The Breakwater-St Ives Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s take a look at what’s in store for The Breakwater-St Ives. It’s a point break that handles a fair bit of swell, and it needs it from the NW. But honestly, for the next week and a half, it’s pretty grim. We’re looking at a long stretch of poor surf conditions, with the water temp sitting around 64°F, which is pretty normal for this time of year.

The problem is the wind. For the first few days, from Wednesday the 19th through to the weekend, it’s hammering from the WNW and NW at 15 to 21 mph, all cross-on or cross. That’s blowing the top off any chance of a clean wave. There’s a bit of size on the 20th, with a 8ft WNW swell, but it’s straight into a fresh cross-onshore breeze, making it lumpy and ugly. Not worth paddling out for. The energy is moderate at best, but it’s wasted.

The 21st and 22nd see the wind swing around to the north and drop a little, but the swell fades away to 3ft-4ft, with a weak, short period. The energy is weak. It’s just not happening.

Then we hit a real flat spell. From Sunday the 23rd until Tuesday the 25th, we’re looking at tiny 1ft to 2ft swells. The combined energy is pathetic. The wind is all over the place, but it doesn’t matter because there’s no wave to ride.

That blank run continues until the morning of the 29th of August. After days of nothing, we finally get a bit of a pulse. On Saturday the 29th, we see a 4ft W swell with a short period, but the wind is clean offshore from the SSW at 15 mph. The conditions are described as “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” It’s not a standout, but it’s the first sniff of anything rideable.

The wind looks cleaner again on the 28th, with offshore winds from the S and SSW, but the swell is small, 2ft to 4ft, and the energy is weak. It’s a reward for the patient, but nothing to get excited about.

Looking further out, the 31st of August brings a big 10ft WNW swell with a period of 10 seconds and a very strong combined energy. That’s a serious amount of water. But the wind is fresh cross-on from the NW, so it’s going to be a messy, lumpy beast. At that size, it’s only for experts, and the onshore wind will make it a battle. The 1st of September keeps the size up around 8ft, but the wind is a cross-shore mess. The 2nd of September has a cleaner cross-off wind from the SW with a 7ft WNW swell, but the wind is a strong 28 mph, which is just too much.

The best on offer? I’d say the tail end of the window, around the 2nd of September. The morning of the 2nd has a 7ft swell with a clean cross-off wind, but it’s a long way off and the wind is fresh. Still, it’s the cleanest option we get. The other one is the 29th of August, for the offshore wind, but the swell is tiny. If you’re desperate, you could get a few, but it’s not going to be memorable. The Breakwater is inconsistent at the best of times, and this run is a perfect example of why. It just doesn’t stay poor for long, but this is a real lull.

Rusty.

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