Sennen Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it for Sennen Cove.

First up, a bit on the water. The temperature is sitting right around average for this time of year – nothing wild, just what you’d expect for a July paddle in Cornwall.

Right, the overall pattern: the next 16 days are a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve got small, clean waves early on, but then a long stretch of poor conditions kicks in, making things tough. There’s a gap of several days with nothing worth recommending. Let’s break it down.

We start on Saturday the 11th of July. Morning and afternoon both have small, clean surf coming in from the WNW at about 3 ft. The wind is offshore from the ENE and east, so the face will be clean. The period is around 9-10 seconds, giving a bit of shape. The combined wave energy is moderate, reading 148 and 130. Not big, not powerful, but for a beginner-friendly spot like this, it’s a fun, rideable wave. The water is flat and the conditions are ordinary, but that offshore wind makes it a good choice for a simple session.

Sunday morning the 12th gets blown out. The wind cranks up to 25 mph from the east. That’s a strong offshore, which means the waves are clean, but it’s near-impossible to paddle into. Swell drops, period plummets to 6 seconds, and energy drops to a weak 79. Afternoon is similar, but a bit less wind. Not a good day.

From Monday the 13th through to roughly Sunday the 19th, it’s a write-off. We get tiny swell with long-period energy at times, but the wind is either howling or onshore, creating messy, choppy conditions. Energy values hover in the weak to low-moderate range. The combined energy on the 14th morning spikes to 157, but that’s from a very long-period swell with 18-19 second intervals, which breaks too straight for Sennen’s beach setup. The wind is still fresh offshore, so it’s clean but unsurfable due to the size and nature. This stretch is essentially a dud.

Now, the one standout, and it’s a long way out: Saturday the 18th. Morning sees a bump in swell to 4 ft from the north, with a short 6-second period. The combined energy is moderate at 112. But – the wind is cross-onshore from the NNW at 16 mph, so it’s going to be choppy with a bumpy face. The shape won’t be great, and the beach will be a mess. This one is more for the kites than the paddle crew. Afternoon is similar.

Later on, from about Wednesday the 22nd through to Saturday the 25th, we see building onshore wind and onshore swell, with combined energy pushing into the 200s. The swell is around 2-3 ft from the west and WNW, but with onshore wind, it’s just lumpy, messy, and poor. No good.

In the end, the only real shot at something clean is that first weekend, the 11th and maybe the morning of the 12th if you are tough enough to paddle. After that, it’s a long gap of poor surf. Don’t write it off entirely, because forecasts change, but right now, the 11th of July is your best bet for a fun, clean, small-wave session at Sennen Cove.

Stay stoked.
Rusty.

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