The Breakwater-St Ives Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at the surf over the next couple of weeks for The Breakwater-St Ives.

To be honest, it’s going to be a long wait for anything decent. The first week and a half is pretty grim. We’ve got a real flat spell coming up, with hardly any surf worth paddling out for. From Wednesday the 5th through to Monday the 11th, conditions are just poor – lumpy, choppy, and cross-shore winds messing everything up. The swell is tiny and weak, with combined energy readings barely getting into double digits at times (22 to 79). Not worth wetting a wetsuit for.

We finally get a little glimmer on Wednesday morning the 12th. The wind goes glassy, and the swell picks up to 0.7m (2ft) from the west with a 10-second period. The combined energy climbs to 107 (moderate wave energy), and it’s clean. That’s the first sign of life, but it’s still only a 1 out of 10 on the score, so call it a knee-high dribble for the desperate.

After that, the wind turns onshore again and the swell stays messy through to the 17th. There’s a bit more size, around 1.0m to 1.4m (3ft to 5ft), but the wind is junk – cross-on or onshore from the north-west, making it choppy and ugly. It’s just not worth fighting for.

Now, the standout window is looking like Tuesday the 18th and Wednesday the 19th. The swell really cranks up – we’re talking 2.5m to 3.0m (8ft to 10ft) from the west, with a 9-second period. The combined energy goes ballistic: 1069 on Tuesday morning and 1518 on Tuesday afternoon. That’s strong to very strong wave energy. But here’s the catch – the wind is moderate cross-onshore, so it’s going to be a messy, lumpy, and powerful beast. This is strictly for experienced surfers only; anything over 2.5m (8ft) is expert territory. Beginners, stay well clear. The Breakwater is a point break, so it might handle the size better than a beach, but the wind is going to chop it up.

By Wednesday the 19th, the swell drops to 2.3m (8ft) in the morning and 1.7m (6ft) in the afternoon, with lighter winds, but it’s still cross-onshore and the conditions are only marginal. The combined energy is still high though (1476 and 484), so there’s plenty of grunt.

The best bet for a clean session looks like Thursday morning the 20th. The wind swings light and cross-offshore from the SSE, the swell is 1.3m (4ft) from the west-northwest with a 9-second period, and the combined energy is 274 (moderate). The score is a 2 out of 10, which is the best we’ll see. It’s not huge, but it’ll be clean and rideable. That’s the one to pencil in.

So, to sum it up: the first week is a write-off. The middle of the second week has serious size but messy wind. The real highlight is the morning of Thursday the 20th – clean, manageable, and the best of a tough run.

Rusty.

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