Poldhu Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: the next couple of weeks at Poldhu Cove are going to test your patience more than your paddle. We’ve got a long, bleak stretch of onshore slop and lumpy conditions before things finally clean up for a brief window. Don’t get too excited about the end of the run just yet, but there is one morning that might just make it all worthwhile.

The story starts now, and honestly, it’s a poor one. From Thursday the 27th right through to the 4th of September, it’s a grind. We’re looking at swell coming in from the SW to WSW, but the wind is mostly on it, and the sea state is just messy. Thursday the 27th has tiny 3ft to 3ft swell with a weak 6-second period, and the energy is barely registering – around 68 to 116 on the combined scale. It’s small, weak, and blown out. Not worth suiting up.

Friday the 28th pushes a bit more size – 5ft to 8ft – but the wind cranks up to 25 mph from the WSW, and it’s just awful. Saturday the 29th gets even bigger, 8ft to 12ft, but that’s paired with a near gale. The energy reads 573 to 1611, so there’s power, but it’s all cross-onshore and messy. This is not a paddle session; with that kind of wind and size on a beach setup, it looks far more interesting for kite surfing than for a surfboard. Sunday the 30th eases slightly but stays poor, with 6ft to 8ft and fresh breezes. The first real highlight of the whole run is missing entirely.

We roll into the first week of September, and it’s more of the same. Monday the 31st has a bigger 10ft swell but it’s cross-shore and lumpy, with a marginal tide call – you’d be fighting it all day. The rest of that week just fades into choppy, cross-onshore mush, with waves from 3ft to 8ft but no quality. Thursday the 3rd has some size, but again, it’s choppy and messy. The energy is there, but the wind ruins everything.

Now, if you’ve got the patience of a saint, keep an eye on Saturday the 5th of September. The morning is the one true standout. We’ve got 7ft of W swell with an 11-second period – proper groundswell – and the wind swings around to the east at a light 6 mph, giving us a clean, cross-offshore flow. The energy is strong at 1183, and the water is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, sitting at 65°F. That’s a notable bump, about 2°F above average, so you won’t need the thickest suit. This is the day to clear your calendar. Poldhu is exposed to the SW, and this W swell is right in its wheelhouse. The crowd factor is “sometimes,” so you might have a few friends out, but with that quality, it’ll be worth it. It’s inconsistent, so don’t expect a conveyor belt, but the waves that come through will be clean and lined up. This is the one.

The afternoon of the 5th gets bigger – 12ft – but the period drops to 8 seconds, and it’s just too much for this break. You’d be out of your depth. After that, the run fades back into poor conditions for the second week. Sunday the 6th has 10ft but onshore wind. The rest of the week is a mix of 3ft to 7ft with cross-shore breezes and lumpy chop. Not worth the effort.

One last glimmer on Friday the 11th of September. The swell drops to 2ft to 3ft, but we finally get a true offshore from the NE, with light winds and a clean face. It’s small and weak – only 75 to 96 on the energy scale – and the 8-second period won’t do you any favors. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. If you’re desperate for a wave, you might get a few ankle-biters, but it’s far from the highlight.

So, the call is simple: if you can only surf one day in the next two weeks, make it the morning of Saturday the 5th of September. That’s your window. Everything else is a write-off. The rest of the run is a bunker, but it tends not to stay poor for long around here, and forecasts can change. Keep your wetsuit handy, but don’t hold your breath.

Rusty signing off.

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