Sennen Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you. The next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for a proper paddle. We've got a lot of onshore and cross-onshore wind messing things up, and the swell just isn't lining up with the conditions. The water temp at Sennen Cove is sitting at 66°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least it won’t be freezing while you’re getting blown around.

The first real chance to even think about a wave is Saturday the 8th. We're looking at clean conditions with a light cross-offshore breeze, but the swell is tiny, only 1ft to 2ft from the WNW. It's surfable, but it's going to be a longboard or a foamie kind of day, and the energy is weak at 41 to 70. It’s not going to be memorable.

After that brief tease, it's back to the grind. From Sunday the 9th right through to Tuesday the 12th, we have nothing but poor surf and onshore winds chopping everything up. The swell stays small, under that 3ft mark, and the period is short. It’s a blank stretch, not worth suiting up for.

We get a little bump in size on Wednesday the 12th with some WSW swell, pushing around 3ft to 4ft, and the period stretches out to 10 seconds, giving the energy a bit of a kick (163 to 206). But the wind is still cross-onshore, and the reports call it poor. The potential is there, but the wind will ruin it.

The middle of the week, the 13th and 14th, sees similar conditions: 3ft waves from the W but with a cross-onshore wind. It's just that same story – a bit of swell, but no quality. Then we drop back down again for the weekend of the 15th and 16th.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Around Monday the 17th, the ocean wakes up. We’ve got a solid spike of W swell coming in, hitting 7ft to 8ft, and the energy is strong, at 862 to 1119. But the wind is still cross-onshore and moderate. It’s going to be big and messy. Then Tuesday the 18th brings a strong breeze from the WNW at 28 mph, with 8ft of swell. This is going to be a full-on washing machine. The surf quality is deemed poor, and with that size and wind, it’s looking more like a day for the kite surfers than for a paddle. The period is only 8 seconds, so it'll be lumpy and unorganized.

The worst of the wind might drop a bit on Wednesday the 19th, but the swell fades back to 3ft and the period drops right off to 6 seconds. It’s not worth the effort. The 16-day window ends with another pulse on Thursday the 20th – 8ft of swell again – but it’s accompanied by a fresh cross-shore wind and even some light rain (yes, rain! In August!), with 19-28 mph winds. Another miss.

So there you have it. The standout is that brief window on the 17th, but it's for experts only at that size and with that chop. It's a lot of close-outs. The rest is just a waiting game. This is one of those times where the ocean is full of energy but none of it is user-friendly. We'll be checking the charts for a change in wind, because if that swings offshore, Sennen could get good. But as it stands, the surfboard stays in the car.

Rusty.

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