Porth Ceriad Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer.

Alright, I’m gonna be straight with you – this is a tough one. We’re looking at a solid 16-day window, but honestly, it’s a bit of a desert out there for Porth Ceriad. The pattern is pretty grim for a while. The first week and a half is dominated by weak, short-period windswell and choppy onshore conditions. The first real surf recommendation doesn't show up until the very end of the period, and even then it’s just a tiny window.

We start from Friday, the 31st of July, right through the first week of August. The swell is tiny, mostly around 1ft to 2ft from the WSW or SW, with periods barely hitting 5 seconds. That’s pure wind chop, and the winds are mostly cross or cross-onshore, making it a real mess. There’s a brief moment on Sunday afternoon, the 2nd of August, where the wind goes offshore from the north at 9 mph, but the swell is only 0.3ft with an 8-second period. Clean, but there’s nothing to ride. The combined energy those first few days is pathetic, rarely cracking double digits (5, 12, 9, 4).

The energy picks up a tiny bit around the 4th and 5th of August, with the combined energy hitting 67 and 71, but the swell height is still only 3ft to 3ft with a short period of 6-8 seconds. The wind is still a problem, mostly cross-onshore from the SW or WSW. The water is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year at 63°, but that’s about the only bright spot.

We get a few cleaner windows between the 6th and 8th of August, with cross-offshore and offshore winds from the NNW and N, but the swell is inconsistent and tiny. The morning of the 7th of August has a long period of 12 seconds, but it's only 0.3ft of swell. That’s a tease, not a wave.

The big change comes on Sunday, the 9th of August. The morning is clean with a cross-offshore breeze from the WNW and a 3ft swell (WSW, 6 seconds), giving a combined energy of 74. That’s the best looking morning of the whole first week. But the real kicker is that afternoon. The wind turns onshore from the SW, but the swell jumps to 5ft (SW, 5 seconds), and the combined energy hits 148 (moderate). The quality is poor due to the wind, but the size is something to note.

The only true standout, the only session that looks like it’s worth the paddle, is the morning of Monday, the 10th of August. We’ve got a clean 2ft swell from the SW with a 7-second period, and the wind is offshore from the north at 9 mph. The combined energy is 35. It’s not big, but it’s clean, and that’s the best combo we see across the entire 16 days. After that, it’s back to onshore winds and even smaller waves for the rest of the period, with combined energy dropping back to single digits or the teens.

So, for the one standout: Porth Ceriad, Monday morning, 10th of August. Clean, offshore wind, and some small but rideable swell. Crowds are "often" here, so expect some company. The swell direction is SW, which is what this place likes.

For the rest of the run, from the 11th to the 15th of August, it’s a write-off. The swell drops to 0.7ft to 1ft, and the winds are either strong onshore or just messy. The 13th of August has a 10-second period, but again, only 0.7ft of swell. Not worth suiting up.

Rusty.

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