Portreath Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a proper look at what’s coming down the line for our stretch of coast. I’ll be straight with you – this 16-day window opens with a long, quiet spell, so don’t be in a rush to grab your board just yet.

We’re looking at Portreath Beach for the whole period. The water temp is sitting about average for this time of year, so nothing to write home about there. For the first full week and a bit, it’s pretty much a write-off for surfing. From Saturday the 12th right through to Monday the 21st, we’ve got a run of poor conditions. The swell energy is there – moderate to strong at times (energy values between 263 and 744) – but the wind is a mess. It’s mostly cross-shore, cross-onshore, or onshore, and it’s chopping everything up. Wave heights bob around 4 ft to 6 ft, but with that wind and short period (mostly 8 to 10 seconds), the quality is just not there. On Monday the 15th and Wednesday the 16th, we see onshore winds gusting 19 mph, making it look more like a kite session than a surf. Nothing to recommend here.

After that, things go very flat. From Tuesday the 22nd of September through to Saturday the 26th, swell heights drop right down to 1 ft to 2 ft. A couple of those mornings have clean wind – like Tuesday the 22nd morning with a light breeze and a clean look (energy a weak 76) – but the swell is just too small to call it a surf. It’s ankle-biters at best, with 2 ft on a 12-second period, which is long but there’s no power behind it. A moderate offshore wind on Thursday the 24th afternoon keeps things clean, but again, it’s only 2 ft.

Then on Sunday the 27th, we get a spike. The morning sees a 6 ft swell from the WNW, but the period is only 6 seconds and the wind is a messy cross-shore at 16 mph, producing a cross-chop. The wave energy is moderate (304) but the conditions are labelled poor. It’s a shame, because if that swell had a cleaner wind, it could’ve been something.

So, the standout? Honestly, there isn’t one in this window. For surfing, the whole 16 days is a dud. The best of a bad bunch is probably Thursday the 24th afternoon at Portreath Beach – tiny, but with a clean 16 mph offshore from the SE (energy a weak 90) and a longer 12-second period. If you’re a beginner wanting to practice pop-ups in small, clean water, that’s your window. For anyone else, stay patient. Portreath is fairly exposed and consistent, so it tends not to stay this poor for long, and forecasts can change.

Rusty.

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