The Breakwater-St Ives Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look what’s on the cards for The Breakwater-St Ives. We’ve got a bit of a tease to kick things off on Friday the 3rd of July, but then it’s a long, long dry spell before anything else shows its face. The wave energy is moderate (395) to start with, not huge but definitely alive.

The only real window of clean surf in this whole 16-day stretch is the Friday morning session. The Breakwater-St Ives is a point break, and we’re looking at a 5 ft swell rolling in from the west, with a 10-second period. That’s a proper groundswell – it’ll have some shape and power in the water. What makes it special is the wind: a light 3 mph cross-off breeze from the southwest. That means the faces should be clean, no chop, real nice lines for an intermediate to work with. Water temp is 61°, which is about average for the time of year – no surprises there.

After that morning, it’s grim. By Friday afternoon the wind swings onshore, and from then on we have a solid run of poor conditions. From Saturday the 4th all the way through to Monday the 13th of July, every session is a write-off – cross-on winds, choppy surfaces, and the swell slowly drops from 4 ft down to a pathetic 2 ft. The wave energy fades from 250 down to just 23. That’s a full nine days of nothing worth paddling out for.

We get a slight flicker on Tuesday the 14th of July. The morning shows a light offshore from the southeast, and by the afternoon the wind goes glassy, with the swell sitting at 3 ft from the west, 9-second period, and combined energy at 164. The commentary calls it "surfable but very ordinary," and I’d put it in the same basket – it’s clean but weak. The Breakwater-St Ives is an inconsistent spot at the best of times, so a session like this is more about a quiet paddle than any real thrills.

From Wednesday the 15th onwards, onshore winds return and the quality tanks again. There is a bump in swell around the 17th and 18th of July – look at that Friday 17th morning, 6 ft of west-northwest swell with a 10-second period and combined energy hitting 571 – but the wind is straight onshore from the north, 12 mph. The same story on the 18th: 7 ft swell (625 combined energy, moderate to strong), but again, onshore junk. That much swell and chop is more of a kiter’s playground than a surfer’s dream.

Best on offer? That Friday morning, 3rd of July. 5 ft, clean, cross-off breeze, proper groundswell. If you can get out, that’s your window. Everything else you’d be fighting the wind for nothing.

Rusty.

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