Portreath Harbour Wall Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for the next couple of weeks. I've got the Portreath Harbour Wall (Cornwall) on the table, and I’ll be straight with you: it’s a lean period for this spot. The swell shows up, but it’s almost constantly fighting the wind, so we’re really picking through the scraps.

The forecast kicks off with a couple of reasonable windows on Wednesday the 12th. The morning sets are around 3ft from the west with a moderate breeze off the land. That’s clean, and the water temp is about average for the time of year. With moderate wave energy (127), it looks like a rideable little session for a more experienced surfer. The afternoon holds similar, with a gentle 3ft swell, but the wind turns light and cross-off, keeping it tidy.

Then we hit a long, frustrating gap. From Thursday the 13th right through until Tuesday the 18th, the conditions are mostly poor. The wind is onshore or cross-onshore, chewing up the swell. There's a brief uptick in energy on Friday morning (159) and Saturday (192), but with a fresh breeze and lumpy conditions, it’s not worth paddling out. This stretch has a mix of shorter period swell, and the crowd profile suggests it could get busy on the better days, but honestly, the quality is just not there.

The swell builds significantly around the 20th. Thursday the 20th sees a solid 10ft from the north-west first thing, but that’s with a strong onshore wind. At that size on a reef setup, with messy conditions, it’s strictly one for the experts only and even then, pretty unpleasant. The energy is strong (1367), but the quality rating is zero. By the 22nd, we get a short window of cleaner conditions on Saturday morning with a light breeze, but the swell drops away to a tiny 2ft.

Looking deeper into the second week, the Monday the 24th sees 4ft onshore and choppy – nothing to get excited about. The real standout potential is on Wednesday the 27th. We're looking at a big 10ft swell from the west, with the strongest energy of the entire forecast (2849). The wind is a strong cross-off, which would keep the face clean. But caution: that size at Portreath Harbour Wall is heavy and for experts only. The period is a moderate 10 seconds, so the sets will have some push. If you’re a competent surfer and can handle the power and the inevitable crowd, that morning is the closest thing to a highlight in this whole run. It is the best on offer by a long shot.

Overall, it’s a dry spell broken by one or two fleeting moments. The water’s at a normal temperature for August, so you won't need a thick suit. Unless you’re a local expert watching the wind forecasts closely, I’d say wait for the 27th morning or look elsewhere in Cornwall.

Rusty.

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