Portreath Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let's take a look at what's on the cards for our stretch of coast. I'll be honest, the next couple of weeks aren't looking like world-beaters, but we’ve got a little something to keep us wet.

Straight off the bat, the water temp is sitting at a pretty standard 61°F, which is bang on for this time of year, so the wetsuit is all you need.

We've got a tiny window to kick things off this Friday morning, the 3rd of July. Portreath Beach is seeing a 5ft west swell rolling in, but it's a cross-shore breeze messing with it. The combined energy is moderate at 395 – there's some power there but the wind is making it sloppy. The wave comment says it's marginal, and that tide could be a problem too. I’d call it a low-percentage paddle.

Then things go pretty quiet. From Friday afternoon through to Wednesday the 8th, we get a run of poor conditions. The wind swings onshore or cross-onshore, and the swell doesn't get any help. The waves drop off and the energy just fades away. It’s a blank stretch of nearly a week with nothing worth chasing.

On the 9th of July – Thursday morning – things get interesting again, but only just. We’ve got a clean little 2ft west swell with a light cross-offshore wind from the east, and it’s glassy looking. The combined energy is weak at only 68, so it’s small and pretty ordinary, but it’s at least surfable. If you’re desperate for a trim, that might be your best chance for a few days. The crowd factor is "often," so don’t be surprised if a few other rusty locals have the same idea.

The 10th of July (Friday) is more of the same tiny clean stuff, but the wind picks up to a moderate breeze so it’ll be bumpy. Not worth getting excited about.

We then hit another lull from Saturday the 11th right through to Monday the 13th – more poor surf, typical small stuff getting chopped by the wind. No joy there.

Now, keep an eye on the morning of Tuesday the 14th. We get a clean 2ft west swell with a light offshore south-easterly breeze. The combined energy jumps to 164, which is still weak but better than what we've been seeing. The break is fairly consistent and the wind will keep things tidy. Again, it's only ordinary, but with an offshore wind like that, it’ll be glassy and might just offer a few fun little runners if you’ve got a fish or a foamie.

After that, the forecast turns ugly again. From the 15th through the 18th of July, we see onshore and cross-onshore winds and bumpy conditions. The swell does show some signs of life on the 17th and 18th, with Friday the 17th kicking off with a 6ft WNW groundswell with a solid 10-second period and heavy combined energy of 571. That’s a proper shot of energy, and even though it’s a solid 6ft, the wind is cross-onshore and choppy, so it’s likely a mess. For an expert only kind of day.

Then on Saturday morning the 18th, that swell jumps to 7ft from the WNW, with a short 8-second period and energy of 625. That’s a strong, powerful windswell, but the wind is cross-onshore again and choppy. At that size and with that wind, this is going to be a big, bumpy, expert-only affair. Honestly, with that much chop, a kite surfer might have more fun than a paddle surfer on those days.

So, to sum it up: the best on offer is probably the Thursday morning of the 9th of July for small clean waves, or the Tuesday morning of the 14th of July for a clean, offshore glide. The bigger swells later on look messy. It’s a lean period, but we take what we can get.

Rusty.

Read more