Portreath Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. I’m Rusty, and I’ve been staring at the charts for this stretch. Honestly, it’s a tough one to call. The whole 16-day window looks pretty grim for getting a proper surf in. There's a whole lot of "poor surf conditions" tagged on every single time slot. We’re looking at a long, dry spell with no real standout days on offer.

Right from the start, Saturday the 22nd of August, we’ve got tiny, weak swell at Portreath Beach. It’s a cross-shore wind with a messy chop, and the wave energy is barely registering (61). The water temp is sitting at 64°, which is about 2° warmer than normal for this time of year – a nice touch, but you won’t be feeling it on a wave that’s only 1 ft. Sunday the 23rd is a bit cleaner with a light breeze, but the swell is still pathetic, bouncing between 1 ft and 2 ft. The energy is low (30-64), and it’s just not enough to push you around.

We get a bit of a change on Tuesday the 25th afternoon. The wind swings offshore from the ESE at 16 mph, and the swell picks up a little to 2 ft from the WNW. The energy climbs to 110 (moderate), and it’s clean. But it’s still a tiny wave, and the conditions are called "poor surf." It’s frustrating.

The real kicker comes on Thursday the 27th of August. In the afternoon, a big pulse of swell hits – 5 ft from the WSW with a period of 11 seconds. The energy jumps to a massive 651 (strong). But the wind is a cross-off, and the report still says "poor surf conditions." That’s a gut punch. That swell is there, but it’s not translating into quality. Then Friday the 28th morning, it’s even bigger at 6 ft, but the wind is cross-shore and messy. The energy is 421 (moderate). It’s a write-off.

Saturday the 29th of August is the biggest day of the whole run. Swell hits 8 ft from the W with an 8-second period. The energy is 805 (strong). But the wind is a fresh cross-onshore, making it lumpy and ugly. At that size, it’s only for experts anyway, and with the wind tearing it up, it’s a complete mess. The following days are more of the same: wind-affected, cross-onshore slop with energy bouncing around. The 1st of September sees a drop back to 4 ft, but it’s still cross-on and choppy.

We get a slight reprieve on Thursday the 3rd of September morning, but it’s only 2 ft with a cross-shore breeze. The 4th of September afternoon has a spike to 5 ft, but the wind is fresh cross-onshore and lumpy again. The final days of the run are just a sad story of strong winds and messy surf.

Here’s the bottom line: there are no good surf options in this 16-day window. The swell shows up, but the wind is always wrong, or the period is too short, or it’s just a chaotic mess. For a spot that’s "fairly consistent," this is a real dead patch. It tends not to stay this poor for long, but right now, the forecast is a blank. If you’re a kite surfer, you might have a field day with the strong winds and the unruly swell, but for a paddle surfer, this is a stay-at-home kind of period.

Rusty.

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