Surf Forecasts:
The Breakwater-St Ives surf forecast from 16 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 20 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 9s period, WNW swell with 741 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for The Breakwater-St Ives this week:
The most powerful waves expected at The Breakwater-St Ives in the next 16 days are 2.2m 9s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 4s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 23) at 4PM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 7ft (2.2m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Breakwater-St Ives over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s get into this one.
First thing to know, The Breakwater-St Ives has water temps that are running a tick warmer than average for this time of year, so that’s a small win for the first duck dive.
Now, don’t get your hopes up for the near future. From Sunday the 16th all the way through Thursday the 27th, it’s a total desert. That’s nearly two weeks of nothing but poor, choppy conditions. Swell energy is mostly stuck in the double digits (36 up to just over a hundred), and the wind is consistently messy – cross-onshore junk that’ll have you cursing the lineup. Save yourself the paddle; there’s a solid 12-day stretch here with zero to ride.
The one and only window of opportunity looks to be on Friday the 28th. Now, it’s far out, so take it with a grain of salt, but the setup is promising. The morning shows a 6ft swell from the WSW with a 9-second period, and the wind is light offshore from the SSW. That spells clean, peeling waves. The energy jumps to 541, so there’s some real juice in the water. It’s a little over 5ft, so beginners should stay on the beach. The afternoon holds clean with a 6ft swell and a light cross-offshore breeze. The Breakwater is inconsistent, so you’ll wait for sets, but the waiting should pay off. Crowds can show up sometimes, so be ready to share.
After Friday, it goes back to ugly. Saturday the 29th has similar size but gets wrecked by cross-onshore wind, and Sunday the 30th drops off fast. The rest of the run is small and weak.
So, the call is simple: sit tight for almost two weeks, then pick your moment on the morning of Friday the 28th. That’s your best bet, and probably your only one.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Sun night, min 17°C on Sun morning). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Very mild (max 18°C on Wed morning, min 15°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the W on Wed afternoon, light winds from the N by Fri night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | |||||||||||||||
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) | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | W 7 | WNW 6 | WNW 8 | W 7 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | W 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | W 8 | WNW 8 | W 8 | W 10 | W 10 | N 6 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 16 | 44 | 12 | 60 | 123 | 74 | 95 | 104 | 143 | 206 | 373 | 736 | 741 | 616 | 346 | 124 | 79 | 50 | 76 | 48 | 39 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 8:24PM6.05m | 8:44AM5.67m | 9:03PM5.67m | 9:22AM5.33m | 9:41PM5.22m | 10:01AM4.94m | 10:23PM4.75m | 10:47AM4.53m | 11:15PM4.31m | 11:47AM4.18m | 00:28AM4.00m | 1:13PM4.00m | 2:02AM3.94m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 2:27PM0.22m | 2:51AM0.34m | 3:04PM0.54m | 3:26AM0.72m | 3:41PM0.93m | 4:02AM1.16m | 4:21PM1.36m | 4:43AM1.59m | 5:07PM1.77m | 5:34AM1.98m | 6:12PM2.11m | 6:50AM2.23m | 7:44PM2.23m | ||||||||
 | |  | |  | | | | | | |  |  | |  | | | | | | | |
 | 6:11 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — |
 | — | 8:39 | — | — | 8:37 | — | — | 8:36 | — | — | 8:34 | — | — | 8:31 | — | — | 8:30 | — | — | 8:28 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 17 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 16 |
Feels °C | 14 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 7 | W 7 | W 7 | WNW 9 | SW 18 | N 4 | W 8 | SW 17 | SSW 17 | W 9 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 14 | W 8 | WNW 8 | W 8 | N 5 | W 10 | N 6 |
| kJ | 16 | 26 | 8 | 43 | 12 | 1 | 11 | 11 | 29 | 45 | 24 | 23 | 21 | 33 | 19 | 124 | 79 | 50 | 20 | 48 | 39 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 8 | N 4 | — | SW 18 | — | SW 16 | SSW 17 | — | — | NW 11 | — | — | SSW 14 | — | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 16 | W 10 | SSW 15 | W 9 |
| kJ | 11 | 3 | — | 12 | — | 10 | 28 | — | — | 32 | — | — | 21 | — | 19 | 17 | 17 | 39 | 76 | 21 | 26 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 12 | SW 18 | SW 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 16 | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | W 11 | SSW 15 | SW 12 | SW 15 |
| kJ | 3 | 13 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | 25 | 25 | 21 | 21 | 6 | 54 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 4 | WNW 7 | W 4 | WNW 6 | WNW 8 | W 7 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | W 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | N 5 | N 5 | N 5 | — | N 5 | — |
| kJ | 9 | 44 | 7 | 60 | 123 | 74 | 95 | 104 | 143 | 206 | 373 | 736 | 741 | 616 | 346 | 43 | 26 | 12 | — | 36 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 257 | 331 | 247 | 215 | 214 | 280 | 249 | 1151 | 284 | 560 | 214 | 611 | 170 | 215 | 14 | 215 | 215 | 10 | 258 | 265 | 243 |
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.
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