Surf Forecasts:
Portreath Beach surf forecast from 18 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 22 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 6s period, N swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 20 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 9s period, W swell with 726 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 22 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 6s period with N swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Portreath Beach this week:
The surf forecast for Portreath Beach over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 22) at 4PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Portreath Beach in the next 16 days are 2.1m 9s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 4s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 25) at 1PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4PM (Sat 22nd Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 4PM (Sat 22nd Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 6s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 7ft (2.1m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Portreath Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – it’s a tough stretch ahead for the breaks around here. We’ve got a long gap of less-than-ideal conditions before we see anything worth paddling out for.
Looking at the full 16-day window, the first real chance to get wet doesn't come until Tuesday, the 25th of August. Before that, we have a solid week of poor surf conditions. The wind is mostly a mess, coming from the WNW through to N, often cross-on or onshore, and the swell is all over the shop – short-period, weak stuff that just isn’t going to hold up. The water temp is sitting at 65°F which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s about the only positive.
The standout window, and really the only one to get excited about, is Tuesday, the 25th of August. The south-west swell is going to be a beast, pushing 10ft with a period of 9 seconds. That’s a lot of water moving around. The combined energy is a hefty 1156, which is serious. Now, the wind is a cross-off from the S-SE, which should keep the faces reasonably clean. Portreath Beach is the spot to look at. It’s fairly exposed to the NW swell direction, and this one is coming from the SW, so it’ll wrap in. That said, 10ft is big – this is expert territory only. If you’re a beginner, stay on the sand. The crowd profile says it’s ‘often’ busy, and with a swell this size, you can bet the locals will be out.
The swell eases back a bit for the afternoon on the 25th, dropping to 6ft, but the wind picks up to 19 mph, so it’ll be a bit more of a handful. The rest of that week is a slow decline. Thursday, the 27th of August has some 6ft swell with a very light N wind, almost glassy in the morning, but the condition is marginal. It’s a bit of a gamble. The 29th of August, a Saturday morning, looks glassy with a 4ft south-west swell, but it’s just ordinary. Not terrible, but nothing to write home about.
After that, it fades out into the first few days of September with small, weak, short-period swells and messy winds. The 2nd of September has a 19-second period swell, but it’s only 1ft. That’s a long wait for a tiny wave.
So, the call is clear: Tuesday, August 25th is the day. Get there early for the biggest, cleanest sets. The rest of the time, you might as well take the board off the car and wait.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Very mild (max 19°C on Tue morning, min 14°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the W on Wed afternoon, light winds from the N by Thu night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 18°C on Sat morning, min 15°C on Fri afternoon). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 6 | W 6 | WNW 7 | WNW 9 | WNW 10 | W 8 | W 9 | WNW 10 | W 9 | W 8 | N 6 | N 5 | NNW 6 | N 6 | W 9 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 165 | 161 | 143 | 254 | 315 | 475 | 726 | 681 | 347 | 161 | 96 | 55 | 117 | 54 | 14 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 14 | 13 | 12 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 9:48PM5.59m | 10:08AM5.28m | 10:29PM5.07m | 10:52AM4.83m | 11:20PM4.59m | 11:51AM4.44m | 00:32AM4.24m | 1:16PM4.23m | 2:06AM4.17m | 2:47PM4.35m | 3:25AM4.40m | 3:52PM4.70m | |||||||||
Low Tide | 3:44PM0.99m | 4:05AM1.23m | 4:23PM1.44m | 4:45AM1.69m | 5:10PM1.88m | 5:37AM2.10m | 6:16PM2.23m | 6:55AM2.37m | 7:50PM2.36m | 8:32AM2.35m | 9:20PM2.18m | 9:47AM2.05m | 10:19PM1.81m | ||||||||
 | |  | |  |  | | |  |  |  |  | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:13 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — |
 | — | 8:35 | — | — | 8:32 | — | — | 8:30 | — | — | 8:29 | — | — | 8:27 | — | — | 8:24 | — | — | 8:22 | — |
mm | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 3 | — | — | 1 | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 15 |
Feels °C | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 17 | 16 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 14 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 17 | SW 17 | WNW 7 | WNW 9 | SSW 16 | SW 15 | SSW 14 | WNW 10 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 9 | W 8 | N 6 | N 5 | W 9 | W 9 | WNW 5 | W 9 | W 9 | W 4 |
| kJ | 28 | 11 | 143 | 254 | 24 | 36 | 21 | 681 | 347 | 161 | 86 | 38 | 35 | 54 | 13 | 24 | 14 | 4 | 14 | 13 | 4 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | — | SSW 15 | — | SW 14 | N 4 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 16 | SSW 15 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | SW 14 | SW 14 | W 8 | N 4 | SSW 14 | W 8 |
| kJ | — | — | 29 | 24 | — | 22 | — | 33 | 6 | 17 | 17 | 39 | 21 | 22 | 13 | 32 | 32 | 12 | 3 | 18 | 12 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 14 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | WNW 7 | SW 12 | W 9 | W 9 | E 5 | WNW 6 | SW 14 | SSW 14 | N 4 | SSW 13 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 19 | 25 | 25 | 11 | 6 | 24 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 32 | 19 | 1 | 17 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 6 | W 6 | — | — | WNW 10 | W 8 | W 9 | — | — | N 5 | N 6 | N 5 | NNW 6 | — | — | N 5 | N 5 | N 4 | — | WNW 4 | — |
| kJ | 165 | 161 | — | — | 315 | 475 | 726 | — | — | 46 | 96 | 55 | 117 | — | — | 28 | 15 | 6 | — | 6 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 290 | 211 | 161 | 213 | 211 | 239 | 162 | 152 | 19 | 19 | 234 | 164 | 19 | 0 | 226 | 14 | 33 | 86 | 504 | 503 | 499 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Cornwall | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Portreath Beach Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Portreath Beach provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Portreath Beach can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Portreath Beach surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Portreath Beach) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Portreath Beach may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Portreath Beach is 5 km (3 miles) from Camborne. If you plan a holiday in North Cornwall, look for hotels and other accommodation in Camborne. Camborne has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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