Perranporth Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking for Perranporth over the next couple of weeks.

Overall, the pattern looks pretty quiet to start, with some small clean windows but nothing to write home about. The real interest comes later, with a glassy morning on September 4th looking like the standout. There’s a long wait for any real juice, though. The first few days are a struggle.

Saturday morning August 22nd is the first time you could get wet, but it’s marginal. You’ve got a tiny 2 ft swell from the west, with a short period of 10 seconds. The wind is cross-off from the ENE at 9 mph, so it’s clean, but there’s barely any energy (104). Water temp is 65°, which is a touch warmer than normal for the time of year. After that, Sunday and Monday drop off even more – tiny waves and poor conditions. Tuesday afternoon the 25th is surfable but still very ordinary, with 2 ft at 10 seconds and offshore winds from the SE (16 mph), but the energy is still low (82).

We then get a bit of a push on Thursday the 27th. Swell jumps to 4 ft from the SW, period is short at 8 seconds, and the wind is cross-off from the SSW (16 mph). Energy is moderate at 203, but the wave comment says poor conditions, so not really one to get excited about.

Friday the 28th sees a bigger, messier swell. 7 ft on the morning from the west, but the period is a short 7 seconds and the wind is cross-onshore from the SW (12 mph). Energy jumps to 418, but it’s going to be choppy. That afternoon, the wind swings onshore from the WNW at 19 mph with a 10 ft swell – that’s 922 in energy, but only for experts, and honestly, it looks more like a kite-surfing day than a paddle-surfing day. Saturday the 29th is similar – messy, cross-onshore, and too big for beginners.

After that, we go into a poor stretch through the end of August. The crowds at Perranporth are sometimes a factor, so fair warning.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Monday morning August 31st: the wind goes glassy – dead calm, from the NNW at 3 mph. Swell is 5 ft from the west, period 8 seconds. Energy is 270. The wave comment says “expect good surf conditions.” This is the first real standout of the outlook. Clean, glassy, and a decent size for intermediate surfers.

But the absolute best on offer comes on Thursday September 4th. That morning you get 4 ft from the west, period 9 seconds, with glassy conditions (SSE, 3 mph). Energy is 406. The following afternoon is even better – swell drops slightly to 4 ft, but the period stretches out to 12 seconds, giving the waves more shape and punch, and the wind stays glassy (SSE, 3 mph, energy 459). Both sessions are rated as “expect good surf conditions.” This is the pick of the entire forecast. The swell direction from the west matches the optimum direction for Perranporth perfectly. If you can get out on September 4th, that’s your day.

Before that, on Thursday September 3rd, there’s a 5 ft swell from the west with 11 seconds, but the wind is cross-off from the NE (12 mph) – clean, but the wave comment says marginal. The afternoon has similar size but cross-shore wind, so not as clean.

The rest of the second week tails off into small, weak, or windy conditions. The 5th and 6th of September are not worth chasing.

Bottom line: the first 10 days or so are lean. August 31st is a nice little window, but the true standout is September 4th – glassy, solid, and good period. Get on it.

Rusty.

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