Surf Forecasts:
The Breakwater-St Ives surf forecast from 28 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 1 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 10s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 29 Aug, 4PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 9s period, WSW swell with 1,852 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 1 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 10s period with W swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for The Breakwater-St Ives this week:
The surf forecast for The Breakwater-St Ives over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 1AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.5m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 5s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Breakwater-St Ives in the next 16 days are 3.5m 9s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 29) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.5m 8s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 29) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 1AM (Tue 1st Sep) | 5ft (1.5m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Tue 1st Sep) | 5ft (1.5m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Sat 29th Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Breakwater-St Ives over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's talk about what's on the menu for the next couple of weeks.
We're looking at The Breakwater-St Ives, a point break that's fairly exposed to the swell but can be a bit inconsistent. The water temperature is sitting at 64°F, which is pretty much normal for this time of year – nothing to worry about on that front.
The first week is a bit of a write-off, to be honest. The surf is poor through to the end of August and into the start of September. We've got a few small swells, but they're all tangled up with strong winds – cross-off, cross-shore, you name it. The energy is weak to moderate at best, with values like 5 and 1852 on Saturday afternoon, but that 12 ft swell on the 29th of August is messy and cross-shore, so it's not worth paddling out for. The early part of the month is no better; we're looking at poor conditions with wind swell and lumpy cross-chop. It's a bit of a dead zone until the 5th of September.
Saturday morning, the 5th of September, is the first real glimmer of hope. We've got a clean 4 ft swell from the west with a 9-second period and light offshore winds. The energy is a modest 313, and the guidance says the optimum swell direction is from the NW, so this is a bit off, but it's our best bet for a clean session. It's still a marginal call, but it's the standout of the period.
After that, we're back into poor conditions for a few days until the 7th of September. Monday afternoon on the 7th looks interesting – a solid 12 ft swell from the southwest, but the wind is cross-shore and the energy is massive at 1489. The problem is the swell is too big for the break, so it's an expert-only session if you're game.
The 8th of September is a no-go. We're looking at 15 ft swells with fresh cross and cross-on winds – that's dangerous and messy, even for the pros. The energy is off the charts at 4640 and 4070, but it's just not surfable.
The 9th of September afternoon is another decent option. Clean 4 ft swell from the west with a 9-second period and light offshore winds from the SW. The energy is 439, and it's a good, clean session for the intermediate crew.
The 10th of September is a weird one. We've got strong offshore winds, but the swell is tiny – 2 ft and 0.7 ft – with very low energy. It's clean but hard to paddle into, and the 12-second period on the Thursday afternoon is a long-period groundswell that's just too small to do anything with.
The 11th of September has a bit more size – 6 ft from the west – but the winds are strong offshore, making it clean but tough to get into. The energy is moderate at 498, but it's still a marginal call.
The 12th of September is back to small, clean surf with strong winds, but the energy is low and the swell is small. It's not worth the effort.
Bottom line: The best windows are the 5th of September morning and the 9th of September afternoon. The 5th is the standout for a clean, manageable session, but don't expect epic waves. The rest of the forecast is a lot of waiting for the right moment.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 33mm), heaviest during Fri night. Very mild (max 19°C on Sat morning, min 16°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (moderate winds from the WSW on Sat night, strong winds from the W by Sun night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Wed morning. Very mild (max 19°C on Wed morning, min 16°C on Mon afternoon). Winds increasing (light winds from the WSW on Mon night, strong winds from the SW by Wed morning). | |||||||||||||||||||
Fri 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | ||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 11 | WNW 8 | SW 8 | WSW 9 | WSW 9 | WSW 9 | WSW 8 | W 9 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 7 | WSW 6 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | WSW 8 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
5 | 6 | 0 | 1852 | 826 | 512 | 751 | 1708 | 1108 | 787 | 408 | 225 | 199 | 125 | 131 | 254 | 413 | 290 | 302 | 385 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross |
High Tide | 6:15PM5.85m | 6:32AM5.73m | 6:47PM6.04m | 7:04AM5.88m | 7:20PM6.12m | 7:37AM5.93m | 7:54PM6.08m | 8:12AM5.86m | 8:31PM5.90m | 8:50AM5.66m | 9:11PM5.59m | 9:34AM5.35m | 9:59PM5.18m | |||||||
Low Tide | 00:39AM0.35m | 12:50PM0.32m | 1:11AM0.20m | 1:23PM0.23m | 1:43AM0.18m | 1:56PM0.26m | 2:17AM0.29m | 2:31PM0.40m | 2:52AM0.51m | 3:10PM0.66m | 3:33AM0.84m | 3:55PM1.01m | ||||||||
— | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | |
8:15 | — | — | 8:13 | — | — | 8:10 | — | — | 8:08 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:05 | — | — | 8:02 | — | |
mm | 1 | 15 | 4 | — | — | 6 | 6 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 |
Feels °C | 13 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 11 | WNW 8 | — | — | WSW 9 | W 9 | — | — | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | N 5 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | — | SSW 6 | W 8 | SW 15 | SSW 15 |
5 | 6 | — | — | 826 | 355 | — | — | 1108 | 787 | 408 | 2 | 12 | 10 | 25 | — | 51 | 290 | 60 | 22 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SW 11 | — | — | NNW 6 | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 5 | SW 18 | — | SW 11 | S 10 | — | SSW 15 | SSW 6 | SSW 15 | — |
— | 5 | — | — | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 12 | — | 5 | 2 | — | 21 | 29 | 45 | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 18 | — | — | S 11 | S 10 | — | SSW 9 | SW 15 | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | 8 | 35 | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 6 | SW 6 | SW 8 | WSW 9 | — | WSW 9 | WSW 8 | W 9 | — | NNW 5 | — | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 7 | WSW 6 | W 8 | — | W 8 | WSW 8 |
197 | 131 | 741 | 1852 | — | 512 | 751 | 1708 | — | 21 | — | 225 | 199 | 125 | 131 | 254 | 413 | — | 302 | 385 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 192 | 574 | 574 | 159 | 74 | 73 | 74 | 164 | 30 | 159 | 0 | 1 | 190 | 2 | 498 | 755 | 253 | 735 | 215 | 214 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Cornwall | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the The Breakwater-St Ives Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for The Breakwater-St Ives provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at The Breakwater-St Ives can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our The Breakwater-St Ives surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (The Breakwater-St Ives) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for The Breakwater-St Ives may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
The Breakwater-St Ives is 11 km (7 miles) from Camborne. If you plan a holiday in North Cornwall, look for hotels and other accommodation in Camborne. Camborne has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











