Portreath Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, surfers, Rusty here. Let’s talk about the next couple of weeks, and I’ll be straight with you – it’s a bit of a mixed bag, with a long, flat spell before things kick off big time at the end.

Right now, and for the next week and a half, we’re looking at a whole lot of nothing. The swell is tiny, the winds are mostly onshore or cross, and the whole lineup is going to be a mess. There’s some weak energy early on, with combined energy readings around 129 on Friday morning, but it’s all wind-slop and short period, not worth paddling out for. The water temp is 66°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so that’s a small silver lining if you just want a splash.

We are going to have a solid gap of days with no surf on offer. From the 14th through the 23rd, it’s mostly poor surf conditions with that onshore wind. Even when the swell bumps up to 5ft on Tuesday the 18th, the wind is howling and the period is only 7 seconds, so it’s going to be a washing machine. Not worth your time.

Now, there is one day that stands out as the best of the bunch early on: Sunday the 23rd. We’ve got a small, clean 3ft swell from the north with a light cross-offshore breeze from the ENE. It’s a bit weak, with energy only around 107, but it’s clean and surfable. It’s not going to be epic, but it’s the only thing that looks rideable after this dry spell. That’s your one small window before the wind kicks up again.

After that, we go flat again for a few days. The 24th and 25th look poor with small, weak swells and strong winds. It’s a dead period.

Then, hold onto your boards, because things get serious at the end of the month. On Thursday the 27th of August, we see a solid 8ft groundswell from the WSW starting to build in the afternoon. The energy jumps to 848, which is a strong pulse. The wind is light and cross-offshore from the SSW, which should clean it up nicely. This is the standout of the whole forecast. It’s going to be powerful, and at 8ft, it’s getting too big for beginners. The period is only 8 seconds, so it’s not the long-period groundswell we’d love, but it’s got some push. This is the one to keep your eyes on. Portreath Beach will be handling this sizeable west swell, but the short period means it could be a bit closed-out. Still, it's the best offer on the table.

But that clean window is short-lived. The very next day, Friday the 28th, a massive 16ft to 18ft swell from the west hits, with a huge 13-second period. The combined energy skyrockets to 8564 and then 10182, which is an absolutely pumping ocean. However, the wind is screaming from the northeast at 25-28 mph, creating strong cross-shore and messy cross-chop. At this size, it’s only for experts, and the wind is going to destroy it. This is going to be a chaotic, dangerous day, and honestly, it looks like it might be more interesting for kite surfers than paddle surfers.

The weekend of the 29th and 30th keeps the large swell going, with 13ft dropping to 12ft, but it’s still too big and the cross-onshore winds will make it lumpy and unmanageable.

So to sum it up: we’ve got a long, flat spell, one small, clean day on the 23rd, and then a big, powerful but wind-blown finale. The standout is that Thursday afternoon on the 27th if you’re an experienced surfer looking for some size. It’s a long way out though, so treat it as promising but less certain. For everyone else, keep your board in the car for the next week and a half.

Rusty out.

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