Perranporth Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. I've got a sobering one for you today. Let's be straight with each other: this outlook is a rough one for the next couple of weeks. We're looking at Perranporth, and honestly, the conditions are going to be a struggle for the vast majority of the forecast period.

The water temperature is sitting at 65°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least you won't need a thick winter suit. But that's about the only good news.

Right now, and for the next several days, it's a write-off. The wind is onshore and howling, the swell is a messy, short-period affair, and wave energy is weak to moderate. For instance, on Wednesday morning the 19th, we have a 4ft swell from the WNW, but it's blown out by a 16 mph onshore wind, and the combined energy is only 258 (weak). Wednesday afternoon is even worse with a 4ft swell and a 6-second period, a total energy of just 195. This pattern of poor surf continues all the way through to the end of August. The wind is almost always onshore or cross-onshore, and the swell is often gutless. There's a small window on the morning of Monday the 24th where the wind goes cross-offshore from the East at 16 mph, but the swell is a pathetic 1ft. It'll be clean, but you won't be able to do anything.

The first real, but still compromised, pulse comes on the morning of Wednesday the 26th. We'll see a 7ft swell from the W, but the period is a short 8 seconds, and the wind is onshore again from the WNW at 12 mph. The combined energy hits 487 (moderate). That's a lumpy, blown-out mess. Not one for the beginners—7ft with onshore wind is a battle.

There's a glimmer of hope late in the first week of September. The morning of Monday the 31st of August sees the biggest swell of the forecast: an 8ft groundswell from the W with a 10-second period. The combined energy is a massive 1277 (strong). However, the wind is onshore from the NW at 19 mph. This is strictly for the experts only. The size is there, the energy is there, but the wind is going to make it a beast. It's not a day to be learning.

The wind continues to be the main issue. Periods of light cross-offshore winds pop up on the 28th and 29th of August, but the swell is small and the period is short.

So, the bottom line: there is no standout day. The best you can hope for is a clean but tiny wave on the 24th, or a big, angry, onshore slop on the 31st for the experienced crew. For the rest of the period, it's a persistent run of poor quality. Given that Perranporth is a fairly consistent beach break, it's a bit of a rough spell, but it won't last forever. In this kind of wind and swell, with the beach setup, you might honestly have more fun looking at this for a kite session than a paddle.

Rusty.

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