The Breakwater-St Ives Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what we’ve got for the next couple of weeks. The only spot on the radar is The Breakwater-St Ives, so we’ll be focusing right there. To be honest, it’s a bit of a tough stretch ahead.

Straight off the bat, from Tuesday the 14th of July right through to Saturday the 26th of July, there’s nothing doing. The swell is tiny, all over the place in direction, and mostly short-period junk. We’re looking at weak energy readings, mostly down in the double digits like 55, 57, 36, and so on. The wind is a problem too, mostly cross or onshore, with some cleaner windows on the 15th afternoon and 20th morning, but the swell is just too small to bother with - 1 to 2 feet. You’d be sitting on your board doing nothing. This is a long dry spell, nearly two weeks of poor surf conditions.

Now, things start to look a bit more interesting on Sunday the 27th of July. We finally get some proper swell pushing in. The Monday morning sees a 7ft swell from the west with an 8-second period, and the combined energy jumps to 583 – that’s moderate, but on the stronger side. The wind is offshore from the WSW and described as a gentle breeze, so the surf should be clean. However, at 7ft, this is getting into the expert-only zone, not for beginners. The afternoon keeps the size at 7ft from the west with a 9-second period and even more energy at 623, but it’s blowing a fresh offshore breeze from the SW, so still clean. The crowd profile says “sometimes” here, so you might have company, but with those conditions, it could be worth it.

Then Tuesday the 28th of July drops a bit in size to 5ft from the west, 10-second period, with a fresh offshore breeze from the SW. Energy is still strong at 490. Again, clean conditions. Wednesday the 29th of July pushes it back up to 8ft from the WSW with an 8-second period and a massive 807 energy reading – that’s strong wave energy. Wind remains offshore from the SW, so it should be clean. But 8ft is big and heavy, definitely only for experienced surfers.

The standout here is the Monday the 27th of July. The combination of a good 7ft to 7ft west swell, clean offshore wind all day, and moderate to strong energy makes it the best bet. It’s not perfect because the period is short, but that offshore wind on a point break like The Breakwater-St Ives will groom it. Just be aware the higher end of that swell is for experts only.

So, for the next near two weeks, don't bother. But mark your calendar for the 27th of July – that’s your window. A long-range call, but it’s promising.

Rusty

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