Port Isaac Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s break it down. It’s been a sad stretch for surf around Port Isaac. The first real glimmer doesn’t show up until late in the window, so we’re looking at a long gap of nearly two weeks with next to nothing on offer.

The first few days through the 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, and 18th of July are all flat or close to it. Tiny waves, mostly around 0.7 ft to 1 ft. The wind is all over the place, but the swell just isn’t there. The water temp on the 11th is sitting at 64°F, which is a whopping 4°F warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s a proper anomaly, really unusual. The combined swell energy on those days is a pathetic 45 or less. It’s mostly poor surf conditions.

Then we get a little bump on the 19th of July, but it’s not great. Sunday morning sees a 3 ft swell from the WNW, but it’s straight onshore with a period of just 5 seconds. That’s junky, short-period wind swell. The afternoon gets a bit bigger, 4 ft from the WNW, with a period of 6 seconds, and the combined energy hits 146. But it’s onshore NW wind, and the conditions are poor.

The 20th of July, Monday morning, is the first time we see something that’s not completely terrible. We’ve got a 4 ft swell from the west, with a period of 7 seconds, and light east winds giving a cross-offshore breeze. The combined energy is 133 (moderate), and the wave comment says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” The water temp anomaly isn’t given for that day, but earlier readings suggest it’s still running warmer than average.

The 21st of July, Tuesday, has a similar size (4 ft, west, 8 seconds) but with a cross-shore NE wind, which will chop it up. The combined energy is actually a solid 309, but the conditions are still poor. The afternoon is a bit cleaner with a NE light breeze, but it’s a marginal forecast.

The 22nd of July, Wednesday morning, is the next best chance. A 2 ft west swell at 9 seconds, with a light east cross-offshore breeze. Combined energy is 125 (moderate). It’s clean, but it’s small.

The 26th of July, Sunday morning, is the last real event. We’ve got a 6 ft swell from the WNW, period of 7 seconds, and a light NNE breeze giving a cross-onshore wind. Combined energy is 278. That’s the biggest swell in the whole fortnight, but it’s a bit too big for beginners, and the period is short. It’s rated as marginal, and the afternoon turns to rain and 16 mph onshore winds.

The one standout? Honestly, there’s no true standout in this whole 16-day window. If I had to pick the best of a bad bunch, it’s Port Isaac on Monday 20th July in the morning. That 4 ft west swell with a light east cross-offshore breeze will be the cleanest, most surfable wave we get. The energy is moderate (133), and the conditions are just about good enough for a beginner to have a few fun waves. Crowds are sometimes an issue here, but on a day like that, you might have it mostly to yourself. The swell direction (W) is bang on for the optimum (WNW), so the break should work.

For the rest of it, it’s a waiting game. The good news is that there are a few swells trying to push through toward the end of the month, so it won’t stay this flat forever.

Rusty out.

Read more