Surf Forecasts:
Portreath Beach surf forecast from 20 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 22 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 6s period, N swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 20 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 10s period, WNW swell with 551 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 22 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 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 7AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Portreath Beach in the next 16 days are 1.7m 10s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 10PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.8m 8s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 1PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 7AM (Sat 22nd Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 7AM (Sat 22nd Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 6s |
| Most Powerful | 10PM (Thu 20th Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Portreath Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at the waves. This outlook stretches out for sixteen days, but there’s a long, flat, and messy run ahead. The first real sniff of any surf isn’t until October 3rd, and even then it’s a tough call.
We’re talking about Portreath Beach for the whole run. The water is sitting at 64° here, which is a couple degrees warmer than average for the time of year, so the water’s a bit on the balmy side.
The next week plus is mostly a write-off. From August 20th through to the start of September, it’s a constant battle of strong, onshore winds and poor conditions. There’s some decent-sized swell pushing in on the 28th and 29th of August – 11.5 ft of swell from the west – but the wind is howling from the WNW and cross-on, making it a lumpy, ugly mess. The wave energy is massive, hitting 2430 (kilojoules), but it’s not for paddling. That set-up looks far more interesting for a kite surfer than anyone with a regular paddle board. Then it drops right off into small, weak, and choppy slop for days after.
It’s not until Thursday, October 3rd that we see a real change. A clean-looking morning is on the cards, with an ESE wind at just 3 mph, glassing things up properly. We’ll have a 5.9 ft swell from the northwest, with a short period of 6 seconds. The wave energy will be moderate (366). It’s still a short-period swell, meaning it won't have that deep groundswell punch, but it’s the best we’ve seen. The wind will be clean and cross-offshore, so the waves will have some shape. Crowds are likely here, so expect company.
That afternoon on the 3rd sees the swell bump up to 7.5 ft from the NW (period 7 seconds, energy 525) but the wind swings onshore from the NW, fogging up the surface, so the morning is the only clean window. After that, it drops back into the ordinary range. So, if the outlook looks bleak for the next ten days, don't give up – it’s just a slow period for the area. Forecasts can change.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Thu morning. Very mild (max 18°C on Thu morning, min 14°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WNW on Thu morning, light winds from the E by Fri night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Mon night. Warm (max 22°C on Tue morning, min 16°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (light winds from the E on Sun morning, strong winds from the E by Mon morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | |||||||||||||||
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 9 | WNW 9 | W 10 | W 8 | WNW 8 | W 9 | N 6 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | WSW 10 | WSW 9 | SW 14 | SW 13 | W 8 | WNW 10 | W 9 | W 9 | WSW 7 | W 8 | W 9 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
808 | 721 | 423 | 173 | 119 | 53 | 69 | 28 | 24 | 14 | 22 | 34 | 31 | 28 | 6 | 33 | 42 | 39 | 208 | 202 | 282 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross |
High Tide | 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 | 4:18AM4.77m | 4:39PM5.13m | 4:59AM5.18m | 5:16PM5.57m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 10:37AM1.64m | 11:02PM1.39m | 11:16AM1.23m | 11:39PM0.98m | ||||||||
6:16 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | |
— | 8:30 | — | — | 8:29 | — | — | 8:27 | — | — | 8:24 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:21 | — | — | 8:19 | — | |
mm | 2 | — | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
Temp °C | 18 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 22 | 22 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 17 |
Feels °C | 13 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 14 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | WNW 9 | W 10 | W 8 | WNW 8 | W 9 | N 6 | N 5 | N 5 | N 4 | SW 14 | WSW 9 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SSW 13 | WNW 10 | W 9 | W 9 | SSW 8 | SSW 8 | W 9 |
21 | 721 | 423 | 173 | 119 | 53 | 69 | 28 | 11 | 6 | 51 | 34 | 31 | 28 | 17 | 33 | 42 | 39 | 207 | 353 | 282 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | NW 8 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | SW 14 | WSW 10 | SW 14 | N 4 | W 9 | SW 8 | SW 8 | SW 8 | SW 8 | W 9 | W 8 | SSW 8 |
— | 33 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 29 | 25 | 24 | 51 | 22 | 51 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 10 | 15 | 33 | 55 | 202 | 123 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | SW 15 | W 9 | SE 4 | SE 5 | SW 9 | SW 9 | W 8 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | W 10 | SW 12 |
— | — | — | 25 | 25 | 39 | 13 | 8 | 54 | 14 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 3 | 6 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 96 | 6 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 9 | — | N 5 | N 6 | N 5 | NNW 5 | — | E 4 | — | E 4 | N 4 | NNE 3 | ESE 6 | ESE 7 | SE 4 | SE 4 | S 4 | SSW 5 | WSW 7 | — | — |
808 | — | 18 | 72 | 37 | 23 | — | 19 | — | 9 | 3 | 2 | 33 | 88 | 22 | 12 | 6 | 35 | 208 | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 553 | 211 | 19 | 86 | 19 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 379 | 190 | 249 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 166 | 125 | 13 |
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.











