Portreath Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what Cornwall’s got cookin’ for us over the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, I gotta be straight with you – this is gonna be a rough patch for waves. The whole 16-day window is pretty much a write-off. We’re looking at a long, dry spell from now, starting with nothing really on offer until the 23rd of August, and even then it’s a struggle.

The water’s sitting around 66°F for the start, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so the wetty might feel a bit nicer on the walk down, but that’s about the only highlight.

Let’s walk through it. From the 15th right through to the 22nd, it’s all small, weak, and choppy. Swells are tiny, mostly under 3 ft with periods under 8 seconds – that’s just wind chop, not proper surf. The wind is a mess, mostly cross-onshore or onshore, and that combined energy reading is barely breaking 100 (going as low as 7), telling you there’s just nothing in the water.

We start to see a little pulse around the 19th and 20th, with the swell bumping up to 6 ft from the WNW, and the energy jumps into the 500s – that’s moderate to strong energy on paper. But the wind is up to 19 mph from the WNW, cross-onshore, and the conditions are described as "lumpy." That’s not the kind of surf you paddle out for; that’s the kind of setup that gets the kite surfers excited. For a paddle surfer at Portreath Beach, it’s going to be a messy, blown-out time.

Now, there is one period that might get your hopes up. Sunday the 23rd of August, we get a bit of a shift. The wind turns cross-offshore from the east at 19 mph, which means the surface should be clean. The swell picks up to 6 ft from the NNE, but here’s the letdown – the period is only 6 seconds. That’s a short-period, wind-driven swell. It’s going to be fat, crumbly, and lack any punch. The energy is moderate (308), but the quality just isn’t there. It’s a "poor surf conditions" call from the models, and I trust that.

After the 23rd, it fades back into small, weak, and mostly choppy or cross-shore junk until the 27th. Then, right at the very end, we get a glimmer. On Friday the 28th of August morning, we get light offshore winds from the SE (6 mph) and the water goes glassy and clean. The swell is tiny – only 1 ft from the W – but with a period of 9 seconds, there might be the *tiniest* little long-period pulse. The energy is only 32, so we’re talking ankle-biters. And then the 29th and 30th of August mornings look clean again with light cross-offshore winds and small, clean swell.

If I had to pick *one* standout, it would be the morning of the 28th of August. It won’t be big, but with glassy conditions and a hint of longer period energy, a longboarder might get a few tiny, clean peelers. It’s not the kind of thing you drive across the county for, but if you’re local and desperate, it’s the best of a bad bunch.

Otherwise, this is a classic late-summer lull. It’s going to be a quiet one. Forecasts can change, but right now, don’t hold your breath.

Stay patient,
Rusty.

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