Surf Forecasts:
Porthtowan surf forecast from 30 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 1 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 8s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 4 Sep, 4PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 12s period, WNW swell with 2,388 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 1 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 8s period with W swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Porthtowan this week:
The surf forecast for Porthtowan over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 16s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Porthtowan in the next 16 days are 3.0m 12s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 04) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 5s period and expected on Wednesday (Sep 02) at 4AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Tue 1st Sep) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Tue 1st Sep) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Fri 4th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Porthtowan over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about Porthtowan.
Alright, we’ve got a rough stretch ahead for Porthtowan to be honest. For the next week and a half, the wind and conditions look pretty messy. There’s a long, drawn-out period of poor surf, with a lot of onshore and cross-shore winds making things choppy, especially from Sunday the 30th through until Friday the 4th of September. We see some solid swell size, especially Monday the 31st of August with waves up to 10ft (1536 combined energy) and again on Friday the 4th with 10ft+ (2421 combined energy). But with the wind all over the place and mostly onshore, these are going to look more like a washing machine than a surfable wave. For a beach break like Porthtowan, that kind of cross-on and onshore stuff just ruins the shape; it might even be more interesting for a kite surfer to be honest.
The first real glimmer of hope shows up on the morning of Sunday the 6th of September. It’s small, with waves only about 2ft (78 combined energy), but we finally get a moderate offshore breeze from the SE. That’s clean. The water temp is running 65°F, which is a touch warmer than average for this time of year, so you won’t need a thick suit. That morning window is the one and only standout on offer. It’s not big, but it will be clean and rideable.
After that, the surf gets sloppy again pretty quick. There’s a window on Monday the 7th morning with 5ft (698 combined energy) and a gentle cross-shore, but the score is barely surfable. Then it turns to chop again. There’s another small glimmer on the morning of Saturday the 12th of September with 2ft but a clean cross-offshore wind from the east, and that might be worth a paddle if you’re desperate.
Overall, this isn’t a barrel-fest. Most days, the wind fights the swell. If you’re keen, wait for that Sunday the 6th morning for the cleanest chance, or the Saturday the 12th morning. But keep your expectations low. The long second week is pretty flat and unappealing.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Sun morning. Very mild (max 19°C on Sun morning, min 15°C on Mon morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SW on Sun afternoon, light winds from the SW by Mon night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Thu night. Warm (max 20°C on Wed afternoon, min 15°C on Fri night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 9 | WSW 8 | W 9 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | WNW 8 | W 7 | W 8 | WSW 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 12 | WNW 9 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 475 | 713 | 1622 | 1536 | 998 | 408 | 189 | 146 | 85 | 348 | 548 | 485 | 359 | 291 | 1415 | 1477 | 2388 | 1406 | 535 | 296 | 145 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | cross-on | on | on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 7:27PM6.57m | 7:44AM6.37m | 8:01PM6.51m | 8:19AM6.28m | 8:38PM6.31m | 8:58AM6.06m | 9:19PM5.97m | 9:41AM5.71m | 10:06PM5.53m | 10:33AM5.29m | 11:07PM5.05m | 11:43AM4.91m | 00:30AM4.71m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 1:27PM0.24m | 1:47AM0.20m | 1:59PM0.27m | 2:20AM0.30m | 2:34PM0.42m | 2:55AM0.54m | 3:12PM0.69m | 3:35AM0.89m | 3:57PM1.06m | 4:24AM1.31m | 4:55PM1.48m | 5:30AM1.73m | 6:18PM1.81m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | |  |  |  |  | | | | | |  | | |  | | | | |
 | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — |
 | — | 8:09 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:06 | — | — | 8:04 | — | — | 8:01 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 7:58 | — |
mm | 4 | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 |
Feels °C | 15 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 5 | — | — | — | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | WNW 8 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | W 8 | W 8 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 14 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 |
| kJ | 2 | — | — | — | 998 | 408 | 189 | 146 | 85 | 25 | 23 | 21 | 359 | 291 | 37 | 33 | 33 | 20 | 535 | 296 | 145 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | N 6 | N 5 | N 5 | SW 17 | SW 16 | S 10 | — | — | SW 15 | SW 15 | S 9 | — | — | — | N 5 | N 5 | N 5 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 15 | 15 | 2 | 12 | 10 | 2 | — | — | 35 | 60 | 1 | — | — | — | 18 | 13 | 5 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | S 18 | SW 18 | — | SW 11 | — | — | — | S 9 | W 15 | — | — | — | — | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 12 | — | 5 | — | — | — | 2 | 5 | — | — | — | — | 18 | 17 | 17 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 9 | WSW 8 | W 9 | W 10 | — | — | — | — | SW 5 | W 7 | W 8 | WSW 8 | — | — | W 12 | WNW 9 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | — | — | — |
| kJ | 475 | 713 | 1622 | 1536 | — | — | — | — | 22 | 348 | 548 | 485 | — | — | 1415 | 1477 | 2388 | 1406 | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 208 | 394 | 165 | 128 | 154 | 16 | 5 | 18 | 17 | 210 | 280 | 210 | 34 | 17 | 208 | 218 | 218 | 104 | 22 | 23 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Cornwall | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Porthtowan surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the Porthtowan Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Porthtowan provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Porthtowan can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Porthtowan surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Porthtowan) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Porthtowan may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Porthtowan is 8 km (5 miles) from Camborne. If you plan a holiday in North Cornwall, look for hotels and other accommodation in Camborne. Camborne has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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