Porthtowan Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(North Cornwall, UK)

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- Hourly Forecast
- 16 Day Forecast
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Weather State
Spot Information

Porthtowan Surf Guide

Porthtowan in North Cornwall is a fairly exposed beach break that has fairly consistent surf and can work at any time of the year. The best wind direction is from the southeast with some shelter here from southwest winds. Most of the surf here comes from groundswells and the ideal swell direction is from the west northwest. Waves at the beach break both left and right. Often Crowded. Hazards include rips / pollution / rocks.

Porthtowan Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach	4	fairly consistent	12.4°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Porthtowan:

The best conditions reported for surf at Porthtowan occur when a West-northwest swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the Southeast.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Porthtowan (for consistent clean waves)?

februaryBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing Porthtowan with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of February. Clean surfable waves are typically found 22% of the time in February while 62% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 16% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

22%

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

62%

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

16%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Porthtowan Location Map

Interactive Porthtowan surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Porthtowan is St Mawgan (Newquai) Airport (NQY) in England, 26 km (16 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Porthtowan is Plymouth Airport (PLH), also in England, 83 km (52 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Porthtowan Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Thursday, 7 May 2026, 11:36 Local Time

m, °C	Thursday 07
ft, °F	10AM	1PM	4PM	7PM
Wave (m)	WNW	WNW	W	W
Period (s)	6	6	6	6
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	off	off	cross- off	off

Tides at Porthtowan

Current tide and informaton

For Chapel Porth, 3 km from Porthtowan.

Next High Water: 09:29pm | 5.06m

Next Low Water: 03:22pm | 1.62m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Porthtowan Sea Temperature

The water temperature (12.4 °C) at Porthtowan is quite cold. Despite the sun, windchill of 9.0 °C means that surfers will need plenty of neoprene. Wear a quality winter wetsuit, a neoprene hood, gloves and boots. A windchill factor of (9.0 °C).

Today, many surfers would wear a winter wetsuit, a neoprene hood, gloves and boots.