Port Isaac Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what’s on the cards for the North Cornwall coast, focusing on Port Isaac. It’s a bit of a slow start, but there’s some serious promise further down the line.

The opening stretch is tough. From Friday the 11th through to Sunday the 20th of September, it's pretty much a write-off for a proper paddle. We’ve got onshore winds and lumpy, messy conditions ruining what little swell there is. For an entire week and a half, scores are a flat zero for most sessions, and the few that aren’t a total write-off are barely worth suiting up for. There’s a brief window on Monday morning the 14th with a weak 3-foot swell from the west, clean but tiny. The combined energy is a meager 127, so you’d be scratching for scraps. The waiting game is the name of it here.

The first true standout arrives later. Keep your eye on Saturday the 19th of September. Afternoon looks the best of that day, with the wind going light and variable, swinging into a cross-offshore breeze. We’re looking at a 6-foot swell rolling in from the WNW, with moderate energy maxing out at 455. This is the moment where it finally cleans up, and those waves should start holding their shape. It’s a beginner-friendly spot at Port Isaac, but with this size, it’ll be a fun one for anyone looking to get some flow in. Wind is slight, conditions should be clean.

But the real standout, the one you’ve got to circle on the calendar if you’ve got the skills, is Wednesday the 23rd of September. Absolute magic. Head down there in the morning. We are talking about a clean 6-foot WNW groundswell with an 8-second period. What makes this special is the wind: dead calm, 0 mph, glassy conditions. Combined energy is chunky at 427. It’s going to be as good as it gets around here, for a session. The water is around average for the time of year, so a 3/2 wetsuit will do you fine.

Now, if you’re an expert, Friday the 25th of September morning also looks good – a clean and glassy 7-foot swell from the west with 576 energy points. Beginners should give that one a miss though, as 7 feet gets a bit spicy. The Friday afternoon, however, pushes up further to 8 feet off a 10-second period, with solid energy at 1390. With onshore winds building, that’s strictly for the experienced heads and could get a bit unruly. Might be a better kite-surfing show than a paddling one.

So, the short version: you wait a week for something decent on the 19th, but the real gold is that Wednesday morning glass-off on the 23rd. Don’t miss it.

Rusty

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