Porthtowan Surf Forecast and Surf Report

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

Honestly, I'd be lying if I said this was a cracking outlook. For Porthtowan, the whole forecast window is a bit of a struggle. We're looking at a long, drawn-out run of small, weak surf, so don’t go getting too excited. The whole 16-day stretch is pretty flat, and any actual rideable waves look like a real rare treat. There is nothing consistent coming through at all.

Right from Monday the 6th onward, we've got tiny, weak waves. The combined energy barely reaches a moderate level, hitting a peak of 149 on the Friday morning, but even then the swell height is just 3ft – knee to waist high at best. And it's accompanied by a cross-onshore wind making it a bit choppy. The first week is a write-off for any decent paddle surfing, with the wind often messing up what little shape there is.

We do get a bit of a change around Sunday the 12th and Monday the 13th. The wind switches offshore, cleaning things right up, but the swell nearly disappears. The combined energy drops right off to just 34 and 68. That’s not a surf, that’s a paddle.

Now, here’s the one small glimmer – and it’s a long way out, so keep the salt in your veins. Sunday the 19th of July shows a pulse of groundswell from the west with a long period of 13 seconds, and combined energy climbing back up to 160. It’s moderate energy, sure, and the swell height is still only 2ft from the west, but with a solid offshore wind from the east-southeast, conditions will be clean. This groundswell could produce some fun little peelers on the banks, but it’s a one-off in a desert of flatness. For a true standout, you have to look at that Sunday the 19th, but it’s a long way off and the forecast is still uncertain.

Water temps are right around average for the time of year, so no wetsuit dramas there.

In short, if you’re a beginner looking to learn, the tiny surf on the 19th might be doable, but it's not great. For anyone else, don't bother gassing up the car just yet. Porthtowan is a fairly exposed spot, so it’s rare to see such a blank run – it might be more interesting for the kite surfers in that offshore breeze than us wave riders. Fingers crossed, check back later in the week.

Rusty.

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