Surf Forecasts:
Poldhu Cove surf forecast from 18 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 21 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 10s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 20 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 9s period, W swell with 700 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 21 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 10s period with W 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 Friday (Aug 21) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 14s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Poldhu Cove in the next 16 days are 2.0m 9s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 6s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 22) at 4PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Thu 20th Aug) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Poldhu Cove over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right then, I’ve had a look at the charts for Poldhu Cove, and to be honest, it’s a bit of a frustrating outlook for the next couple of weeks. There’s swell on the way, but the wind is going to be a real pain for most of it.
The first chance for a paddle comes on Friday the 21st of August. We’ve got a clean window early morning with a light offshore breeze from the NE at 6 mph. The swell is a small 3ft from the west, with a period of 9 seconds, and the combined energy is moderate (172). The water is a touch warmer than normal at 66°F. It’s surfable, but it’s very ordinary. The swell is small and the break is inconsistent, so you’ll be scratching around. Expect a few others out, as crowds are possible at Poldhu Cove.
That little window closes quickly. From Saturday the 22nd, the swell drops right out. We’re looking at tiny waves, well under 2ft, for days. There’s a long period groundswell from the SSW on the 23rd and 24th, with periods up to 14 seconds, but it’s just too small to do anything with. The water goes glassy on Monday the 24th morning, but with nothing to ride, it’s just a pretty lake. This flat spell runs right through to the 25th.
The surf tries to build again from Tuesday the 25th, but the wind is rubbish. A strong onshore or cross-onshore flow from the south and west blows through, making a mess of even the 7ft+ swell that arrives late in the month. By the 28th of August, we’re looking at a solid 8ft onshore wallop from the WSW, with a strong breeze from the same direction. That’s big, messy, and only for the very experienced, but even then, the quality will be poor.
The best bet on offer is Saturday the 29th of August. The morning shows a clean 8ft groundswell from the WSW, with a 9-second period and a strong combined energy of 880. The wind swings offshore from the NW at 19 mph, keeping the surface clean. This is a big, powerful swell, well over 8ft for the experts, and it’s coming from a direction that Poldhu can handle. It’s a real standout in a grim run, but it’s a week and a half away, so keep your fingers crossed.
After that, it’s back to onshore gales and huge, messy waves through to the 1st of September, with 10ft swells and 19 mph onshore winds. That’s a big, dangerous paddle-out for the hardcore only.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Very mild (max 19°C on Mon night, min 17°C on Mon night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 18°C on Fri afternoon, min 14°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (calm on Fri morning, fresh winds from the E by Sat morning). | |||||||||||||||||||
Mon 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | ||||||||||||||
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 8 | W 7 | W 6 | W 6 | W 7 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 9 | W 9 | W 10 | W 9 | WNW 8 | W 9 | W 9 | WSW 9 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 121 | 104 | 115 | 115 | 157 | 372 | 473 | 572 | 627 | 700 | 361 | 150 | 51 | 40 | 23 | 25 | 21 | 19 | 39 | 20 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 8:45PM4.58m | 9:06AM4.28m | 9:25PM4.22m | 9:47AM3.98m | 10:10PM3.84m | 10:36AM3.66m | 11:06PM3.49m | 11:42AM3.40m | 00:25AM3.26m | 1:09PM3.29m | 1:52AM3.23m | 2:28PM3.38m | 3:01AM3.38m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:28AM0.47m | 3:44PM0.66m | 4:05AM0.83m | 4:23PM1.01m | 4:44AM1.18m | 5:07PM1.34m | 5:31AM1.50m | 6:05PM1.62m | 6:38AM1.72m | 7:29PM1.75m | 8:12AM1.74m | 9:05PM1.64m | ||||||||
 |  | | |  |  | | | | | |  |  |  | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — |
 | 8:36 | — | — | 8:34 | — | — | 8:31 | — | — | 8:30 | — | — | 8:28 | — | — | 8:27 | — | — | 8:23 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 4 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 16 |
Feels °C | 15 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 17 | 15 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 18 | S 16 | W 8 | SW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | W 9 | W 10 | W 9 | WNW 8 | W 9 | W 9 | E 6 | E 6 | W 9 | W 9 | ESE 5 |
| kJ | 6 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 29 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 21 | 700 | 361 | 150 | 51 | 40 | 23 | 85 | 25 | 14 | 14 | 8 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 19 | SSW 17 | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | W 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | W 9 | NNW 4 | SSW 14 | W 8 |
| kJ | — | 7 | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 20 | 18 | 17 | 36 | 11 | 5 | 17 | 14 | 4 | 39 | 12 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 16 | E 3 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | WSW 9 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | NNW 5 | SSW 14 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 1 | 24 | 21 | 25 | 21 | 19 | 2 | 20 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 8 | W 7 | W 6 | W 6 | W 7 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 9 | — | — | NE 5 | ENE 3 | NNW 5 | E 5 | E 6 | N 3 | ENE 4 | — | — |
| kJ | 121 | 104 | 115 | 115 | 157 | 372 | 473 | 572 | 627 | — | — | 1 | 4 | 17 | 53 | 120 | 7 | 6 | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 192 | 256 | 315 | 189 | 168 | 189 | 189 | 304 | 186 | 183 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 106 | 24 | 31 | 295 | 11 | 11 | 272 |
Best forecast wave conditions in South Cornwall | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Poldhu Cove surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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.
Nearest