
Surf Forecasts:
Poldhu Cove surf forecast from 7 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 10 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 8s period, WNW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 13 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 10s period, W swell with 333 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 10 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 8s period with WNW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Poldhu Cove this week:
The surf forecast for Poldhu Cove over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 10) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Poldhu Cove in the next 16 days are 1.3m 10s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 13) at 10PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.6m 7s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 12) at 7AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10AM (Mon 10th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 10AM (Mon 10th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 10PM (Thu 13th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Poldhu Cove over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you. Looking at the charts for our stretch of coast, the next couple of weeks are looking pretty dismal. I’m not going to sugarcoat it; we’ve got a long stretch of flat, weak, and messy surf ahead before anything with a pulse shows up.
The swell energy is just pathetic for the first week. We’re looking at tiny, short-period leftovers, barely pushing 26 in the combined energy department. The water is 66°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s the only good news.
We start off this Friday, the 7th, with absolutely nothing. Clean and glassy in the morning but with only 1ft of swell, it’s a lake. The wind stays light, but there’s just no waves. That carries through the weekend. Saturday the 8th has a bit more energy at 35-40, but the swell is still only 1ft. It’s clean, cross-offshore breeze, but it's just not breaking. A total non-event.
Monday the 10th is the first day we might see something rideable. Still tiny, 2ft, but the energy bumps to 71 and it’s glassy first thing. This is still a board-float, not a surf. The whole week follows that pattern: tiny, weak, and mostly just ordinary. We get a slight bump on Wednesday the 12th with 3ft and energy at 138, and again on Thursday the 13th, but the wind turns onshore and chops it all up. The cross-shore wind just ruins any chance of it being clean.
By the 14th, the swell pushes to 4ft and the energy jumps to 242. This is the most promising we’ve seen, but the wind is cross-off, which is good for shape, but the period is only 9 seconds. It’s surfable but very ordinary. This is the closest we get to a highlight in the first week, and it’s a struggle.
Then it’s back to a grim, tiny stretch. The 15th and 16th are back down to nothing. Just a weekend of small, weak, and chopped-up surf. The wind is a mess, and the energy is back in the tens. It's a write-off.
The following week starts with a bit more size on Monday the 17th – 4ft – but the wind is onshore, creating choppy, poor conditions. The energy is 221 but it's all for nothing. We get a bit cleaner on Tuesday the 18th, but again the swell is only 2ft.
The first real standout, and I use that term loosely, is Thursday the 20th. The swell jumps to 5ft in the morning and 7ft in the afternoon. The energy is 279, then 460. It’s strong, but the period is only 7 seconds, which is just short-period windswell. It will be fat and crumbly. The wind is a strong cross-off, so the faces will be clean. This is for the more experienced crew; 7ft of short-period stuff is not forgiving. It’s also big enough for it to be too much for beginners.
Friday the 21st is the biggest day of the whole run. The morning shows 7ft with a period of 9 seconds and the energy jumps to 654, the strongest reading we see. That’s real power. It’s cross-on light wind, which is a shame, but the size is there. This is the one I’d be circling. It’s not going to be perfect, but it’s the most surfable decent swell we get. After that, it fades back down into the weeds on the 22nd.
So, my honest take: there are no truly great days on offer. The most promising windows are the 14th, and then the 20th and 21st. The 21st looks like it has the most punch, but the wind will be a factor. For the brave, that’s your shot. For everyone else, keep the board in the car and maybe go for a paddle.
This is Rusty, signing off. We’ll be back in the water soon enough.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Sun morning, min 15°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Mon afternoon, min 17°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (calm on Mon morning, fresh winds from the E by Tue afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | |||||||||||||||
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) | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | W 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | W 11 | WSW 10 | WSW 9 | WSW 9 | WSW 9 | W 11 | W 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
15 | 15 | 15 | 32 | 32 | 29 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 57 | 35 | 51 | 20 | 18 | 89 | 131 | 141 | 140 | 134 | 281 | 320 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | glassy | glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 11:45AM3.82m | 00:23AM3.79m | 1:06PM3.78m | 1:47AM3.79m | 2:25PM3.94m | 3:01AM3.96m | 3:32PM4.23m | 4:03AM4.21m | 4:29PM4.57m | 4:56AM4.47m | 5:19PM4.87m | 5:44AM4.68m | 6:04PM5.07m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:27PM1.18m | 7:07AM1.20m | 7:52PM1.21m | 8:33AM1.15m | 9:17PM1.00m | 9:50AM0.90m | 10:26PM0.64m | 10:50AM0.55m | 11:22PM0.27m | 11:41AM0.23m | 00:10AM-0.02m | 12:27PM0.00m | 00:54AM-0.19m | ||||||||
5:56 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | |
— | 8:53 | — | — | 8:52 | — | — | 8:51 | — | — | 8:49 | — | — | 8:46 | — | — | 8:45 | — | — | 8:44 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 22 | 22 | 18 | 21 | 24 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 22 | 23 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 18 |
Feels °C | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 20 | 24 | 19 | 17 | 14 | 16 | 22 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | W 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | W 11 | WSW 10 | E 7 | WSW 9 | WSW 9 | W 11 | W 10 |
15 | 15 | 15 | 32 | 32 | 29 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 57 | 35 | 51 | 20 | 18 | 89 | 131 | 86 | 140 | 134 | 281 | 320 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | SW 7 | WSW 7 | SE 4 | ESE 4 | WSW 6 | SW 7 | SW 7 | WNW 5 | SW 7 | SW 6 | W 9 | WNW 7 | SW 12 | WSW 9 | E 6 | W 12 | E 5 | E 5 |
5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 14 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 15 | 10 | 6 | 141 | 16 | 44 | 5 | 2 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | W 5 | S 13 | WSW 7 | WSW 6 | E 4 | E 4 | — | SW 7 | S 13 | W 10 | SW 6 | SW 6 | SW 6 | SW 5 | — | E 5 | ENE 5 | — |
6 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | — | 12 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 5 | 6 | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | E 3 | ESE 3 | — | — | NW 3 | NW 3 | — | — | — | ESE 3 | E 4 | E 6 | E 7 | — | WNW 3 | — | — | ENE 5 |
— | — | — | 1 | 5 | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 2 | 30 | 80 | 233 | — | 1 | — | — | 3 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 417 | 408 | 201 | 167 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 193 | 193 | 0 | 11 | 8 | 416 | 170 | 23 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 13 | 18 | 13 |
Best forecast wave conditions in South Cornwall | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.











