Poldhu Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming our way for Poldhu Cove. Gotta be straight with you – this is going to be a tough stretch. We’re staring down a 16-day window, and honestly, we don’t even get a sniff of anything worth paddling out for until the very end of the run. The start is a total blank. The whole first week and a half is just one poor report after another.

Right from Sunday afternoon, the 16th, the wind is howling out of the WNW at 16 mph, cross, and the swell is a measly 2 ft. It’s poor and stays that way for days. The wind stays onshore or cross-onshore pretty much the whole time, and when we do get a bit of size – like a 6 ft swell on the Wednesday morning (19th) – the wind is a fresh 19 mph cross-onshore, making it lumpy and horrible. The combined swell energy is moderate at best, like 370 (moderate energy), but the quality is just not there for a paddle. Honestly, on those days with significant swell and strong cross-onshore wind, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

We don't see the wind really drop and turn clean until Friday afternoon, the 21st. That’s the first time we get a “clean” wave comment and a cross-offshore breeze (NNW 16 mph). But by then the swell is an inconsistent 3 ft, with weak energy (169 – moderate). It’s a tease.

From there, it gets smaller. Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd bring super clean conditions – light offshore and cross-offshore breezes, but the swell is tiny. We’re talking 1.0 ft to 1 ft, with long periods in the 10 to 14-second range. That’s great for shape, but there’s barely any wave to ride. The combined energy is weak – in the 30s and 40s. Inconsistent as all get out.

Then we hit another dry spell of tiny, clean but non-existent surf until the last few days. The first real standout comes at the tail end of the outlook.

The best on offer? It’s for Thursday morning, the 27th of August. We’ve got a 6 ft swell from the WSW (7-second period) with a moderate cross-offshore breeze from the NW at 12 mph. The conditions are clean. The combined energy is solid at 304 (moderate). It’s a marginal surf forecast with questionable tide conditions, but compared to everything else in the window, this is the one to aim for. The swell is a bit too big for beginners at 6 ft, but for the crew with a bit of experience, it’s the only day that might give you a few proper turns.

After that, it goes messy again. The 29th and 30th of August see big swell – 10 ft to 12 ft – but with terrible, strong cross-onshore wind. That’s expert-only, and even then, it looks like a washing machine. The energy is huge (1774 – very strong) but the quality is non-existent.

So, bottom line: it’s a long wait. The first 11 days are pretty much a write-off. The only real chance for a surf is Thursday the 27th. Mark it in the calendar, but don’t expect perfection. The water temperature is much warmer than normal for this time of year at 67°, which is a nice bonus. Stay patient, lads. It’s a quiet run for Poldhu Cove.

Rusty.

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