The Breakwater-St Ives Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, folks, let’s have a look at what’s in store for the next couple of weeks. I’m Rusty, and I’ve been staring at the charts for The Breakwater-St Ives. Gotta be honest with you, it’s a bit of a mixed bag, and we’ve got a long wait ahead for anything that really gets the heart pumping.

The first few days are a write-off. From Monday the 27th of July right through to the morning of Wednesday the 5th of August, there’s just nothing doing. The swell is tiny, the wind is messy, and the scores are bottom of the barrel. We’re talking about a solid week of flat, poor conditions. You’d be better off cleaning the wax off your board than trying to get wet.

Then, on Wednesday the 5th of August, the swell starts to pick up a little, but it’s still not good. The wind is howling from the Northeast, making for a lumpy, cross-onshore mess. The wave energy is moderate (112 on Wednesday afternoon), but the quality is just not there. It stays like this for a few days, with the swell getting bigger but the wind staying onshore and choppy. By Thursday the 6th of August, we’ve got 6ft from the WSW, but that wind is still a problem. It’s a kite-surfing kind of setup, not a paddling one.

The real standout, the one to circle on your calendar, is the morning of Saturday the 8th of August. Now, this is a long way out, so take it with a pinch of salt, but the models are pointing to a proper pulse. We’re looking at 8ft of swell from the West, with a 9-second period. The combined energy is a solid 965, which is strong. The wind is set to be a clean offshore from the SSW, which is exactly what you want. This is a spot for the experts, though. That size is heavy, and it’s a point break that can get a bit of a push. For the experienced crew, this could be a morning to remember, but it’s not for the faint-hearted.

The afternoon of the 8th sees the wind swinging to the WSW and cranking up to 25 mph, so that window is tight. Sunday the 9th of August still has a big 7ft swell from the WNW, but the wind is a fresh cross-off, so it’ll be powerful but a bit tricky. The water temperature is sitting at 65°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so you might not need the thickest wetsuit.

After that, things settle back down into a choppy, onshore pattern for the rest of the run. The 10th and 11th of August have some swell, but the wind is lumpy and cross-shore.

So, to sum it up: the first week is a bust. The one clear highlight is the morning of Saturday the 8th of August, with a solid West swell and clean offshore wind. That’s the one to keep an eye on. Everything else is a bit of a slog.

Rusty.

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