Porth Ceriad Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what we’ve got. To be straight with you, this stretch is looking pretty grim for a proper surf. There’s no real standout session in the whole 16-day window, so we’re going to be waiting a while for anything worth paddling out for. The first couple of weeks are basically a write-off for any decent waves, with a big gap of flat or poor conditions. We’re looking at a long, quiet spell.

The only spot in the frame is Porth Ceriad. It’s a beginner-friendly, exposed break that’s fairly consistent, but that doesn’t mean much when the conditions are this rough. The water temp here is running about 65°, which is a solid 5° warmer than average for this time of year – that's a notable anomaly, and it’ll feel pretty balmy compared to normal.

Right from the start, Tuesday the 25th is a no-go. You’ve got a tiny 0.3 ft SW swell with weak energy (12) and a light cross-off breeze, but it’s just not enough to surf. That flat spell drags on. The first flicker of anything happens on Friday the 28th morning. A 4 ft WSW swell shows up, but it’s short period at 6 seconds and the energy is still weak (106). The wind is cross-off, so it’s clean, but the waves are poor quality. That doesn’t last and it gets messy by the afternoon.

We get a bit more hope on Sunday the 30th morning with a 3 ft SW swell and a 9-second period, giving us moderate energy (125), and the wind is directly onshore. It’s not clean, but it’s the best we’ve seen, and still the “poor surf conditions” tag sticks. All through the rest of August and into early September, it’s just a mess of onshore winds, lumpy chop, and tiny swell. The sessions on the 31st and 1st are blown out completely, with near gale-force winds.

Finally, we get a tiny glimmer on Wednesday the 2nd of September. The morning turns glassy, with a light wind from the SSW and a 2 ft SW swell. The combined energy is weak (43), but it’s clean – glassy conditions at Porth Ceriad. The report says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions” – this is your best bet, but it’s not a standout, just the least bad window in a very quiet spell. The afternoon goes cross-onshore and choppy again.

After that, it’s back to the same story. Thursday the 3rd sees a big jump in swell height to 7 ft with strong energy (489), but it’s blown out by a near gale. That’s too much for beginners anyway and it’s messy. The pattern repeats: small clean windows on the 4th afternoon with a light offshore, and again on the 6th morning with glassy conditions and a 4 ft swell. But none of it is good quality surf. The last few days swing into bigger, unruly swell over 8 ft (like on the 7th with 10 ft and 1159 energy) but with terrible winds – only for experts, and even then it’d be a struggle.

Honestly, this is a bleak outlook. Porth Ceriad has a few clean, glassy mornings, but the swell is tiny or the quality is just poor. If you’re itching for a paddle, the morning of September 2nd or the morning of September 6th are the only real options, and they’re both just ordinary. For most of the next two weeks, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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