St Agnes Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s coming up for St Agnes over the next couple of weeks.

To be honest, it’s a tough outlook for a long stretch. We’ve got a run of days with weak, choppy, or onshore junk, and most of the time the conditions just aren’t worth suiting up for. The first session that even gets a nod is Tuesday afternoon, August 25th, but it’s only a tiny 2ft swell from the WNW with a short 10-second period and light cross-off wind. The combined energy is weak (110) and the wave comment says it’s “surfable but very ordinary.” That’s not exactly a pump-up.

The water temperature is sitting at 64°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s about the only thing that’s slightly above average in this forecast.

We then hit a long, bleak spell. From Wednesday the 26th right through to Friday, September 4th, the forecast is dominated by poor surf conditions, with scores of 0 or 1 out of 10. The swell does bump up a bit—Friday the 28th has 6ft to 8ft from the west, but it’s cross-onshore and choppy, and the energy jumps (333 to 962) but it’s all messy. There’s a risk of thunderstorms on Saturday the 29th with onshore wind. This whole period is a write-off for a decent wave.

For kite surfers, the stretch from Friday the 28th through to Wednesday, September 2nd sees significant swell (5ft to 8ft) with strong cross-shore or cross-onshore winds—15 to 28 mph. That setup looks far more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. The energy readings here are moderate to strong (333 up to 1063), but the wind and chop make it a paddler’s nightmare.

Now, finally, we get a glimpse of hope, but you have to wait over a week. On Saturday, September 5th, a solid 10ft west swell rolls in with a 10 to 11-second period. The combined energy is very strong (1804 to 1951), but it’s cross-onshore wind and described as “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions.” It’s only scoring a 3 out of 10 for the morning, so it’s not a standout, just a slight uptick.

The real standout, and the only one I can genuinely recommend, is Sunday, September 6th. That morning, we’ve got a 7ft west swell (10-second period) with a clean, moderate offshore wind from the SSE. The combined energy is strong (880), and the forecast says “expect very good surf conditions.” That’s your session. The swell is a bit big for beginners, but for intermediates and above, that offshore wind on a west swell at St Agnes is what you’re waiting for. The afternoon gets wrecked by strong 25 mph offshore winds (SE) that are clean but hard to paddle into, so stick to the morning.

Following that, Monday, September 7th brings a massive 15ft to 25ft west swell with extremely long period (11 to 17 seconds) and insane energy (4728 to 32188), but it’s onshore with strong wind so it’s blowing out. That’s for experts only, and honestly, it’s probably too big and messy even for them. Tuesday, September 8th sees a 12ft swell dropping to 8ft, with a very long 13-second period, and gentle cross-off wind. The Tuesday afternoon session is called “excellent for experienced surfers” with a score of 4 out of 10. That’s worth a look if you’ve got the skills and you’re keen for a big, long-period groundswell. Keep in mind, that long period stuff tends to break a bit straight on a beach break, but at St Agnes it can still offer some nice corners.

Bottom line: the first week is a total loss. Hold out for Sunday, September 6th in the morning—that’s your best bet, by far.

Rusty.

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