The Breakwater-St Ives Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s have a look at the forecast for The Breakwater-St Ives.

Well, to be honest, it’s a pretty bleak outlook for the next couple of weeks. We’ve got a long stretch of poor conditions ahead, with only a tiny blip of something interesting right at the very end. The Breakwater-St Ives down here is a point break that’s fairly exposed to the swell but it’s inconsistent, and that’s a real problem right now because there’s hardly any decent swell with the right winds.

Looking at the whole period, we’ve got a massive gap of nearly two weeks with nothing to write home about. From the start on Saturday the 11th right through to late July, it's a wasteland for surf. The first records show Saturday morning the 11th with a small 2.3ft W swell, but it’s cross-on from the ENE at 12 mph, so it’s choppy and blown out. The water temp is 62.1°, which is about normal for the time of year given the anomaly is only 1.4°.

We slide through Sunday the 12th, Monday the 13th, and it’s all cross-shore winds and tiny, weak swell. The combined energy is way down, low double-digits and triple-digits under 100 (like 56 and 44), so there’s just no punch. It’s the same story through the week, with small, poor waves and messy winds.

There is a little spike around the 21st of July, Tuesday morning, where we see a 4.6ft W swell with a light cross-off wind from the SW at 22 mph, which would keep it clean in theory. The combined energy jumps to 192 (moderate). But the period is short at 6 seconds, so it’s not going to have any real push. It’s still marked “poor surf conditions.” Then it builds a bit more through the 22nd and 23rd with 5.2ft to 5.6ft W swells, but the wind swings cross-shore again, making it lumpy. The wave energy gets up to 320 and even 479, which is moderate, but the quality just isn't there.

Now, if you’re an expert and you’re desperate, the 25th of July – that’s a Saturday – has a big 9.8ft W swell rolling in. The combined energy is massive at 1291 (strong to very strong). But here’s the thing: at 9.8ft, this is for experts only. Beginners, stay out of the water. The swell period is 9 seconds, so it’s not a long-period groundswell, but it’s still a lot of water. On Saturday morning the wind is cross-shore from the W at 16 mph, so it’s going to be a bit messy, but that’s the one day with a score that’s not zero – it gets a 1. Saturday afternoon the wind improves to a cross-off from the WSW at 19 mph, which could clean it up a bit for the brave. That 25th is the only real standout in the whole 16 days, but it’s a long way off and it’s a big, powerful wave for a point break. It’s the best on offer, but it’s a heavy one.

After that, Sunday the 26th drops back to 4.9ft and weaker energy, so the window is narrow.

All in all, there’s a massive dry spell until late July. The Breakwater is inconsistent at the best of times, so this kind of blank run is not totally unusual for the area. The 25th of July is the one to circle on your calendar if you’ve got the skill for it.

Read more