Portreath Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

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

Honestly, I’m lookin’ at a pretty grim stretch ahead. We’ve got a solid run of small, onshore junk with a few brief windows of clean conditions, but the swell just isn’t cooperating. The only real standout comes way down the line, and even that’s a gamble.

For the first week and a half, it’s a tough slog. Starting Monday the 20th, we’ve got tiny 1ft to 2ft waves with weak energy (34 to 57) and a messy onshore breeze. That cross-off early Monday morning is clean, but the swell is so small and short-period (5 seconds) it’s barely worth paddling out for. Tuesday through Saturday is a write-off: 3ft to 4ft of wind-blown, cross-onshore slop with periods around 5-6 seconds and energy staying below 100. The water’s a touch warmer than usual at 65°F for Portreath Beach, but that doesn’t help the waves.

Sunday the 26th sees a pulse of swell come through – 5ft to 6ft from the WNW with a 7-second period, and energy jumps to 233 then 341. But it’s onshore again, so it’s gonna be a messy, lumpy affair. Not for the faint-hearted, and definitely not for beginners – that’s expert territory once it’s over 8ft. Monday the 27th still has some size (4ft, 8 seconds, 202 energy) but the wind is still on it.

Then we hit a bit of a dry spell. From Tuesday the 28th through Thursday the 30th, the swell drops back to 2ft to 5ft, and the wind is mostly cross-on or onshore, keeping the surface lumpy. Energy stays low to moderate (55 to 160). Not much to get excited about.

Now, the only real glimmer of hope comes on Friday the 31st of July. We’ve got a proper 8ft swell from the west with a 9-second period, and the combined energy is a massive 1059 – that’s some serious power. And the wind is a clean, cross-off from the east. This is the big one. However, the forecast says it’s “marginal” – could be a bit wild or the tides might be tricky. If you’re an expert and you’ve got Friday the 31st free, this is your window. That’s a big, powerful, ground-swell (9 seconds is decent) with clean conditions. For everyone else, that 8ft is too big.

Saturday the 1st of August morning still has a clean 4ft swell from the west with offshore winds from the SE, and 359 energy. That’s a solid, fun size for intermediates, clean and punchy. The afternoon turns onshore though.

After that, the last few days of the outlook are back to choppy, cross-shore junk with moderate energy. So, to sum it up: the whole 16-day window is a struggle, with a single standout day on Friday the 31st of July for the experts. Everything else is a battle against the wind and small swell.

Rusty.

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