Porth Ceriad Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s see what this stretch has in store for us around Porth Ceriad. I’ll be straight with you – it’s a rough run for the most part. We’ve got a whole lot of days where the ocean just isn’t cooperating, so we’re looking at a long wait for anything worth paddling out for.

The pattern starts on Tuesday, 18th August, and it’s a real struggle. The water is sitting at a notable 19.3°, which is a whopping 3.4° warmer than normal for this time of year – that’s seriously unusual. Unfortunately, the surf is a bit of a letdown. We’ve got a weak swell from the WSW at 3ft with a short, choppy period of 6 seconds. The combined energy is a paltry 75, and with a cross-offshore wind, it’s just not doing anything. The afternoon doesn’t improve with a cross-on breeze and a 2ft swell. This pattern of small, weak, and messy surf continues day after day. Wednesday and Thursday are more of the same: tiny waves, messy wind, and very low energy (values like 27 and 21). It’s a real flat spell.

We do get a bit of a tease on the morning of Thursday, 20th August, with a clean 0.3ft swell and a super long period of 15 seconds, but there’s just no height to work with. The energy is only 8. Friday and Saturday see some offshore winds, which is a major positive for clean conditions, but the swell is practically non-existent at 0.3ft to 1.3ft. It’s a frustrating wait. The gap of poor conditions stretches for over a week, with nothing but tiny, weak swells and messy onshore winds.

Finally, we get a glimmer of hope. On Tuesday, 25th August, the swell picks up to 4.6ft from the SW with an 8-second period. The combined energy jumps to a moderate 288. But the wind is a fresh cross-onshore, making it lumpy. The conditions are still rated as poor. It’s a bit more size, but the wind is ruining it. The energy drops back down into the low numbers through the rest of that week, with offshore winds making for clean conditions but barely any waves. It’s a clean, flat ocean.

The real standout, the only bright spot in this whole long-range forecast, is the morning of Saturday, 29th August. We’ve got a 1.6ft swell from the SW with a 9-second period, and the combined energy is a modest 40. But the wind? It’s glassy. Dead flat, zero wind. That’s a major positive and will result in clean, glassy surf. The waves are described as "surfable but very ordinary" – it’s not going to be epic, but for a dawn patrol, it’s the only window where you might get a few clean, tiny peelers all to yourself. The break is exposed to the SW swell, and the wind is optimal for that direction. Given the crowds are *often* here, but with surf this small, you’ll probably have the place to yourself.

After that, it’s back to the doldrums. Sunday, 30th August, and Monday, 31st, see a return to tiny, onshore slop, and into September it’s just a fresh breeze making a mess of things. The forecast for the second week looks very poor, with no real change in the pattern. Hang in there, but don’t get your hopes up until that Saturday morning.

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