The Breakwater-St Ives Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here again. Let me tell you, it's a lean stretch for the coast.

The only spot in the game is The Breakwater-St Ives, and she's being a tough one. The water is sitting at 65°F, just a touch warmer than usual for this time of year, but that's the only easy thing about it.

We've got a real dry spell from now until the 12th of August. The swell is tiny, the wind is mostly onshore or cross-off, and the energy is barely a whisper. Monday the 10th has a 3ft WNW swell but with a weak period of 5 seconds and only 74 combined energy – it's weak and messy. Tuesday the 11th is even smaller.

On Wednesday the 12th of August, we finally get a hint of life. The morning is still a bust, but the afternoon brings a 3ft W swell with a period of 9 seconds and a solid 203 combined energy. The wind is glassy, and the wave comment is "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions". It's not a standout, but it's the first thing that's not a total flat spell. Crowds are possible here, so be ready to share.

The 13th and 14th of August see a bit of size, with the swell hitting 4ft on Thursday morning, but the cross-onshore wind is up to 12 mph, making it choppy. The energy is decent (317 on Thursday morning), but the quality is poor. Friday the 14th is similar with onshore winds. The weekend of the 15th and 16th is a washout – 2ft to 3ft, onshore winds, and very low energy.

After that, we get a few cleaner days from the 17th to the 21st of August, but the swell is tiny. You're looking at 1ft to 3ft waves with clean cross-off winds, but the energy is low. It's a skunk's game.

The real event is on the 23rd of August. The forecast is showing a massive 10ft WNW swell with a 9-second period and a whopping 1531 combined energy. But here's the rub – it's a big, powerful, short-period windswell, and the wind is onshore at 16 mph. The wave comment still says "poor surf conditions". At this size, over 8ft, it's for experts only, and the onshore wind will make it a sloppy, dangerous mess. This setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The final day on the 25th of August has a 2ft swell but with a very long period of 16 seconds and 420 combined energy. The wind is cross-shore but lumpy. It's a tease of a groundswell that might break too straight at the beach, but it's the only hint of proper energy in the last week.

Honestly, there's nothing here that I'd call a true standout. The 12th of August afternoon is the best of a bad bunch – glassy, small, but surfable. Keep your expectations low and your eyes on the forecast. It can change.

Rusty.

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