Surf Forecasts:
Porthtowan surf forecast from 28 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 29 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 10s period, WSW swell with 2,247 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Porthtowan this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Porthtowan in the next 16 days are 3.5m 10s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 29) 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 1.3m 6s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 29) at 4AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Sat 29th Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Porthtowan over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you – this forecast is a tough one. We’ve got a lot of swell on the way, but it’s almost all coming with some nasty wind. The water is sitting at 65°F and a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, which is a nice little bonus if you’ve got a spring suit.
Let’s start with Porthtowan (Cornwall). It’s a fairly exposed, beginner-friendly spot, and it’s our only option here. But man, the wind is the enemy for most of this run. We kick off Friday morning the 28th with a small 4ft swell from the WSW, but a moderate breeze is blowing cross-onshore and it’s choppy. That afternoon, it gets a bit bigger to 5ft, but the wind jumps to a fresh breeze and it’s even lumpier. The combined energy is moderate (189).
Saturday the 29th actually sees cleaner conditions with a cross-offshore wind in the morning, and a solid 8ft swell from the SSW pumping in. That’s a big day, pushing towards expert territory. The combined energy is strong (871). But the afternoon goes downhill fast with a strong cross-onshore wind making a mess of the 12ft swell.
The start of the next week is a bit of a mixed bag. Sunday the 30th morning is clean with a cross-offshore breeze and a fun 6ft swell from the WSW (combined energy 524). Monday the 31st brings a proper 10ft groundswell from the west with an offshore wind, but the condition note says “unknown,” which is a worry. It’s a big, powerful swell (combined energy 1495), and if that wind holds, it’ll be a beast for experienced surfers only.
After that, we get a run of poor conditions. Tuesday through to the end of the first week and into the second week is mostly onshore or cross-onshore winds with lumpy, choppy surf. There’s a glimmer on Saturday the 5th of September with a 4ft swell from the west and a gentle cross-shore breeze, but the energy is low (393) and it’s only rated as marginal. We’ve got a long gap of straight-up poor surf from the 2nd right through to the 8th of September.
The standout – if you can call it that – is Saturday the 29th of August morning. The 8ft swell from the SSW with clean, cross-offshore wind will be the best we see. It’s a big, powerful wave (combined energy 871) and with the wind being clean, it’ll be the one to get out for. But it’s big, so leave the foamie at home.
The long-range stuff around the 11th and 12th of September is a write-off, with strong winds and tiny, messy swell. Honestly, the best bet is to keep an eye on that Saturday the 29th morning, and maybe Sunday the 30th, because after that, the forecast is a real struggle.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 22mm), heaviest during Sat morning. Very mild (max 19°C on Fri morning, min 16°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the W on Sat morning, light winds from the SW by Sat night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Wed morning. Very mild (max 19°C on Wed night, min 16°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (light winds from the W on Mon night, fresh winds from the SW by Wed afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | |||||||||||||||
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 6 | WSW 6 | SW 6 | SSW 8 | WSW 10 | WSW 9 | WSW 9 | WSW 8 | W 9 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | WSW 5 | WSW 6 | WSW 8 | WSW 9 | WSW 8 | WSW 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 88 | 177 | 126 | 865 | 2247 | 761 | 524 | 751 | 1586 | 1495 | 1092 | 501 | 220 | 165 | 103 | 29 | 176 | 915 | 790 | 629 | 484 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross |
High Tide | 6:22PM6.27m | 6:39AM6.16m | 6:54PM6.48m | 7:11AM6.32m | 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 | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:23PM0.55m | 00:44AM0.38m | 12:55PM0.34m | 1:15AM0.22m | 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 | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | |  | |  |  | | |  | | | |  | | |  | | | |
 | 6:28 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — |
 | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:13 | — | — | 8:09 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:06 | — | — | 8:04 | — | — | 8:01 | — |
mm | — | — | 6 | 7 | — | — | 1 | 6 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 19 |
Feels °C | 15 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 6 | — | WSW 9 | — | — | — | — | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SW 15 | WNW 14 |
| kJ | 26 | 7 | 12 | 6 | — | 761 | — | — | — | — | 1092 | 501 | 220 | 165 | 103 | 29 | 23 | 21 | 44 | 60 | 220 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | — | — | NNW 6 | — | — | — | — | — | N 5 | N 4 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | — | — | — | — | SW 15 |
| kJ | 5 | 5 | 5 | — | — | 43 | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 1 | 12 | 10 | 25 | — | — | — | — | 37 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 18 | SW 18 | — | S 11 | S 10 | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 12 | — | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | SW 6 | SSW 8 | WSW 10 | — | WSW 9 | WSW 8 | W 9 | W 10 | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 5 | WSW 6 | WSW 8 | WSW 9 | WSW 8 | WSW 8 |
| kJ | 88 | 177 | 126 | 865 | 2247 | — | 524 | 751 | 1586 | 1495 | — | — | — | — | — | 28 | 176 | 915 | 790 | 629 | 484 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 250 | 280 | 194 | 331 | 150 | 57 | 57 | 394 | 236 | 552 | 154 | 17 | 17 | 218 | 210 | 218 | 503 | 210 | 210 | 227 | 210 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Cornwall | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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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