Surf Forecasts:
The Breakwater-St Ives surf forecast from 21 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 26 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 8s period, W swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 28 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 7s period, W swell with 529 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 26 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 8s 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 Wednesday (Aug 26) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 8s period. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Breakwater-St Ives in the next 16 days are 2.2m 7s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 28) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.1m 7s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Wed 26th Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Wed 26th Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Fri 28th Aug) | 7ft (2.2m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Breakwater-St Ives over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right, grab a coffee, because the next couple of weeks are a bit of a mixed bag for The Breakwater-St Ives. This spot is a point break, which in theory is a dream for a lined-up wave, but it's inconsistent, so we need the stars to align. The water temperature is sitting at 63°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.
The real story is that most of the 16-day window is a write-off, but we do have a couple of flashes of potential. For the first week, from Friday the 21st right through to the start of the following week, it's a grim run of poor surf with scores of zero. The waves are tiny, weak, and the wind is either onshore or cross-shore, making a mess of things. The combined swell energy is well under 100 at times, so it's flat as a pancake. We're looking at a gap of several days with no recommendations. The only bright spot is a brief window on Tuesday morning and afternoon the 25th, where we get a clean offshore wind from the SSE, but the waves are still only 1 ft to 2 ft. It's a surfable ankle-snapper, but nothing to get excited about.
The outlook gets a bit more interesting from Thursday the 27th. The morning sees a light offshore from the SSW with 3 ft swell and a combined energy of 117, which is enough to get a few waves. The conditions are clean, and for a point break like this, that's a real positive. It's not a standout, but it's the first time the forecast looks like a proper surf again.
Then, the real standout comes on Tuesday the 1st of September. We have a glassy morning with 5 ft swell from the W, and the wind is dead calm. The conditions are described as "glassy," which is as good as it gets. Then in the afternoon, the wind switches to a clean offshore from the SSW, and the swell bumps up to 7 ft from the SW, with a moderate combined energy of 530. That's a solid, punchy day for an intermediate, and the offshore wind will keep the point breaking clean and lined up. This is the best on offer.
The following day, Wednesday the 2nd, is a big one, but it comes with a massive caveat. The swell is going to be huge, with 12 ft from the W, and a combined energy of 2460 – that's a lot of power. While the wind is a clean cross-offshore, the size is way too big for most. This is expert-only territory, and even then, it might be more of a tow-in or a reef-charge situation. It's a spectacle, but not a friendly paddle.
From there, the swell drops but the wind turns onshore and messy, and the forecast drops back into a poor run for the rest of the period. The point looks set to be choppy and blown out.
So, for the ordinary surfer, your best bet is to hold out for the 1st of September. The morning glass-off is a dream, but the afternoon offshore with 7 ft of swell is the real winner. The big day on the 2nd is for the brave, but for everyone else, it's a long wait for that one good day.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Fri morning. Very mild (max 19°C on Sun morning, min 15°C on Fri morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the E on Sun morning, fresh winds from the E by Sun night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 15mm), heaviest on Mon night. Warm (max 20°C on Tue morning, min 16°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the E on Mon afternoon, light winds from the SSE by Tue night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | |||||||||||||||
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 9 | WNW 8 | W 9 | N 6 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 7 | W 6 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
150 | 112 | 26 | 40 | 28 | 14 | 14 | 42 | 38 | 31 | 28 | 12 | 39 | 47 | 61 | 38 | 47 | 195 | 111 | 65 | 163 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 11:47AM4.18m | 00:28AM4.00m | 1:13PM4.00m | 2:02AM3.94m | 2:43PM4.12m | 3:19AM4.15m | 3:46PM4.44m | 4:12AM4.49m | 4:32PM4.83m | 4:52AM4.85m | 5:09PM5.22m | 5:27AM5.19m | 5:43PM5.57m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:12PM2.11m | 6:50AM2.23m | 7:44PM2.23m | 8:26AM2.22m | 9:14PM2.06m | 9:41AM1.94m | 10:14PM1.71m | 10:31AM1.56m | 10:57PM1.31m | 11:10AM1.16m | 11:34PM0.93m | 11:45AM0.81m | 00:07AM0.59m | ||||||||
6:18 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | |
— | 8:30 | — | — | 8:28 | — | — | 8:25 | — | — | 8:23 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:20 | — | — | 8:17 | — | |
mm | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 1 | — | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 2 |
Temp °C | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 17 |
Feels °C | 10 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 5 | N 6 | WNW 6 | W 9 | N 4 | SW 13 | WSW 10 | SW 9 | SW 13 | SSW 13 | WNW 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | W 8 | SSW 8 | W 8 | W 7 | SSW 7 |
150 | 112 | 23 | 40 | 13 | 14 | 5 | 42 | 38 | 13 | 28 | 17 | 39 | 47 | 61 | 38 | 47 | 217 | 111 | 65 | 17 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | N 5 | W 10 | W 9 | SW 15 | SW 14 | N 4 | SE 5 | SW 14 | W 9 | WNW 11 | SW 8 | SW 8 | SW 8 | SW 12 | WSW 10 | W 8 | SSW 7 | SW 7 | S 9 |
17 | 17 | 13 | 29 | 25 | 54 | 51 | 3 | 4 | 31 | 6 | 12 | 11 | 16 | 15 | 6 | 21 | 195 | 84 | 49 | 6 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | W 9 | WNW 7 | SSW 15 | NW 6 | W 9 | SSW 14 | SW 14 | N 4 | SW 9 | W 8 | ESE 6 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | — | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | WNW 11 | SW 12 |
25 | 25 | 26 | 15 | 21 | 1 | 14 | 21 | 32 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 17 | 7 | — | 6 | 6 | 6 | 13 | 5 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 5 | N 5 | — | ENE 2 | N 5 | N 4 | E 4 | — | NNE 2 | ESE 6 | ESE 7 | ESE 4 | SE 3 | SSE 3 | SSW 4 | SSW 7 | SSW 8 | — | — | — | W 6 |
56 | 34 | — | 1 | 28 | 14 | 6 | — | 1 | 58 | 91 | 29 | 4 | 3 | 15 | 419 | 337 | — | — | — | 163 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 99 | 271 | 14 | 5 | 19 | 12 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 385 | 248 | 192 | 190 | 1 | 1 | 190 | 176 | 0 | 0 | 383 | 376 |
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.











