Portreath Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's take a good, hard look at what Mother Nature's got cookin' for our little slice of the coast.

Right now, it's pretty grim. We're staring down the barrel of a long, dry spell with nothing but poor conditions for the foreseeable future. The surf is flat, choppy, or just plain blown out for the best part of two weeks. You won't want to bother paddling out for at least a week and a half.

We start off with small dribbles on Tuesday the 25th. A 2 ft swell from the WNW, but with a stiff 12 mph cross-off breeze, the combined wave energy is weak to moderate (57 to 116). It's a write-off. Wednesday the 26th is more of the same with a tiny 2 ft W swell. The wind does swing offshore in the afternoon, but the energy is next to nothing (34). Thursday the 27th is flat, and Friday the 28th sees a small bump in swell to 4 ft, but it's a short-period (7 seconds) SW swell with cross-on wind. The energy is moderate (163 to 222), but it'll be a messy, bumpy mess.

Then it gets a bit bigger, but not better. Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th see the swell jump up, with a 7 ft to 8 ft WSW swell on Saturday. The wave energy gets strong (444 to 1059), but the wind is pumping at 19-22 mph from the west, making it a lumpy, blown-out disaster. The next week is just a continuation of this pattern. From Monday the 31st of August right through Saturday the 6th of September, we're looking at a parade of solid swell (6 ft to 10 ft) but with heavy, onshore to cross-shore winds. The combined energy is frequently very strong (over 1000, sometimes hitting 1450), but it's all for the kitesurfers. The conditions are consistently labelled as "poor" or "messy." Beginners should stay well away from these sizes, especially when it's over 8 ft.

Now, the one and only saving grace. It's a long way out, so temper your expectations, but Sunday the 6th of September morning finally shows a glimmer of hope. The swell drops to a clean 4 ft from the WNW (10-second period) with a gentle offshore wind from the south. The wave energy is a moderate 423, and it's the first time we see the "score" starting to look positive. This is our only real window, but it's worth noting.

But hold on, the real standout comes 8 days from now, on Tuesday the 8th of September afternoon. Portreath Beach finally lights up. We get a solid 7 ft swell from the WSW with a very long 14-second period, which is proper groundswell. The combined energy is strong at 2101. The wind goes light from the NE at just 3 mph, creating clean, cross-off conditions. For experienced surfers, this is the session to circle on your calendar. That long period will bring great shape and power, but at a beach break like this, it might make it a bit straight, so keep an eye on the sandbanks. Then Wednesday the 9th of September morning looks even better for the really skilled crew. The swell is a thumping 10 ft from the W (9 seconds) with the wind going *glassy* from the SSW. The energy is huge at 2458. This is serious, expert-only territory, but if you’ve got the skills and the board, it's going to be an absolute classic.

So, the call is simple: for the next week and a half, don't even bother. The best two days on offer, by a country mile, are Tuesday the 8th of September afternoon and Wednesday the 9th of September morning at Portreath Beach.

Rusty

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