St Agnes Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, grab a coffee, let’s have a look at what’s heading our way for St Agnes over the next couple of weeks.

First thing you need to know: it’s a grim start. Honestly, the next few days are a write-off. We’re looking at a run of poor surf conditions right through until the middle of next week. The wind is mostly cross, cross-on, or howling onshore, and the wave quality is just not there. You’ll see a bit of swell, but it’s chopped up and messy. It’s a solid week of nothing much to get excited about, so don’t bother paddling out until at least Tuesday the 15th.

Now, the one bright spot in this whole outlook – and it’s a real beauty – is the morning of Tuesday the 15th of September. That’s the session to circle on the calendar. St Agnes (Cornwall) will be waking up under some clouds with a glassy, light wind from the SW. That’s about as clean as it gets. We’re looking at a solid 6 ft swell rolling in from the WNW, with a period of 12 seconds. That’s proper groundswell, with plenty of energy behind it (1018). The swell direction is a touch west of optimum for this break, which prefers a WSW, but it’s still a very good wave. The water temp is about average for this time of year. This is the standout. The wind is glassy, and the wave energy is strong. It’s clean, it’s got push, and for a moment, it’ll all come together. Crowds are often here, so expect company.

The afternoon of the same day will drop off a little – 6 ft from the WNW and a light cross-shore wind, but it’s the morning that’s the real winner.

From Wednesday the 16th, things get messy again. A big storm system pushes through on the 17th of September, with a 13 ft swell predicted for the Thursday morning. That’s a monster, but the wind is a fresh cross-shore at 19 mph, and the combined energy is a massive 3950. That’s strong to very strong wave energy. For a break like St Agnes, which is fairly exposed and prefers a WSW swell, this is too big and too rough. It’s expert territory only, and even then, the wind is lumpy. It’s really more of a kite-surfing setup that day.

The weekend of the 19th and 20th sees some decent sized swell, 8 ft to 10 ft, with clean cross-offshore winds from the SW. Looks promising at first glance, but the period is shorter, around 8 to 10 seconds, and the forecast is marginal. The energy is moderate (1165 to 1438), but the combined swell direction and wind state aren’t ideal for a clean, high-quality wave. It’s a pass for me.

The final days of the 22nd are just a repeat of the same story – onshore wind and poor surf.

So, to sum it up: the first week is a total bust. The one and only true standout is the morning of the 15th of September. Get out there for that glassy 6 ft WNW groundswell. Everything else is either too small, too windy, or too big and messy. It’s a long wait, but that Tuesday morning will be worth it.

Rusty.

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