Portreath Harbour Wall Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right folks, Rusty here with a look at the waves ahead for Portreath Harbour Wall. This is a tricky little reef setup for the advanced crew, but the forecast is playing hard to get for most of this 16-day window.

We start with a dry spell. There is no surf worth chasing for the first few days. From Wednesday the 2nd to Friday the 4th of September, the wind is all wrong and the swell is messy. We're looking at a solid 5 ft to 7 ft of swell, but it's short-period, wind-chopped junk. The combined wave energy is moderate to strong – hitting 645 on Friday morning – but the quality is just not there. You'd be battling a fresh breeze and cross-onshore rubbish.

The first real glimmer of hope comes on Saturday morning, September 5th. This is the standout of the entire window. We've got a 5 ft groundswell from the WNW with a nice long 11-second period. The magic word here is "glass" – a 3 mph offshore breeze from the NE. That means clean, glassy surf with proper shape. The combined energy is a solid 494, which is moderate but all directed well. This is Portreath Harbour Wall at its best. For a small window, this is a proper session.

After that, it fades fast. Sunday the 6th drops to 2 ft with an offshore wind, but it's weak and only surfable. Then we get a big spike on Monday the 7th of September – a 7 ft to 7 ft groundswell with a very long 13-second period, and energy screaming up to 1346. But the wind is onshore from the NW, turning it into a messy, dangerous beast. This one is for experts only, and even then, the wind will ruin it. The rest of the second week is a write-off: small, windy, or just poor quality.

Into the second week, there's one more interesting date. Wednesday morning, September 16th, we see a tiny 1 ft swell with a very long 14-second period and a glassy, windless morning. The combined energy is only 105, so it's weak, but it's clean. The afternoon picks up to 4 ft from the W with a 12-second period and 500 energy, but it's cross-onshore. The following morning, Thursday the 17th, shows 5 ft from the WSW but with a cross-onshore breeze again.

So, to put it plainly: the only day that's truly worth the paddle is Saturday morning, September 5th. Everything else is either blown out, too big with bad wind, or simply too small. If you're a beginner, that 5 ft on Saturday is fine, but the rest of the bigger days are best left alone. For a spot like this, we often get blanks, so this one bright morning is a real gift. Keep an eye on the forecasts, but for now, clear that Saturday morning.

Rusty.

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