
Surf Forecasts:
The Breakwater-St Ives surf forecast from 12 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 13 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 10s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 16 Sep, 4AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 9s period, WNW swell with 959 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 13 Sep, 10PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 10s period with W swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for The Breakwater-St Ives this week:
The surf forecast for The Breakwater-St Ives over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 13) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 10s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Breakwater-St Ives in the next 16 days are 2.4m 9s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 16) at 4AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.5m 6s period and expected on Friday (Sep 18) at 10PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Sun 13th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Sun 13th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 4AM (Wed 16th Sep) | 8ft (2.4m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Breakwater-St Ives over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right then, let’s have a look at what’s shaping up for the next couple of weeks. It’s a bit of a slow burn, to be honest.
Overall, we’ve got a long stretch ahead with not a whole lot to get excited about. The first real chance of anything decent doesn’t pop up until Friday the 18th of September, but you’ll have to be patient before that.
Looking at The Breakwater-St Ives, there’s a pretty grim run of surf from now through to Thursday the 17th. The wind is mostly cross-off or cross-on, but the wave comment keeps calling it “poor surf conditions” with scores of zero. On Saturday the 12th, you’ve got a combined energy of 305, which is weak, and the swell is a weak 5 ft from the west at only 8 seconds. The wind is a fresh 19 mph cross-off, so it’s clean but the waves are just junk. That sets the tone for the week. The water temp is 63°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year.
The first glimmer of something is on Friday the 18th. The morning shows a 6 ft swell from the WNW with a decent 13-second period, and a combined energy of 937 (moderate). Wind is a moderate 12 mph cross-off, so it’ll be clean. It’s still only a marginal call, but that’s the best we’ve seen. The afternoon drops off a bit. That could be a window for an intermediate surfer to get a few lines if the tide plays ball.
Saturday the 19th goes backwards, with stronger onshore winds and ugly, lumpy conditions. Sunday the 20th is similar with a 8 ft swell from the WSW but again, messy cross-shore wind. The standouts in the whole 16-day run look like Monday the 21st of September, even though the conditions are lumpy. Why? Because you get a proper bit of energy: a 10 ft swell from the WNW with a 13-second period and a combined energy of 2860! That’s strong wave energy, no doubt. But, there’s a catch. It’s a 10 ft wave. That’s solid, expert-only territory, and the wind is a fresh 19 mph cross-shore, so it’ll be lumpy. This is for the crew who are comfortable in big, messy surf at a point break. The swell direction (WNW) is close to the optimum NW.
Then, on Wednesday the 23rd of September, we get a sweet little window. The morning has a 6 ft swell from the west, but the wind is a light 6 mph cross-off from the ESE. That is glassy, clean as a whistle. The combined energy is only 312 (weak), so not much push, but the conditions will be perfect for a cruise. The afternoon bumps up to 7 ft from the west, with a gentle 9 mph cross-off. That’s the pick for the whole two weeks for an intermediate surfer. The wind is offshore, the swell is a manageable size, and it’s at a point break that likes a west swell.
After that, Thursday the 24th drops off, and Friday the 25th has strong onshore winds and tiny waves. The last weekend of the month (27th) looks like another big, windy, messy mix of 8 ft+ swells with terrible cross-on winds.
So, if I’m picking one or two true standouts: Wednesday the 23rd of September is your day for clean, fun waves for the average surfer. For the big-wave crew, Monday the 21st of September offers up proper power, even if it’s rough around the edges. The Breakwater is inconsistent and rarely fires, so when this forecast gives you a window, you take it.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Mon morning, min 17°C on Sat morning). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Wed night. Very mild (max 16°C on Tue morning, min 14°C on Wed morning). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 8 | W 8 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 10 | W 10 | W 10 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 10 | WNW 13 | W 12 | WNW 12 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
277 | 373 | 663 | 512 | 432 | 307 | 225 | 173 | 137 | 393 | 412 | 589 | 754 | 573 | 468 | 308 | 406 | 644 | 931 | 702 | 253 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 6:41PM6.34m | 7:00AM6.12m | 7:17PM6.23m | 7:34AM6.00m | 7:52PM5.98m | 8:08AM5.76m | 8:26PM5.62m | 8:42AM5.42m | 9:01PM5.18m | 9:18AM5.01m | 9:39PM4.71m | 9:59AM4.57m | 10:25PM4.26m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:46PM0.00m | 1:07AM-0.05m | 1:21PM0.05m | 1:41AM0.12m | 1:54PM0.24m | 2:12AM0.41m | 2:27PM0.55m | 2:44AM0.79m | 3:01PM0.94m | 3:17AM1.21m | 3:37PM1.37m | 3:54AM1.64m | 4:22PM1.80m | ||||||||
6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | |
— | 7:43 | — | — | 7:40 | — | — | 7:38 | — | — | 7:36 | — | — | 7:34 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 |
Temp °C | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
Feels °C | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 13 | 12 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 14 | NW 12 | S 14 | W 10 | SW 13 | W 10 | W 9 | W 8 | WNW 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | WNW 10 | W 10 | N 5 | W 10 | S 13 | S 13 | WNW 13 | W 12 | WNW 12 |
20 | 40 | 4 | 512 | 7 | 307 | 225 | 173 | 27 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 754 | 573 | 14 | 148 | 3 | 3 | 931 | 702 | 206 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 15 | SW 15 | S 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | — | — | — | — | N 6 | S 13 | — | S 13 | S 18 | SW 12 | N 4 | S 16 |
8 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | — | — | — | — | 52 | 4 | — | 3 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 5 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 14 | S 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 18 | SW 17 | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 12 | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 8 | W 8 | W 10 | — | W 10 | — | — | — | W 8 | W 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | N 6 | — | W 10 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | WNW 10 | — | — | WSW 6 |
277 | 373 | 663 | — | 432 | — | — | — | 137 | 393 | 412 | 589 | 83 | — | 468 | 308 | 406 | 644 | — | — | 253 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 215 | 192 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 159 | 215 | 120 | 14 | 120 | 509 | 578 | 215 | 213 | 224 | 213 | 612 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Cornwall | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the The Breakwater-St Ives Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for The Breakwater-St Ives provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at The Breakwater-St Ives can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our The Breakwater-St Ives surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (The Breakwater-St Ives) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for The Breakwater-St Ives may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
The Breakwater-St Ives is 11 km (7 miles) from Camborne. If you plan a holiday in North Cornwall, look for hotels and other accommodation in Camborne. Camborne has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.










