds, a lot of it from the north, which is the wrong direction for this spot. The water is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year at 65°, so that’s been a nice little surprise, but it’s not helping the waves.

Let’s start with Thursday morning, the 23rd of July. It’s the first real chance to get wet. Perranporth will have a tiny 3ft swell from the NNW, but the key is the wind. It’s glassy, coming from the ENE at just 3 mph. That’s a major positive and will make the surface clean. The period is a short 6 seconds, so it’s not powerful, and the combined energy is weak (78). This is for the absolute beginner or the longboarder who just needs to get out. The crowd situation is “sometimes,” so there could be a few others thinking the same thing, but it won’t be a zoo.

After that Thursday morning window, it goes quiet again. We get a run of poor surf from Friday the 24th all the way through to the end of the month. There’s a blip on Saturday the 26th of July where the swell bumps up to 6ft from the WNW, and the combined energy jumps to 346 (moderate), but the wind is howling offshore from the NW at 19 mph. That’s a clean face but a brutal paddle out, and the surf quality is rated as poor. That’s kite-fodder, not paddle-surfing.

The next real standout, and honestly the best on offer in the entire 16-day window, is looking like the morning of the 4th of August. After a long, dry spell, we get a clean window. The swell is only 1ft from the WSW, but the wind is blowing cross-offshore from the south at 9 mph, which is a sweet spot for shape. The period is a nice 9 seconds, giving it a bit more push than the earlier tiny stuff. The combined energy is low (31), so it’s not a big day, but the conditions will be clean. This is a sneaky good one for the early crew.

The other one to watch is the 5th of August. The swell is still small at 2ft from the west, but the period stretches to 11 seconds, which is a proper groundswell. The combined energy hits 121 (moderate). The wind is a fresh cross-shore from the SSW at 19 mph, which will be lumpy, but the long period means there’s real shape in the water. This one is for the more experienced surfer who can handle a bit of a chop.

For the hardcore, the 6th of August has a similar story: 4ft from the west, but with a shorter period of 6 seconds and a moderate cross-onshore wind. The combined energy is 189 (moderate), but the quality just isn’t there.

So, to wrap it up: the best bets are the glassy morning of the 23rd of July for a tiny, clean session, and the cleaner, cross-offshore morning of the 4th of August. The 5th offers the best quality swell, but expect some lumpy conditions. For the rest of the time, you’re better off finding something else to do. There’s a big gap of nothing from late July until early August, so don’t hold your breath.

Stay patient, and keep an eye on the sky.

Rusty.

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