Surf Forecasts:
Porthtowan surf forecast from 12 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 12 Sep, 4AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 8s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 16 Sep, 1PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 11s period, WNW swell with 724 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 12 Sep, 4AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 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 Saturday (Sep 12) at 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m 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 1.7m 11s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 16) at 1PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.1m 14s period and expected on Saturday (Sep 12) at 10PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4AM (Sat 12th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Sat 12th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 1PM (Wed 16th Sep) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Porthtowan over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, this is Rusty, checking in on the Porthtowan scene. I'm gonna level with you – this forecast is a tough one. For the first ten days or so, it's grim. The wind is howling onshore or cross-onshore for days on end, just tearing the place up. You'll see consistent readings of "poor surf conditions" with moderate to fresh breezes. There's some swell around, but it's ugly, choppy, and not worth paddling into.
You're waiting until the end of the run. The first real glimmer is on Tuesday the 22nd in the afternoon. The wind swings east, going cross-offshore, and the ocean turns to glass. We've got a solid 5ft swell from the WNW with a 12-second period. That's real groundswell, packing a punch. The energy is moderate, but with that clean wind, it'll have some shape. This is your first good chance in a long, long time.
Then we get a big one. Thursday the 24th morning pushes up to 6ft from the W with a clean offshore breeze. The energy is ramping up to a strong reading. But the real monster is Thursday afternoon: a 8ft swell from the WNW with a super long period of 15 seconds. The energy is through the roof at 2732, which is strong to very strong. For a wave that size and with that kind of length, it's gonna be powerful and critical. That's for experienced surfers only. The wind goes cross-shore, so not perfect, but it's a huge amount of water moving.
Friday the 25th morning is the other standout. The winds clean up again with a cross-offshore breeze and a 6ft groundswell from the WNW, still with a 12-second period. That's another excellent window with clean conditions. The logs say "expect very good surf conditions," and I'd agree.
The water is a touch warmer than average for this time of year.
So here's the plan: don't bother with the first week. Mark your calendar for Tuesday afternoon the 22nd for a clean, fun session. But the real highlights are Thursday the 24th morning and especially Friday the 25th morning for the best combo of size, clean wind, and power. Watch the size on the 24th.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Warm (max 21°C on Mon morning, min 14°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Warm (max 20°C on Mon afternoon, min 14°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SW on Mon night, fresh winds from the WSW by Wed night). | |||||||||||||||||||
Fri 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | ||||||||||||||
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) | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 11 | W 10 | WNW 7 | WNW 9 | WNW 11 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 292 | 156 | 235 | 323 | 722 | 578 | 432 | 262 | 225 | 173 | 153 | 468 | 454 | 574 | 622 | 634 | 551 | 405 | 586 | 705 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross | on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 6:11PM6.74m | 6:31AM6.55m | 6:48PM6.80m | 7:07AM6.57m | 7:24PM6.68m | 7:41AM6.44m | 7:59PM6.41m | 8:15AM6.17m | 8:33PM6.00m | 8:49AM5.79m | 9:08PM5.53m | 9:25AM5.34m | 9:45PM5.02m | |||||||
Low Tide | 00:37AM-0.05m | 12:50PM0.01m | 1:11AM-0.04m | 1:25PM0.06m | 1:44AM0.13m | 1:58PM0.25m | 2:16AM0.43m | 2:30PM0.57m | 2:47AM0.82m | 3:03PM0.97m | 3:19AM1.26m | 3:39PM1.43m | 3:56AM1.72m | |||||||
 |  |  | |  | | | | | |  | | | | | | | |  | | |
 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — |
 | 7:44 | — | — | 7:42 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:36 | — | — | 7:32 | — | — | 7:30 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 1 | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 |
Feels °C | 14 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | NW 13 | S 14 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 10 | SW 11 | S 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 11 | N 5 | W 10 | S 13 | WNW 11 |
| kJ | 292 | 156 | 235 | 40 | 4 | 578 | 432 | 262 | 225 | 173 | 153 | 468 | 5 | 2 | 622 | 634 | 9 | 52 | 3 | 705 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 16 | — | WNW 14 | SW 15 | S 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | S 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | WNW 12 | S 11 | — | — | S 11 | N 6 | S 13 | N 5 | — | S 13 |
| kJ | 5 | — | 20 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 14 | 2 | — | — | 2 | 41 | 4 | 1 | — | 3 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SW 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 12 | — | — | — | S 11 | S 13 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | — | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | W 8 | W 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | N 6 | — | W 10 | WNW 7 | WNW 9 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | 323 | 722 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 454 | 574 | 69 | — | 551 | 405 | 586 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 23 | 0 | 19 | 194 | 218 | 17 | 16 | 0 | 17 | 17 | 0 | 104 | 286 | 104 | 161 | 210 | 505 | 746 | 317 | 505 |
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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