Surf Forecasts:
Poldhu Cove surf forecast from 29 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 29 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 10s period, WSW swell with 2,679 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Poldhu Cove this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Poldhu Cove in the next 16 days are 4.0m 10s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 29) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Sat 29th Aug) | 13ft (4.0m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Poldhu Cove over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Poldhu Cove.
Honestly, the next couple of weeks look pretty bleak for paddle surfing. We've got a solid run of poor conditions right through the first week of September and beyond, with only one real window that’s worth getting excited about. The swell is there, but the wind and general mess are the story for most of it.
The pattern kicks off with a stormy, onshore mess. Saturday the 29th of August is a write-off: an 12 ft to 13 ft SW swell with a strong breeze blowing right onto it, and the combined energy is huge at 1364 and 2679, but it’s just a windblown, dangerous lump. Sunday and Monday stay poor with fresh to strong onshore winds and junky cross-chop. The swell hangs around the 7 ft to 10 ft range, but the quality is zero.
We then drop into a long stretch of mostly poor, marginal conditions right through until the 5th of September. The waves are small to moderate, but the wind keeps messing it up. On Tuesday the 1st of September, you’ve got a tiny 4 ft W swell, but with an onshore breeze, it’s not worth the rubber. Wednesday the 2nd gets a weird 4 ft swell with a pathetic 5-second period and only 113 combined energy – that’s just weak and bumpy.
Now, there’s a little glimmer on the horizon. On Saturday the 5th of September, the morning session looks like the standout. The swell is a clean 6 ft from the west with a solid 10-second period, and the wind goes glassy – completely off. The combined energy reads 686, a nice moderate amount of power. This is the one to aim for. Poldhu Cove is fairly exposed to the SW, and with that west swell and glassy conditions, it should offer some clean, rideable waves. It might be a bit much for true beginners at 6 ft, but for the rest of us, it’s the only clean window in a stormy forecast. The afternoon gets a light easterly cross-off, which is still clean, but the morning glass is the real prize.
After that, it’s back to onshore winds and messy conditions from the 6th through the 13th of September. There’s a brief mention of clean cross-off winds on the 7th and 8th, but the swell is still around 6 ft to 3 ft with a fresh breeze, so it’s not the same quality. Later on the 13th of September, there’s a 2 ft groundswell with a very long 15-second period, but it’s marginal and the energy is low, so you’d be scratching for scraps.
So, the call is simple: wait for the glassy Saturday morning on the 5th of September. That’s your best bet. The rest is a write-off until something changes.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 19mm), heaviest on Fri night. Very mild (max 19°C on Sat morning, min 16°C on Mon morning). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the WNW on Sat afternoon, light winds from the WNW by Mon afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Warm (max 20°C on Wed morning, min 16°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the WSW on Mon night, fresh winds from the SW by Wed morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 8 | WSW 10 | WSW 9 | WSW 9 | WSW 8 | WSW 10 | W 9 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | WSW 5 | WSW 7 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 9 | WSW 9 | W 9 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
1364 | 2679 | 851 | 577 | 829 | 1899 | 1365 | 963 | 450 | 225 | 215 | 125 | 86 | 590 | 569 | 516 | 364 | 372 | 349 | 599 | 881 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross | cross |
High Tide | 6:13AM4.57m | 6:28PM4.87m | 6:45AM4.70m | 7:00PM4.94m | 7:18AM4.75m | 7:34PM4.92m | 7:53AM4.71m | 8:11PM4.78m | 8:31AM4.57m | 8:52PM4.54m | 9:15AM4.34m | 9:40PM4.21m | 10:08AM4.04m | 10:41PM3.85m | |||||||
Low Tide | 12:51PM0.20m | 1:13AM0.08m | 1:26PM0.12m | 1:48AM0.06m | 2:01PM0.14m | 2:23AM0.14m | 2:39PM0.26m | 3:01AM0.32m | 3:19PM0.46m | 3:43AM0.58m | 4:06PM0.73m | 4:32AM0.90m | 5:02PM1.02m | ||||||||
6:30 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | |
— | 8:12 | — | — | 8:09 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:06 | — | — | 8:04 | — | — | 8:01 | — | — | 7:59 | — | |
mm | 4 | — | — | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 6 | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 |
Feels °C | 13 | 11 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | WSW 9 | W 9 | — | — | W 9 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | SW 17 | W 8 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 7 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 9 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 |
— | — | 851 | 355 | — | — | 1365 | 963 | 450 | 225 | 12 | 125 | 25 | 23 | 107 | 513 | 364 | 372 | 349 | 20 | 20 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 18 | S 18 | S 12 | SW 16 | S 10 | — | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | S 6 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | W 15 | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 6 | 3 | 10 | 2 | — | 21 | 22 | 5 | 22 | 20 | 4 | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 11 | — | — | — | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | 22 | 45 | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 8 | WSW 10 | — | WSW 9 | WSW 8 | WSW 10 | — | — | — | — | W 9 | — | WSW 5 | WSW 7 | W 8 | W 8 | — | — | — | WSW 9 | W 9 |
1364 | 2679 | — | 577 | 829 | 1899 | — | — | — | — | 215 | — | 86 | 590 | 569 | 516 | — | — | — | 599 | 881 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 268 | 189 | 23 | 125 | 523 | 192 | 184 | 167 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 69 | 189 | 279 | 719 | 189 | 224 | 22 | 18 | 167 |
Best forecast wave conditions in South Cornwall | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Poldhu Cove Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Poldhu Cove provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Poldhu Cove can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Poldhu Cove surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Poldhu Cove) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Poldhu Cove may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Poldhu Cove is 12 km (7 miles) from The Lizard. If you plan a holiday in South Cornwall, look for hotels and other accommodation in The Lizard. The Lizard has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











