Porthtowan Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking for Porthtowan over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be honest with you – it’s a slow start. We’re looking at a pretty grim stretch of days with hardly anything worth getting wet for. The first real chance of a paddle won’t be until Thursday the 23rd, and even then it’s nothing to write home about. The combined swell energy is weak (78), and while the morning turns glassy with a light offshore breeze, that swell is a tiny 3ft from the north with a short period of 6 seconds. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. That window is short-lived though, because by the afternoon the wind swings cross-onshore and the surf drops off.

We then hit a proper dry spell. Friday the 24th through to the end of the month is mostly poor. The wind is all over the place, mostly cross-onshore or onshore, and the waves are either tiny or just messy. The swell energy stays low, barely cracking triple digits, and the period is short. It’s just not happening. There’s a brief moment on the 31st of July where the swell picks up a bit to 6ft from the west (period 8s) and the energy hits 571, but the wind is cross-shore and the conditions are poor. Not worth it.

Now, here’s the one that might get your heart pumping. If you’re an experienced surfer and you’re willing to wait, the morning of Saturday the 1st of August is the standout. The swell is solid 8ft out of the west with a period of 10 seconds – that’s proper groundswell energy. The combined energy jumps to 958, which is a strong pulse. The wind is a clean cross-offshore from the SSW, meaning the waves should be holding up nicely. However, this is big for a beginner – over 8ft is expert territory, so this one is for the crew who know what they’re doing. The water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual to report there.

After that, the swell backs off through Sunday and into the new week, with the wind turning onshore again on Sunday the 2nd. There’s a tiny, clean window on the morning of Monday the 3rd of August with a 2ft west swell and light offshore wind, but it’s small and weak. Then it’s back to small, choppy junk for the rest of the run.

So, to sum it up: the first proper surf is a very ordinary, glassy morning on the 23rd. The real highlight is the morning of the 1st of August for the experienced crew. The rest is a lot of waiting. Crowds are likely at Porthtowan when it’s good, so expect company on that Saturday morning.

Stay safe, keep an eye on the sky, and don’t force it.

Rusty.

Read more