Porthtowan Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks. Rusty here. I’ve been staring at the charts for Porthtowan, and I gotta tell you, it’s a bit of a rough patch. There’s a little glimmer of something later on, but you’re gonna have to wait through a lot of flat, blown-out junk to get to it.

The first few days are a complete washout. The swell is tiny, mostly under 3 ft, and any bit of energy that shows up (around 56 to 72 on the energy scale) is getting chewed up by Westerly winds. It’s poor surf, plain and simple. Wednesday the 29th and Thursday the 30th are best spent on the couch. The water is sitting at 65°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least it’s not freezing, but you won’t be surfing.

The entire first week is a dud. We’re looking at nearly a week of tiny, weak swell with onshore or cross-onshore winds. The only real bright spot is the morning of Sunday the 2nd of August. The swell is still tiny at 2 ft, but the wind goes light and easterly, giving us a clean, offshore breeze. The wave report even says “clean”. It’s a tiny, clean window, but it’s the best we’ve got in that first week.

Then we hit a big lull. From Monday the 3rd of August right through to the morning of Friday the 7th, it’s all poor surf with very little energy, often under 30 on the wave energy scale. The wind is all over the place, mostly onshore and strong. It’s a bleak run.

Then, finally, a little hope. The afternoon of Friday the 7th of August shows a really interesting setup. The swell is only 0.7 ft, which is tiny, but the wind is a solid 15 mph from the Southeast, blowing directly offshore. That’s a clean, glassy surface. The energy is low (14), but those offshore conditions could make even the smallest ripple look fun. If you’re a beginner, this is the only time you’ll want to look at it, as it’s not too big.

The real standout, the one time to circle on the calendar, is the weekend of the 8th and 9th of August. On Saturday the 8th of August, the swell finally shows up. The morning sees a 3 ft swell from the WSW with a period of 8 seconds, and the energy is solidly moderate at 104. The wind is light and cross-onshore, which is okay. But the afternoon is where it gets interesting. The swell bumps to 3 ft from the same direction, and the combined energy jumps to 142 – that’s proper moderate wave energy. The wind goes cross-shore, so it’s going to be a little lumpy, but there’s real push in the water. It’s the best size on offer, but with the wind being cross-shore, it might not be the cleanest. This is solidly in the beginner-friendly range, but the cross-shore chop might make it a bit tricky. Sunday the 9th has similar energy and size, but a fresher onshore wind will ruin it.

After that, it’s back to small, wind-affected junk for the rest of the forecast. The waves are small and the wind is strong. The whole setup looks more interesting for the kite surfers than us paddle surfers from the 10th of August onwards.

So, to wrap it up: there’s no real, clean, standout session on the cards. The morning of Sunday the 2nd of August offers a tiny, clean wave, but for proper swell, keep your eyes on the afternoon of Saturday the 8th of August. That’s the one with the most energy and a decent size, even if the wind is a little lumpy. It’s a long-range call, so don’t take it to the bank yet, but it’s the only hope we’ve got.

Rusty.

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