Pors Ar Ville Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let's have a look at what's on the cards for the next couple of weeks at Pors Ar Ville. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, but there are a couple of sessions that have got my attention.

To be honest, the start of the period is pretty grim. Wednesday the 19th and Thursday the 20th are a write-off, with messy, choppy surf and moderate breeze that’s just not doing us any favours. Don’t even bother paddling out; the conditions are poor.

You’re going to want to wait until Friday morning, the 21st of August. That’s our first real glimmer of hope. The wind swings around to a light WNW cross-offshore at just 3 mph, and that’s a huge positive – we’re looking at clean, glassy conditions. You’ll have a 4 ft swell from the WNW with a decent 9-second period, and the wave energy is moderate, sitting at 312. It’s not going to be huge, but it’ll be clean and rideable. Just a heads up, Friday afternoon looks sketchy with a risk of thunderstorms and an onshore wind, so make the most of the morning.

After that, we hit another dry patch. Saturday the 22nd through to Tuesday the 25th of August is all cross-onshore and onshore winds, with tiny, weak swell. Just a barren stretch, so keep the board in the shed.

Now, keep your eye on Wednesday morning the 26th of August. We get a light SSW offshore wind at 6 mph, and a 4 ft W swell. It’s clean, and it’s looking like a good surf session with that offshore flow holding the waves up.

But the real standout, the one you’ve been waiting for, is Thursday the 27th of August. The morning session is looking very good – we’ve got a moderate SW offshore wind at 12 mph, a 5 ft swell from the WNW, and the wave energy is really starting to pump at a strong 569 (moderate wave energy). The water temperature is sitting at 66°F, which is about 2°F warmer than average for this time of year, so it’s pretty comfortable. Expect clean, well-shaped waves all morning.

However, Thursday afternoon gets a bit hairy. The swell jumps up to 8 ft from the WNW, and the energy is properly pumping at 1294 (moderate wave energy). That’s big, powerful stuff – strictly for the experts only. The wind will be a moderate cross-off, but those sets will be chunky and demanding.

Looking further ahead into the first week of September, there is some serious swell on the horizon. We’re looking at a big, long-period groundswell arriving on Sunday the 30th of August, building through Monday the 31st and into Tuesday the 1st of September. We’re talking 10 ft to 12 ft of WNW swell with a period of 11 seconds and absolutely massive wave energy, hitting into the thousands (2497 to 3450). This is a very powerful, very long-period groundswell. At a beach-and-reef setup like Pors Ar Ville, that long period can make it a bit bowling and straight, but it’s a serious amount of energy for the experts if the winds play ball, though the wind will be a moderate to fresh cross-off. The caveat is the size: over 8 ft, this is expert-only territory, huge and intimidating, and probably more interesting for the kite surfers than the regular crew. It’s a promising forecast this far out, but don’t bet the farm on it just yet.

So, the pick of the fortnight is hands down the morning of Thursday the 27th of August. Clean, good offshore wind, solid 5 ft swell, and a nice bite of energy. Friday the 21st is a great second option for a clean, smaller session.

Rusty.

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