Porthtowan Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, grab a coffee, sit down. I’ve been through the charts for the next couple of weeks here at Porthtowan, and to be honest, it’s a pretty grim run. The honest truth is there’s nothing in the 16-day window that I’d call a good surf option. The swell is tiny, the wind is often messy, and the energy just isn’t there.

The first few days are a write-off. Saturday 1st August and Sunday 2nd August have minimal swell, around 2 ft, with a lot of cross-on or onshore wind, so it’s mostly choppy and poor. The water temperature is sitting at 65°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s the only bright spot.

Monday 3rd August morning is the closest we get to a “maybe” session. There’s a small 3 ft groundswell from the WSW, with a period of 8 seconds, and the wind goes glassy. The combined wave energy is weak (102), so it’s not going to have any punch, but it’ll be clean. If you’re a beginner and absolutely need a paddle, that’s your window. But it’s ordinary at best.

After that, it’s a long gap of nothing. The wind gets up on Tuesday 4th and Wednesday 5th, with 15 mph cross-winds and a little more swell, but the period is short – 7 seconds – and the wave state is just choppy and poor. The energy is moderate (276) on Wednesday 5th morning, but the quality is so low it’s not worth the drive.

We get a brief glassy moment again on Friday 7th August morning, but with only 1 ft of swell, you’re looking at knee-high dribble. The energy is just 32 (weak). Not worth it.

The pattern stays dead through the middle of the month. Saturday 8th, Sunday 9th, and Monday 10th are all dominated by onshore or cross-onshore winds and tiny waves. Tuesday 11th August has a clean offshore wind from the ESE, but the swell is only 0.7 ft, which is flat. The following Wednesday 12th morning shows a tiny pulse of 3 ft swell from the WSW with a period of 9 seconds, offshore wind, and clean conditions. The energy is moderate (104), but it’s still very small. If you’re a longboarder and desperate, you could get a glide, but there’s no power.

From Thursday 13th onwards, the wind gets ugly again. Friday 14th and Saturday 15th have strong to fresh breezes, rain showers, and messy cross-onshore conditions. The wave energy is weak (41 to 77). The last day of the forecast, Sunday 16th August, has a little more swell (2 ft) but the wind is cross-onshore and the energy is moderate (103) – still poor.

Bottom line: we’ve got a blank run here. Several breaks in this area are fairly consistent, so it tends not to stay this poor for long, and forecasts can change. But for now, the only thing worth a look is Monday 3rd August morning for a clean, gentle session if you’re just getting started. Everything else is a no-go.

Rusty

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